FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 20 JUNE 2007

Education target will be missed, warns Save the Children

Save the Children warns that at least 30 million children, most living in conflict affected countries, are still likely to be out of school by 2015, the target year for education for all and the Millennium Development Goals. New Zealand and 188 other countries endorsed the Millennium Development Goals in 2000 to significantly reduce global poverty by 2015.

The Story of the Future, an animated report from Save the Children published today indicates that the current trend of providing education for more than 4 million[1] children a year is not enough to reach the 2015 education target the world set itself in 2000. Although the total number of out-of-school children is declining, those who are still out-of-school are proving ever harder to reach.

More than half of the 77 million children still out of school[2] live in conflict-affected fragile states. However, despite the vulnerability of the children living in these countries, only 23 percent of the global basic education aid goes to these conflict and post-conflict areas.

“For nearly 60 years, since the Universal Declaration on Human Rights in 1948, world leaders have made promises to all children that they have the right to go to school and receive education. In 2000, world leaders made new promises, the Millennium Development Goals, in which they promised education for all children by 2015,” says John Bowis, Executive Director of Save the Children New Zealand.

“Despite these promises, not enough resources have been committed for education in either humanitarian or development aid, particularly for children in conflict-affected fragile states. Without doing more their promises will continue to be broken. At least 30 million children will still be out of school in 2015 – most of them in poor, conflict-affected countries.”

“Two weeks ago the G8 said they would target assistance to ‘low income countries and fragile states furthest away from the 2015 target’ of education for all. Today on World Refugee Day, we hope that world leaders might be reminded of all the children around the world whose lives have been disrupted by conflict and act now to provide education. For this generation of children growing up without school, making a new promise in 2015 will simply be too late.”

The world’s richest donors, despite pledging to ensure every child receives an education by 2015, are selecting more stable countries to receive aid for education over those affected by conflict – effectively leaving those countries with little hope of breaking the cycle of poverty and conflict. Yet education is key to breaking the cycle of poverty and conflict.

Save the Children’s animated report The Story of the Future shows which major donors are seriously failing to close the funding gap needed to provide universal education, including New Zealand. More education aid from rich countries – a fraction of what is spent on education in developed countries – would make an enormous difference to children’s lives. The report shows, however, that instead of increasing to meet the challenge, commitments and disbursements have dropped since 2004 with countries that need aid the most not getting their fair share.

Save the Children New Zealand welcomed the New Zealand Government’s announcement in May that it would increase International Aid to 0.35% of gross national income (GNI) by 2010.
By 2010 New Zealand will be halfway towards meeting its internationally agreed target of giving 0.7 percent of GNI in aid by 2015. However, New Zealand still has a long way to go to achieve 0.7% by 2015.

“Universal primary education will not be reached in any predictable future. In recent years, the money that has been provided by international donors has been used to solve the relatively easy education problems – in middle-income countries or low income countries not affected by conflict”, says John Bowis.

Education is children’s chance for a better future. It can empower children to rebuild their societies. Education can protect children during a conflict, help communities heal afterwards, and build peace and prosperity.

“Giving children education today is a major contribution to achieving the other Millennium Development Goals that world leaders set themselves. It is the key to children’s and societies futures, including beating poverty, providing better health and environment and stronger partnerships to make the world better for children,” says John Bowis.

To view The Story of the Future, go to www.savethechildren.org.nz

ENDS

[1] Average annual difference between 1999 and 2005 equals 4.27 million

[2] Global Monitoring Report 2007

www.savethechildren.org.nz

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