(MENAFN- The Peninsula) H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson, Education Above All (EAA), yesterday called on socially responsible corporations and philanthropic leaders to support the cause of quality universal primary education, challenging the notion that primary education is only the responsibility of governments.
In her keynote speech at the 6th Asian Leadership Conference, she sought to forge new alliances between the education and business communities and appealed to corporates and business leaders to bring their expertise and resources to the global education crisis.
"In 2000, the world made a promise that by 2015 all children would have access to quality primary education. Yet we still have 58 million children out of school who need help. I am worried that governments alone cannot solve this problem," she said.
On Educate A Child (EAC) programme she founded in 2012, Sheikha Moza said: "Our approach is succeeding. Since the programme began, we and our partners have made commitments to offer opportunities to five million children.
"We have agreements with development agencies and private sector organisations across the world. We are advocating placing primary education as the first priority in global campaigns. But we alone cannot reach the millions more children who deserve this chance. To reach our goals, we need like-minded partners, we need expertise, and we need more financial resources."
She praised South Korea for its model of private and public investment in education and success in economic and social transformation. Korea is the world's second biggest per capita spender on education; the government allocates almost 8 percent of GDP to education.
Sheikha Moza also commended Korea's transformation from donor recipient to Development Assistance Committee member, being at the forefront of development policy.
Opening remarks were made by Bang Sang-hoon, President and CEO, The Chosunilbo, followed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and congratulatory remarks from South Korean President Park Geun-hye. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also spoke.
Sheikha Moza also addressed the opening ceremony of World Education Forum 2015 (WEF) in Incheon. The forum is discussing achievements of education-related Millennium Development Goals and a new education agenda for 2015-2030.
She urged the global community to seize the once-in-a-generation opportunity to support millions of disadvantaged out-of-school children by providing quality primary education.
"The Education 2030 agenda carries some 'unfinished business' that needs to be addressed. Millions of out-of-school children have not been served by the past agenda, only half of all countries have achieved universal primary enrolment and 58 million primary-aged children are out of school".
She stressed that universal primary education must be prioritised to ensure that millions of children will not be forgotten again. "Let us renew our national commitments by implementing funding mechanisms that channel funds to primary education first."
She also stressed the need for quality education. "Let us always evaluate our achievements through the lens of quality and never accept that 250 million children leave primary school without knowing how to read and write. We must not give up because the task is tedious and dangerous.
"Today in Incheon, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to focus on governments, galvanise donors and attract new investors. So let us prove that the international community is committed to ensuring quality primary education. Let us ensure that this declaration is not just another declaration. Let us be the generation to be remembered."
The Education 2030 agenda will encapsulate Goal 4 of the Sustainable Development Goals that will succeed Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), including MDG2 which aimed to achieve universal primary education by 2015.
The framework for action to ensure inclusive, equitable and lifelong education opportunities for all will be adopted in a high-level meeting on the sidelines of the 38th Unesco conference this November.
Park, Ban, Unesco Director-General Irina Bokova, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim and co-winner of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize, Kailash Satyarthi, also spoke.
On the sidelines, Sheikha Moza met South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se on the sidelines of the World Education Forum 2015 and discussed the forum's agenda and issues of joint interest.
They also witnessed the signing of a three-year $20m deal between EAA and Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), a development agency to implement education projects for out-of-school children. The deal aims to provide a strategic framework within which KOICA and EAC, a global programme of EAA, will support implementation of projects around the world to accelerate enrolment and retention of out-of-school children in quality primary education.
Projects will focus on enabling refugees and internally displaced children to realise their right to quality primary education.
Efforts include designing and implementing joint advocacy and communications activities to raise awareness of the urgency to provide access to education to about 58 million children who remain out of school.
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