Girls Demand their Right to Education Girl’s delegation present resolution to the Minister for Elementary and Secondary Education seeking a realisation to the right of every girl to an education. The meeting was part of a global initiative that will see the first ever UN Youth Resolution handed over to the Secretary-General of the United Nations. Young people around the world are involved in drafting and revising the resolution. In support of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Global Education First Initiative, young leaders from around the world will convene in support of reaching the goal of all children, especially girls, in school and learning by 2015. The UN Special Envoy for Global Education and the President of the United Nations General Assembly will host a series of events at the UN Headquarters in New York. The resolution calls to: 1) Pass a Security Council resolution that recognises the global education crisis and take concrete steps to address education and security, particularly for girls and in situations of emergency; 2) Get every child in school; 3) Address the special situation of girls and other marginalised groups; 4) Ensure that we learn to prepare us for life and work; 5) Increase education funding; and 6) Guarantee our voice in shaping education; An excerpt from the resolution reads: “Today we are honoured to represent millions of girls in Pakistan asking for the realisation to their right to an education. Honourable Minister we are not the only delegation here in your presence but our fellow girls in Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, Muzzafarabad, Gilgit, and elsewhere around the world are presenting similar resolutions”. The state of girls’ education in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa doesn’t present an encouraging picture: • Out of a total of 26,907 public schools only 37% are for girls. • Out of 4,157,545 enrolled students only 40% are girls. • Out of 118,593 teachers only 34% are women. The resolution goes on to say: “if world leaders, governments, civil society and the global community do not take decisive action now, the result is clear: the largest generation of youth in human history will be exposed to unemployment, poor health, civil unrest and increased vulnerability. We firmly believe that education is the most effective solution to poverty. We cannot afford to not educate the future generations of our planet -- education is a smart investment”. Child Rights Movement- CRM, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with support from National Secretariat and Plan International Pakistan organized the two days activities to highlight the importance of education for especially for girls. Members CRM, coordinator CRM and representative from Plan International Pakistan joined the delegation of girls. The delegation appreciated the commitment and assurance given by the Minister.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Jul 2013 08:52:02 +0000