Global: Global Action Week - "Every Child needs a Teacher”
Global Action Week (GAW) gets off to a kick start today, Monday 24th of April, with activities taking place internationally to advocate for free quality Education for All.
Follow the link for some of the events being held around Africa.
Angola
In Angola, the national coalition which includes SINPROF (National Teachers’ Union) are opening Global Action Week with a press conference. Members of parliament, political parties, government representatives, academics and NGOs have been invited by the coalition to visit schools of all levels in peripheral zones and urban districts. After this, a photo exhibition will demonstrate the poor conditions of those schools visited. Towards the end of GAW, a visit will be paid to one of the schools with the worst conditions to denounce the low level of investment being made in education in Angola.
Guinea
In Guinea, EI affiliate FSPE (Federation of Education Professionals Unions) will be focusing in on the issues of weak enrolment rates, male/female enrolment, HIV/AIDS in school and the poor living and working conditions of teachers. To this end and as part of the Guinean coalition, it will be organising a series of activities including an event at the Palais de Congrès in Conakry where youth representatives, government officials and donors will discuss EFA.
Morocco
The focus of activities for our colleagues in Morocco, the SNE (National Teachers’ Union), will be the Big Hearing to which a wide spectrum of participants will be invited - officials from the Ministry of Education, politicians, teachers union members, parents and students. SNE, as part of the Moroccan coalition has also been involved in the adaptation of GAW materials into Arabic, bringing officials ‘back to school’ and putting on a play for GAW.
Mozambique
In Mozambique, the ONP (National Teachers’ Organisation) is busily involved in the compilation of dossiers on teacher shortages. It is promoting efforts to bring leaders back to school in each province of the country to talk to teachers and students. Of particular interest is the fact that Mr. Jonas Mendes, a member of the ONP, spoke last Friday in Washington on the eve of the spring meetings of the World Bank and IMF, on the plight of teachers across the developing world.
Rwanda
In Rwanda, SNEP (National Union of Primary Teachers) has produced information flyers on GAW which are being distributed throughout the country. The union has been in touch with the international press and has placed articles in two papers: “Ouest France” and the "Edinburgh Evening News."