Weekly Global Education News | December 10, 2017
Update on issues affecting teachers, children, and schools around the world
EU increased funding for education for all with €100 million
The European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development announced an additional contribution of €100 million to replenish the Global Partnership for Education on top of the €375 million already committed in 2014. The Commissioner stressed that it is a critical moment for all partners to work together, in order to reverse the current trend of declining investment in education.
Young students getting better at reading, finds international study
According to the 2016 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PRILS), […] 96 per cent of fourth graders from over 60 education systems achieved above the international benchmark.
“An early start in reading literacy has lasting benefits, with students who had attended pre-primary school for three years or more reporting higher average scores,” said UNESCO in a news release announcing the findings.
#WhosAccountable: a new campaign that calls on young people to speak up for quality education
The campaign, which has received endorsements from over 15 national and international education partners, calls on young people to come together, exercise their collective voice, and call on governments to make sure the right to education is enforced. The platform aims to strengthen a network of informed youth advocates active in local, national and international education spaces.
See also: Students play a vital role in holding governments to account for education
Iraq: Ambiguity over legal age of marriage could devastate childhoods, warn UN officials
“It is a matter of concern that these draft amendments are silent on the minimum age of consent to marriage and do not apply to all components of Iraqi society,” said Representatives of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, and for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba, in a statement, the Iraqi Council of Representative’s approval in principle of the draft law — that does not explicitly set the minimum age of marriage to 18-years for both women and men — represents a significant step back from commitments to prevent and address sexual violence.
Fighting female genital mutilation: Education matters
Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) may not seem a large-scale problem. Yet, while the exact number of girls and women worldwide being subjected to the practice remains unknown, what we do know is that at least 200 million girls and women in thirty countries have been victims of the practice, with the highest concentrations in sub-Saharan Africa.
Educating girls can also give them the freedom to make decisions to improve their lives, which has deep social implications. Giving girls access to schooling is a central part of eradicating FGM/C, according to our 2016 Gender Review, which shows that, in most countries, women with higher levels of education are less likely to have undergone FGM/C.
