Global Campaign for Eduvcation - Global Action Week 2009

Global Campaign for Education - Queen Rania Honorary Chair 2009

We are very glad to inform you that the First Children’s Embassy in the World Megjashi continues this year with the activities regarding the Global Action Week Campaign for Education that is internationally organized every year by the Global March against Child Labour.
In our country, everyday we see children that in different ways are deprived of their basic right: the right for education. The main objective of the campaign is inclusion of every child in education, and providing literacy for all.

During the one-week campaign which will take place from 20- 26 April 2009, several events will be organized. On the 22 April in the schools all around the world will take place THE BIG READ, when the children will dedicate one school class for reading stories and discussing about the importance of education. The central event is called THE BIG READ and it will take place on the 22 April at the Main Square in the city of Skopje, and also on public places in other cities in Macedonia. On that day many scholars, teachers, parents, local public figures and many others, will take part in the reading of the stories from THE BIG READ STORY BOOK, and also their own stories about the importance and the power of education. THE BIG BOOK contains some life-changing short stories about the importance of education from all around the world. Some of the stories in THE BIG BOOK are narrated by world famous public figures, such as: Nelson Mandela, Queen Rania (who is this year’s Honorary Chair of GCE Action Week), Alice Walker, Dakota Blue Richards, Paulo Coelho, and also many nacional/internacional public figures from Macedonia that have been invited, such as: Simon Trpcevski, Vlatko Stefanovski, Nora Shakiri, Zan Mitrev, Margarita Caca Nikolovska, The Ambassador of the EU Mr. Erwen Fuere, The Ambassdor of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Ms. Simone Filippini, and many others.

Supporters of the campain

The Global Campaign for Education is made up of organisations and individuals who believe that it is imperative that everyone has an education. The Global Campaign for Education exists to ensure that governments and institutions keep their promises and that Education for All really is achieved.

Since the campaign started in 1999, we have fought to hold all world leaders, governments and institutions to account. School user fees have been dropped in many countries, allowing some of the world’s poorest children to access school – the result is that 40 million more children have been able to access school in the last 8 years. More girls are accessing school, and the gender gap is slowly closing. The gains made in education, are a sign that the goals are possible. The world has the know-how, and resources to ensure everyone has an education. Yet the progress is still far too slow: at current rates the education goals will not be met in the next 100 years, let alone by 2015.

The Big Read is GCE’s Action Week 2009 activity that will take place during 20th – 26th April 2009. The campaign is designed to mobilise maximum support for Adult and Youth Literacy and Lifelong Learning through the act of reading and writing and story telling. There are stories and speeches from many international figures including Nelson Mandela and Queen Rania alongside inspirational stories from people who have struggled to get an education. Encourage members to register and we will send through updates as new stories are added and resources become available. A media pack with advice of how to use the Big Read will be available in March.

The Global Campaign for Education (GCE)is a movement to end the worldwide crisis in education. Thousands of development charities, trade unions and child rights groups make up the national coalitions in over 100 countries. Together we campaign and lobby governments to make sure they act now to deliver the right of every girl, boy, woman and man to a free, quality education.

774 million adults can not read this, and 75 million children who are not in school will be denied the chance to learn to read and write. In Macedonia there are more than 18.500 children that don’t go to schools, from which 2000 are on the streets and 200.000 haven’t finished primary education.

We believe that education can strengthen the democracy and the economy in the country; it can enable people to protect themselves and their families from HIV and other diseases, and to become the persons they have always wanted to be.

We want to remind the governments of their commitment for support and realizing the goals for equal access to education for everyone, and to make efforts for decreasing of the inequalities regarding the social and economical conditions. We want also want them to ask themselves why they still can not provide quality education for all.

In our efforts to improve the situation with the education we also give many recommendations with which we believe there could be made an improvement. We tend to reach the education goals by including every child in the process of education, especially street children, children with disabilities, children from poor families. Therefore we recommend activities that could help in overcoming these problems, We suggest increasing of the budget for the education, opening new classes and to employ more teachers, providing meals for the children, school materials and clothes at the beginning of the school year, for the Centers for Social Work to have records on whether the children of their social welfare beneficiaries are attending school or their labour is being abused.

We also have signed guarantees from the President of Macedonia Mr. Branko Crvenkovski, the Prime Minister Mr. Nikola Gruevski, the Major of the City of Skopje till recent Mr. Trifun Kostovski, groups of parliamentarians, celebrity public figures and other supporters, with which they have made a commitment that through their work they will make efforts for inclusion of every child in the process of education.

You can find more information about the Global Action Week 2009 at: