At the Transforming Education Summit, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged world leaders to find & support solutions to ensure everyone can learn, thrive & dream throughout their lives.
Warning that education was in”deep crisis”, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on countries to protect education budgets and funnel education spending into learning resources.
“I regard myself as a lifelong student … Without education, where would I be? Where would any of us be?”, the UN chief asked delegates gathered in the iconic Generally Assembly Hall.
Because education transforms lives, economies and societies, “We must transform education”, he told the UN Education Summit as it wrapped up three days of deliberations.
Instead of being the great enabler, the UN chief pointed out that education is fast becoming “a great divider”, noting that some 70 per cent of 10-year-old in poor countries are unable to read and are “barely learning”.
Speaking for the Group of 77 (developing countries) and China, Pakistan’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar underlined the need for affirmative measures at all levels to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education, especially for girls.
After the conclusion of the summit, it was announced that more than 130 countries attending the summit, have committed to rebooting their education systems and accelerating action to end the learning crisis.
UN secretary-general said that with access to the best resources, schools and universities, the rich get the best jobs, while the poor – especially girls – displaced people, and students with disabilities, face huge obstacles to getting the qualifications that could change their lives, Guterres said.
“Education financing must be the number one priority for Governments. It is the single most important investment any country can make in its people and its future”, the Secretary-General said. “Spending and policy advice should be aligned with delivering quality education for all”.
In closing, he stated that the Transforming Education Summit will only achieve its global goals by mobilizing “a global movement”.
“Let’s move forward together, so that everyone can learn, thrive and dream throughout their lives. Let’s make sure today’s learners and future generations can access the education they need, to create a more sustainable, inclusive, just and peaceful world for all”.
