Brown plans to educate the world
Gordon Brown has launched his “education for every child” campaign, with the goal of seeing every child on the planet given the opportunity of free schooling.
Tony Blair was elected on a platform of “education, education, education” and as his premiership winds down, Mr Brown – his likely successor – has taken this priority global.
Writing a column for the Guardian, the chancellor outlined his plans aimed at educating the world.
“Education could be the greatest gift the richest nations make to the poorest,” he wrote.
“The alternative is what I saw outside Abuja, in Nigeria: madrassas created by religious extremists, offering free education but fundamentalist indoctrination, filling the void created by our failure to act.
“Today education for all makes not just moral and economic sense, but strategic sense too.”
Britain has pledged £8.5 billion over ten years to schools projects overseas, to fund 15 million school places, Mr Brown points out. “But we must do more,” he added.
“In the last few months, 22 African countries have committed to developing plans to ensure all their children have the facilities and teachers to complete primary education by 2015.
“The cost is not prohibitive – an extra $10 billion a year by 2010 is probably the most cost-effective investment the world could make. This is only 2p a day for each person in the richest nations.”
But as well as money, Mr Brown called for the involvement of charities, schools and the general public in this cause.
“I want every parent, student and school in Britain and the developed world to become campaigners, calling on every government to give every child access to schooling,” he said.
“Our goal is to ensure free education for every child, building the foundation of a truly free life for every adult, and we will commit to every child being at school, and achieve it within ten years.
“Let us heed the call of faith groups and NGOs committed to making “free education” not just a slogan . . . but a global reality for every child.”
