International Education Day is celebrated on 24 January. This year comes at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the work of schools as we knew them on an unprecedented scale and with unprecedented severity.
The closure of schools, universities and other educational institutions has affected some 1.6 billion students in more than 190 countries.
The right to education is enshrined in Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Nor should it be forgotten that when Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development was adopted, the international community recognised that education is essential to the success of its 17 goals. Goal 4 of Sustainable Development specifically aims to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all” by 2030.
We pray for inclusive, equitable, quality education and lifelong learning opportunities, as this is how equality can be achieved and the cycle of poverty that leaves millions of children, young people and adults behind can be broken.
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(PHOTO: Claret School of Las Palmas)
