There are more than 18.500 children in Macedonia that don’t go to schools, from which 2000 are on the streets and 200.000 haven’t finished primary education. The Global Campaign for Education (GCE), implemented in Macedonia by The First Children’s Embassy in the World – Megjashi, is a movement to end this worldwide crisis.

Thousands of development charities, trade unions and child rights groups make up the national coalitions in over 100 countries. Together they campaign and lobby governments to make sure they act now to deliver the right of every girl, boy, woman and man to a free, quality education

“We believe that education can strengthen the democracy and the economy in the country; it can enable people to protect themselves and their families from HIV and other diseases, and to become the persons they have always wanted to be”, says Dragi Zmijanac, president of the First Children’s Embassy in the World – Megjashi.

One-week campaign for education which will take place from 20 – 26 April 2009 in Macedonia, consists of several events: visits of children to the Mayor of Skopje City and to mayors of the other municipalities in Macedonia, where children could talk with them about their commitment for providing education for all. Some of the children will have the opportunity to meet the President of the Republic of Macedonia and to discuss with him about the importance of education and the responsibility of the state to provide education for every child. Every representative of the state that the children will visit will be asked to sign a guarantee paper with which he will commit to work for the interest of education for all.

The Big Read event

On the 22 April in the schools all around the world The Big Read will take place, when the children will dedicate one school class on reading stories and discussing the importance of education. On that day many scholars, teachers, parents, local public figures and many others, will take part in the reading of the stories from The Big Read Story Book, which contains some life-changing short stories about the importance of education from all around the world.

Some of the stories in The Big Read Book are narrated by world famous public figures, such as: Nelson Mandela, Queen Rania (who is this year’s Honorary Chair of Global Campaign for Education Action Week), Alice Walker, Dakota Blue Richards, Paulo Coelho, and many local public figures from Macedonia.

The stories of The Big Book will be posted on the web site of The First Children’s Embassy in the World Megjashi in the next days, and every day they will be updated with more new stories from our local public figures, national and international, children, and every person who has an amazing story of education to tell. Leaflets and posters for the campaign will also be spread in every school in Macedonia.

Governments’ commitment

The First Children’s Embassy in the World – Megjashi, reminds the governments of their commitment for support and realizing the goals for equal access to education for everyone, and to make efforts for decreasing of the inequalities regarding the social and economical conditions. The Global Campaign for Education exists to ensure that governments and institutions keep their promises and that Education for All really is achieved.

“We have signed guarantees from the President of Macedonia Mr. Branko Crvenkovski, the Prime Minister Mr. Nikola Gruevski, the Major of the City of Skopje till recent Mr. Trifun Kostovski, groups of parliamentarians, celebrity public figures and other supporters, with which they have made a commitment that through their work they will make efforts for inclusion of every child in the process of education”, says Zmijanac.

In their efforts to improve the situation with the education, Mr. Zmijanac and the First Children’s Embassy in the World – Megjashi give many recommendations with which they believe there could be made an improvement:

“We suggest increasing of the budget for the education, opening new classes and to employ more teachers, providing meals for the children, school materials and clothes at the beginning of the school year, for the Centers for Social Work to have records on whether the children of their social welfare beneficiaries are attending school or their labour is being abused”.

Since the campaign started in 1999, GCE organizations have fought to hold all world leaders, governments and institutions to account. School user fees have been dropped in many countries, allowing some of the world’s poorest children to access school – the result is that 40 million more children have been able to access school in the last 8 years. More girls are accessing school, and the gender gap is slowly closing.

The gains made in education, are a sign that the goals are possible.  The world has the know-how, and resources to ensure everyone has an education. 

“However, the progress is still far too slow. At current rates the education goals will not be met in the next 100 years, let alone by 2015”, estimates Mr. Zmijanac.

More info:

The Big Read – main event of GCE ; 

Global Action Week 2009 – official website.