Education For All Campaign Network (EFANet) The Gambia on Wednesday, celebrated Global Action Week for Education (GAWE) at Regional Education Directorate (RED) 6 Basse, Upper River Region (URR).
The theme for the 2021 GAWE is, ‘Education financing’, in-line with the policy framing of the One Billion Voices campaign. It calls for support in the implementation of the full Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 4; asking for governments to increase the education budget to 20% of public expenditure.
GAWE is commemorated every year to remind world leaders of the promises made in Dakar framework for action in the year 2000 to meet the education for all (EFA) goals and SDG4.
The National Coordinator for EFANet, Mr. Kebba Omar Jarjusey, recalled that in 2015, world leaders pledged to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities of all by 2030 regardless of personal, social or political context. “Such ambitious goals need to be paid for since education is central to the achievement of all development goals,” he argued, reminding failing to make adequate investments in education puts the success of the entire new agenda at risk.
Jarjusey pointed out that Global Action Week for education is one of the major focal points for the education camp with an opportunity to highlight one area of the education for all agenda, and make targeted efforts to achieve change on the ground, with the added support of education campaigners in million of members of the public World joining together for the same cause.
He said GAWE 2021 theme is in line with the policy framing of the one billlion voices campaign action and activities. National Coordinator Jarjusey further said this year’s focuses on securing an increase in the public financing of education to ensure inclusive and equality education and promote life long learning opportunities for all.
EFANet Board Chairperson Mr. Bakary Badjie, in his remarks, told his audience that GAWE aims to mobilize ‘more and better public financing for education’ in which civil society organizations in different regions demand concrete actions to achieve the necessary goals to guarantee the funds that public education system need, including the progressive increase of the national budgeting for early childhood education, basic education, education for youth and adults and tertiary education. He said the realization of the human right to education requires multiple efforts from all sectors of society, and it is dependent on the compliance with specific obligations of governments and the international community.
The state obligations must be interconnected and seek to break down the barriers imposed by discrimination, colonization and injustice, according to international human rights law and the sustainable development education 2030 agenda, the Chairperson charged.
For this reason, he stressed that education financing must be motivated by the construction of an education system that promotes and realizes rights as a way of life as the content of education, it’s governance and administration, and the challenges of teaching and learning are parts of this enabling human rights.
Badjie went on to say that EFANet, as a member of the global camp for education, recalls the national budgeting for education require four central obligations of the 4s budget advocacy campaign framework, namely increasing the share of budgets of education, increasing the size of budget overall, increasing the sensitivity of budget in order to respond to the most marginalized, and increasing the scrutiny of budgets, so governments are accountable to people.
He added that, while making reference to the current Covid-19 pandemic that led to the recent education crisis and closure of schools, EFANet affirms that one of the important lessons derived from the health crisis caused by Covid-19 is the need to turn schools into a safe space, where children can always learn and play.
“EFANet has been leading the advocacy campaign for access to free inclusive, quality education for all in The Gambia. We wish to renew our commitment to advocating for inclusive, equitable, supportive and democratic societies, and as such, use the global action week for education as a mechanism that reminds the central role of civil society, students, women, people with disabilities and teachers in the struggle for a world that leave no one behind,” the Board head explained.
Country Director of ChildFund The Gambia, Mrs. Musukuta Komma-Bah, remarked that achieving national education goals “will require additional financial commitment over the coming year. No less important is ensuring that these resources are used effectively by reducing spending inefficiencies common in many education systems”.
