As bells ring for a new school year, excluded need attention

September 2nd - As bells ring in many parts of the world this month for the start of a new school year, UNESCO calls on us not to lose sight of those being left out.

UNESCO is co-organizing a global conference with the Colombian Ministry of Education in Cali on 11-13 September to mark the 25th anniversary of the Salamanca Statement, a key declaration on inclusion and education. The conference will look at the bottlenecks and policy solutions to helping all children realize their right to a quality education, no matter their background and the factors that may deny this right, such as gender, wealth, migration status or disability.

In addition, three activities are being launched in the build up to the forthcoming Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report published by UNESCO on inclusion and education and due in March 2020.

First, a global survey addressed to teachers, parents and students aims to assess what they think of inclusion and education: whether they believe it desirable and under what conditions. It is accessible in multiple languages.

Second, a call is inviting nominations of champions of inclusive education around the world, whether they be pupils, teachers, parents, activists, schools, politicians or NGOs. Champions of inclusion are fundamental to change mindsets and fight prejudice or misinformation – at the school, local or national level.

Lastly, a new photo contest is challenging participants to come up with the best photo on inclusion and education – this will be awarded $500 and will be featured in the 2020 GEM Report and in the media.

Manos Antoninis, director of the GEM Report, UNESCO, said: “We need to rally new energies and call on countries to go the extra mile to help children still excluded from a quality education. Images that encapsulate the respect and understanding which grows when students of diverse abilities and backgrounds learn together can speak far louder than words. We look forward to seeing what talented photographers submit.”

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