GCE’s Global Action Week for Education in 2017 focuses on ensuring accountability for SDG4, and active citizen participation.

In 2015, citizens campaigned successfully for governments to commit to a Sustainable Development Goal which ensured that everyone has the right to quality education – education which should be public, equitable, inclusive and free. Two years later, it is time for governments to prove they are working towards this goal – it is time to deliver.

While there are challenges to the realisation of this right, from long-term conflict to national elections and policy changes, commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals, and to the Education 2030 agenda are long term and cannot be ignored.

At the same time, citizens must be given a voice in any decision-making process which impacts on their lives. Yet in too many countries the voice of citizens is being stifled; across all regions of the world, certain national governments have taken more aggressive action to limit civil society activity, from restrictions on funding, ‘political activity’ or protest, to direct criminalisation of civil society activity.

Education underpins many of the SDGs, and it is fundamental to the realisation of other rights. Governments must deliver on this goal, and citizens must be able to play their part in holding them to account for it. The cost of not delivering education is too high to bear.

Find out morGCE members all around the world are taking part in our Global Action Week – here is a brief snapshot of some of the activities happening.

You can also register your activities to tell us how you will be Standing Up for Education here.

AFGHANISTAN: Movement for Support of Quality Education in Afghanistan (hosted by Watch on Basic Rights Afghanistan Organization)

GCE’s Afghan coalition Watch on Basic Rights Afghanistan Organization (WBRAO) is in the process of organising its Education For All campaign for GAWE2017. This will be held from 6-11 May for security reasons. Around 60 organisations have expresed interest in taking part in the campaign. On Sunday 29th April, the Afghan government is holding a conference on the SDGs, which our colleagues at WBRAO will be following up on.

01

ALBANIA: Albanian Coalition for Child Education

On 23 April the coalition launched Global Action Week in the Centre for Openness and Dialogue in Tirana, with representatives from the Office of the Prime Minister. This was covered by both radio and television with interviews already scheduled.

The coalition will also circulate their education manifesto, “We Stand for Education”, identifying national and local education priorities that in turn will be sent to political parties. An open forum will be held in Kruja Major, in north central Albania, under the title “Increasing financing in education at local level”. There will also be “Education 2030” open forums with young people in 8 regions of the country.

There will be a Public Consultation with the participation of the CSOs and Ministry of Education on “Education Budget, challenges and priorities”, and a public statement will be delivered to the media highlighting the Government’s pledge on SDG4.

ARGENTINA: Campaña Argentina por el Derecho a la Educación

Activities have been planned to defend the right to education in alliance with teachers’ unions and other organisations and movements, gathered in a group entitled “For more and better education”.

ARMENIA: Armenian Constitutional Rights Protection Centre (ACRPC)

Global Action Week for Education launched in Armenia on April 23rd, with a workshop organised by the GCE Armenian Coalition ACRPC in partnership with the Association for Trauma Outreach & Prevention (ATOP, NY, USA). Civil society activists, professors, teachers, local self-governing body representatives, journalists and students took part. Participants discussed and developed the main demands of the GCE’s Armenian coalition to the Armenian government. The government has formed an Interagency Commission for Localisation of the 17 SDGs and has invited civil society activists, including ACPRC, to be involved.

BANGLADESH: Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE)

Our national education in Bangladesh, The Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE), has organised a campaign for Global Action Week which is expected to cover the whole country. This includes specific programmes and events in 39 districts by selected by CAMPE’s partner organisations and Teacher Associations. Thousands of people including government officials, public representatives, educators, researchers, NGO representatives, students, guardians, teachers, School Management Committee members, representatives of other civil society groups and media are expected to participate in the week-long programs and raise their voices for education, and ensuring accountability for SDG4 and citizen participation.

At the sub-national level, there were various rallies, a roundtable and a press conference. At the national level, CAMPE developed a position paper which will be submitted to the Ministry of Education at a National Sharing Session on April 29th. In addition, CAMPE and Citizen’s Platform for SDGs have jointly developed a Framework for Action to reinforce the issues of Education 2030/ SDG4 and ways of achieving the goal in Bangladesh.

BENIN: Coalition Beninoise des Organisations pour l’Éducation Pour Tous

As well as a meeting with the Ministry of Primary Education, round table meetings are being organised on the 2017 Action Week theme with regional authorities, CSOs and other partners. There will also be a dedicated radio show on the theme.

BOLIVIA: Campaña Boliviana por el Derecho a la Educación

Global Action Week for Education in Bolivia will include among its activities:

  • The presentation of the results of a study on the state of public education in the country, with emphasis on financing
  • A discussion on SDG 4 and its implementation in Bolivia
  • Meetings with educational authorities, to present the findings of CBDE, on the situation of Bolivian education.

BRAZIL: Campanha Nacional pelo Direito a Educação

Using the slogan ‘Roadmap to the SDGS – Let’s not reinvent the wheel’, the coalition will hold its Global Action Week in June and will focus on defending compliance with the National Education Plan towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals: http://campanha.org.br/semana-de-acao-mundial/comunicado-1-semana-de-acao-mundial-2017-de-04-a-11-de-junho-em-todo-o-brasil/

BURKINA FASO: Coalition Nationale Éducation Pour Tous

The coalition has produced a new advocacy document, which provides an overview of the domestic financing of education, citizen participation and the empowerment of civil society in the development, implementation and monitoring of education policies. They will be conducting hearings with ministers in charge of education, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the President of the National Assembly and the Prime Minister.

In terms of public events and activities, several elected officials and political leaders will be going ‘back to school’ and visiting schools in their local authority areas. A national civil society forum for education will held, and the coalition is also producing a documentary film on the theme of the GAWE 2017.

CAMBODIA: NGO Education Partnership (NEP Cambodia)

From 26th to 29th April 2017, NEP-Cambodia together with partner organisation P-ESWG conducted activities in 5 provinces, including Koh Kong, Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Thom, Preah Vihear and Otdor Meanchey. The events were attended by over 400 participants, all showing their support for this year’s Global Action Week for Education campaign.

CAMEROON: Cameroun Education For All Network

Advocacy activities will be conducted at the regional level for implementation of SDG4. Public activities include sketches and activities presented by children, a radio debate at regional level on the 2017 Action Week theme with CSO, regional authorities, public leaders, and a march with CSOs, educational authorities, traditional leaders, parents and students. Events will be publicised in the media and on social networks.

CAPE VERDE: Rede Nacional da Campanha de Educação Para Todos

Global Action Week for Education in Cape Verde this year is focused on inclusive education. Activities organised include a cultural animation, street theatre performances and seminars.

COLOMBIA: Coalición Colombiana por el Derecho a la Educación

Education hearings are planned in the National Congress, with an emphasis on the issue of necessary financing to deliver the Education 2030 Agenda. Also, activities are being promoted in defence of the peace process (in alliance with the Broad Front for Education), and against child labour, in dialogue with Valle del Cauca organisations.

DENMARK: Danish Education Network

Resources for this year’s Action Week include stories from South Sudan, of children related to school, and stories written by children’s authors. Resources will go to 200,000 Danish children in schools – that’s 30% of Danish schoolchildren.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Foro Socioeducativo

The Dominican Republic is supporting the worldwide call with the motto “We Defend Quality, Inclusive, Equitable and Participative Education” through various mobilisation actions with the objective of raising awareness with Dominican society on the SDGs, particularly on education. Activities include an Implementation Workshop and launch of the Social Watch Guide on Educational Policies, a seminar on the Progress and Challenges in the Implementation of the Education Agenda 2030, a newsletter dedicated to SDG4 and several round tables and debates and reflections on different aspects of the education agenda.

A report on compliance with and delivering the Education 2030 Agenda was produced by the coalition, within the context of monitoring the national educational budget. The coalition also a guide on the SDGs for use in schools and education institutions. FSE shared a wide array of advocacy materials for use on social media and elsewhere.

EGYPT: Egyptian Coalition for Education For All

The coalition held a high-level meeting on 23rd April, with the participation of the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education and senior civil servants to discuss the role of civil society in the follow-up of the strategic plan for the development of education during the period 2017-2030.

Moreover, meetings in 5 governorates will be held on the 25th, with the participation of civil society organisations working in the field of education, in addition to a number of media professionals, educators, parents and students to discuss the achievement of the SDGs and the mechanisms that will develop education.

There will be field visits to a number of schools to discuss the possibility of strengthening the public system and the state’s capacities to ensure free quality and equitable education.

Finally, the coalition will be launching a media campaign to increase awareness on the education goals, and the role of citizens and activists in their implementation. There will be TV and radio interviews on the goals, outcomes and outputs of the Global Action Week in particular, to raise awareness among citizens.

FRANCE: Coalition Éducation

The coalition is working in the context of the national elections which are being held in France, and they are combining this with their Action Week activities. An open letter will be sent to each candidate to ask them to commit more aid to education, and call them out for lack of investment to basic education, the Global Partnership for Education and Education Cannot Wait multilateral funds. An opinion piece will be published in the media signed by the heads of the coalition members’ organisations.

GAMBIA: Education For All Network (EFANet)

As well as pushing for transparency and responsive accountability mechanisms, particularly to involve women, persons with disability and other marginalised groups, EFANet Gambia is including critical financing demands in its 2017 Global Action Week for Education campaign. The coalition is holding a national television talk show with the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE) Education Forum, alongside a series of radio talk shows and mobilisation activities include a demonstration and a public forum.

GEORGIA: Georgian Coalition for Education for All

The coalition will be conducting high-level advocacy work, including the presentation of a civil society report on delivering SDG4, at the parliamentary committee level. Alongside this a social media campaign will be launched, to widen public awareness and understanding of the education targets.

Follow-up on the campaign is already planned, with the Georgian National Education Forum conference in October. The coalition will present its final assessment report and recommendations on the SDG4 country-level process, and launch discussion on the education sector plan, with the participation of wide range of civil society.

INDIA: National Coalition for Education (NCE India)

In India a host of advocacy and public mobilisation activities are being held during Action Week, targeting both national policy and local level delivery of education. At the national level NCE India is campaigning for a series of major changes, including the repeal of a child labour law which allows children below the age of 14 to work for their family businesses, increased financing with specific funding for children with disabilities, and targeted policies to help children from the most marginalised communities. Locally, one important campaign is for every child aged 6-14 to be registered and enrolled in education.

INTERNATIONAL: Oxfam IBIS

Oxfam IBIS is focusing on quality education for all during this year’s Global Action Week for Education, teamed with raising awareness that funding for education is crucial to reach this goal. A conference is being hosted by Oxfam IBIS in Denmark on 27 April to begin political work on financing education, as well as to push global education higher up the political agenda within the different political parties nationally.

IRELAND: Irish Forum for Global Education

The Forum is working closely with Irish Aid, the Irish government development aid agency on mapping Irish government aid to education at bilateral, regional and international level and on their strategy for SDG4.

During Global Action Week, the Forum plans a launch event and a programme for action, including the creation of a dedicated website.

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IRAQ: Iraq Coalition for Education

A wide-ranging set of activities are planned for Global Action Week, during the longer period of 18-30 April. These include training workshops for the media, discussion sessions with NGOs, Parliament and the Education Committee for SDG4, regional and thematic workshops, with particular focuses on education for displaced people, girls, and delivering education in Kurdistan, school activities, and radio broadcasts.

JORDAN: Jordanian National Coalition for Education For All

The coalition has planned the following activities for the Global Action Week during the period 1-27 April:

  • A position paper on the Global Action Week‘s theme.
  • A position paper on education in Jordan (focusing on the regional context and taking Jordan as an example).
  • Launch event for the Global Action Week where the committee on the Voluntary National Review for the SDGs, under the auspices of Ministry of Planning, will be present, and will present an update on where the review stands.
  • Live chat event.

LEBANON: Arab Network for Popular Education

The coalition is planning to celebrate Global Action Week with a major event on 28th April, in the Municipality of Saida in South Lebanon. This event will see the participation of the member organisations of the coalition, along with education stakeholders, school representatives and councils, as well as students and, in particular, students with disabilities.

MADAGASCAR: Coalition Nationale Malgache pour l’Éducation Pour Tous

A series of meetings were held with decision makers, parents’ associations, and political parties, and a press conference was also organised for Global Action Week for Education. In addition, a social media campaign was run, and interviews with radio and television outlets secured. GAWE in Madagascar received significant media coverage.

MAURITANIA: Coalition des Organisations Mauritaniennes pour l’Éducation

An awareness-raising advocacy campaign will be run with the authorities on the importance of transparent, responsible and participative governance for the realisation of the SDG4. The coalition will also be working with the public to increase active citizen participation in the development of educational policies and monitoring of progress. The week will also see a round table on the commitments made by all to achieve the global goal of education.

MAURITIUS: DCI Mauritius

In Mauritius, GCE member DCI is focusing its advocacy and campaign work on supporting some of the most marginalised children in the country – particularly children with parents that have been incarcerated, and those who live in rural communities. The coalition is hosting five workshops to sensitise the population about safeguarding the interests of marginalised children.

MEXICO: Incidencia Civil en la Educación

A meeting is being planned in the Senate regarding the assessment of SDG4 in the country, as well as other activities in alliance with different institutes and regional networks, such as CEAAL and the Global Network for Educational Quality.

MOZAMBIQUE: Movimento de Educação para Todos

For Global Action Week for Education a conference with 60 participants will present research on education financing, and will include speakers from the Ministry of Education and Human Development, Ministry of Economic and Finance, National Assembly, Development Cooperation Partners, civil society, teachers, students, parents’ associations and community organisations.

NIGERIA: Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All (CSACEFA)

Members of our Nigerian coalition Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All (CSACEFA) rallied in Abuja to protest the lack of quality education for all Nigerian children. They marched to the National Assembly complex and Federal Ministry of Education displaying placards bearing inscriptions such as ‘We are standing up for education! What about you?’ and ‘Increase education budget!’. The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, assured the participants that the government would look at their demands and act accordingly. The coalition also held activities in 5 other states of the country, including radio interviews and community awareness sessions.

NORWAY: GCE Norway

The coalition has two priorities this year which they will combine for Action Week: education financing and national elections in September. GCE Norway has already secured that education is in all the political manifestos, and will continue to campaign for it to be a top priority.

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PALESTINE: Palestinian Education Coalition

The coalition is planning the following activities for the Global Action Week during the period 4-30 April:

  • A workshop for the heads of student activities departments in 18 education governorates to introduce them to the theme of the campaign for this year and develop a work plan with them for school activities, and be part of the upcoming central activities that will be held in three districts (Hebron, Nablus, and Qabatiya).
  • Two-day training workshop for the media.
  • A press conference to announce Global Action Week in partnership with the Ministry of Education, UNRWA, as well as the National Education Team.
  • A round table with the parliamentary blocs and members of the Education Committee in the Legislative Council to discuss their role in accountability for SDG4.
  • A roundtable with unions and federations to discuss their role in accountability for the fourth development objective.
  • School activities under the title: “The Big Dream”.
  • A closing conference for the events of Global Action Week to promote societal accountability to achieve SDG4.
  • Coordinating with the Waqf Department to dedicate Friday sermons and Sundays to be about accountability in education.

PHILIPPINES: E-Net Philippines

In the Philippines the national coalition, E-Net, is advocating for the whole SDG4 agenda, but demanding that the more overlooked targets on early childhood, youth and adults are given due attention in implementation policies. At the same time, demands are being made for increased financing for education and ensuring efficiency and effectiveness of the education budget. They will be holding a public display of the SDG4 targets, a forum on the role of different stakeholders of SDG 4 and a workshop on early childhood care and development.

RWANDA: Rwanda Education For All Coalition

As well as national-level advocacy activities, the Rwandan coalition organised a press conference, interviews on radio and TV, and a series of school visits.

04SOMALIA: Education For All Somalia

The coalition planned the following activities for Global Action Week during the period 15- 29 April:

  • Press conference on the 23rd, to highlight the SDG theme and education gaps, and Education 2030 demands.
  • Schools visits, and advocacy with education offices to introduce the theme of the Global Action Week and this year’s focus on ensuring accountability for SDG4.

05SPAIN: Campana Mundial por la Educación España

Action Week in Spain will focus on accountability from the perspective of citizen and child participation, and will also include financing demands. The coalition is planning an advocacy event with Parliament, and the campaign is running under the slogan “Pido la palabra por la educación”. More information and resources are available here: https://cme-espana.org/same/

SUDAN: Sudanese Coalition for Education For All

The coalition planned activities as follows:

  • A workshop on the importance of road maps for education in the Arab region and the implementation of the agenda of sustainable development goals/SDG4 nationally.
  • A workshop on civil society engagement in the preparation of education strategic plans, monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals agenda and specifically SDG4.
  • A Children’s Parliament session to discuss education issues (challenges and future opportunities) and the role of children and communities in achieving the agenda of the SDGs.
  • Open day event with the participation of children, parents’ councils, teachers and partners in the education sector. The event will focus on the importance of free, public education and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. It will also include an exhibition that reflects the reality of education and future plans.

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TANZANIA : Tanzania Education Network/Mtandao wa Elimu Tanzania (TEN/MET)

On the 20th April, TEN//MET’s National Coordinator Mrs. Cathleen Sekwao held a meeting with news reporters updating them on the upcoming Global Action Week on Education (GAWE) which will be held in Nanyumbu (Mtwara Region) from the 24th-28th of April this year. The commemoration will include school/community awareness to Nanyumbu villages calling upon all stakeholders to be responsible for improving the quality of education in the district. Civil Society Organisations joined members to make bricks which could be used to build classrooms in schools which have very few or no classrooms at all. The bricks that were made were stored in bricks banks to dry out for later use. This activity was part of the ‘Collective Accountability For Quality Inclusive Education’ initiative.

TOGO: Coalition Nationale pour l‘Éducation Pour Tous

A huge amount of activity was planned in Togo this year, including:

  • A new advocacy document and a ‘hand-over moment’ to the Minister, as well as meetings with parliament, and the Ministry of Finance
  • Mobilisation of students, parents, teachers, NGO officials, authorities
  • Dissemination of information and awareness raising on the issues of accountability for SDG4
  • Sketches by groups of children and students with disabilities
  • An awareness tour in schools and public places at regional level.

VIETNAM: Aide et Action

Working with GCE member coalition Vietnam Association for Education For All (VAEFA), Aide et Action are mobilising the public to become involved in holding their local and national governments to account, as well as to provide information to parents, teachers, children and authorities on removing language barriers at school. They are organising community-based mass communication events, including sharing good practice on removing language barriers in primary schools and an interactive drama to promote quality parenting skills.

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YEMEN: Yemen Coalition for Education For All

The coalition is holding a launch ceremony for Global Action Week and will start collecting 100,000 signatures of school students, university students, and public figures, demanding that the government and international organisations fulfil their promises concerning the implementation of SDG4.

The coalition has also coordinated with the Ministry of Education that all schools on the 29th have morning speeches on SDG4, the government’s accountability, and the commitment of the Ministry to the pledges. Alongside this a newsletter on accountability will be distributed in schools and universities.

On 27th April the coalition will hold meetings with international organisations to demand the fulfilment of their promises on SDG4.

Several meetings with the Ministry of Education will be held during this period, in which the coalition will request the MOE‘s commitment and signature to SDG4. Global Action Week in Yemen will end with a press conference.

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The Global Campaign for Education (GCE) is a civil society movement that aims to end exclusion in education. Education is a basic human right, and our mission is to make sure that governments act now to deliver the right of everyone to a free, quality, public education.