#UpForSchool : In collaboration with Warwick Hub

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n 2000, world leaders pledged to get every child into school by 2015, but progress has stalled and today 58 million children of primary school age are not receiving an education. They are forced out of school for many rea- sons including forced labour, child marriage, gender discrimination, and attacks on schools. A lack of education then aggravates these problems, but by making sure every child goes to school, we can end this vicious circle.

Young people hold the key to international development through their education in so many ways. Education can redefine the next generation, shaping them into people who can form their own opinions and are at less risk of being duped by corrupt governments or intolerant fundamentalists. It can provide developing countries with skilled engineers, medical professionals and teachers to bring entire nations forward.

In terms of modern slavery which has been so prominent in the media recently, staying in school is vitally important in protecting children. Education gives them hope and potential for the future, and can help them break out of the cycle of poverty which traps so many into forced labour, providing them with prospects for finding skilled work and the awareness needed to see through smooth-talking traffickers.

This year we have the opportunity to put pressure on political leaders to remember the promise made 15 years ago. A World at School, a coalition of charities, has put together the #UpForSchool petition in order to do just that. The petition is aiming for 24 million signatures to make it the biggest in history. The current world record for the biggest ever petition is held by the Jubilee 2000 campaign, which led to the cancellation of unjust debt owed by 35 of the poorest countries, and resulted in thousands of children going to school for the first time.

World leaders will meet at the UN General Assembly this September, and this petition is the perfect way to put education at the top of their agenda. If the world’s citizens take education seriously, so must their leaders.

Warwick Hub is launching the petition here at Warwick in Week 8, so keep an eye out for stalls around campus. There will also be an event offering the opportunity to sign in Week 9, on Monday 2 March at 5pm in S0.20, with a guest speaker from Tearfund speaking on ‘Modern Slavery and Education’.

Learn more about the cause and sign the petition here: http://www.aworldatschool.org/upforschool#