EAA welcomes 4 govts in journey to achieve zero out-of-school children

Doha: Education Above All and its partners have started working with the governments of Zanzibar, Gambia, Djibouti, and Rwanda to reach Zero  Out-of-School Children in those countries, upon reaching the goal to enroll 10 million Out-of-School Children across the world. 

Gathered at the 2021 WISE Global Summit in Doha, EAA joined with governments to take the next steps in their journey to secure universal primary education. 

H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of EAA and UN Sustainable Development Goals Advocate, speaking at a plenary session at WISE Summit said that education is an acquired right for every child, a key to resolving prevailing social and economic issues, a means to inculcate culture and identity and a social and economic enabler.   

She said that according to the latest statistics, there are more than 59 million children of primary school age around the world who are not enrolled in schools.

H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser said, “We welcome these governments in joining the journey to achieve Zero out of primary school children and call on more countries to partner with us.
“We implement our projects in countries where the leadership understands the importance of education and its impact on the socio-economic situation.  “The reasons children are not enrolled in education are complex; the challenge is great, and it requires co-operation. Our work, alongside our partners, shows that it is possible to make a difference. Education is the key to a better, more stable and more prosperous world. We must educate every child at the primary level, no matter their circumstances, gender or geographic location,” she added. 

H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser further said, “When I talk about education, I always mean quality education. We cannot have a dichotomy between education and quality education.”

Vice-President of Gambia, Dr Isatou Touray; and Director-General of Unesco, Audrey Azoulay also shared their experience and views during the plenary session moderated by Dareen Abughaida. 

“It is a fantastic opportunity to partner with organizations that share our values and goals for education,” said Dr Touray and shared how  Zero Out of School Children goal provides an extra push for Gambian children to realize their right to quality education.

“Focus on zero out of school children will push us to ensure every Gambian child is enrolled into primary education,” she said. 

While, President Rwanda Paul Kagame joined the discussion through a live streaming and said that it is absolutely possible to achieve the goal of enrolling all children into primary school.  

 “With 98% enrolment, we should be able to reach that other 2% to achieve Universal Primary Education.” He spoke about long lasting solutions at the systemic level to Educate Every Child

“Having every child educated will enable our citizens to compete in the global economy. I encourage other countries to join our efforts to ensure no child is left behind,” he said.

A diverse group of thinkers, innovators and youth-leaders in education gathered at 2021 WISE Global Summit  over three days. 

The Summit featured key thought leaders who are resetting the education agenda in the wake of the pandemic.  Alongside more established figures, 

WISE also put young people center stage at the Summit with a dedicated Youth Studio and live stream channel, featuring a program curated entirely by WISE’s group of young curators.