1.5m sign #UpForSchool as students hand signatures to Kailash Satyarthi and Gordon Brown

Gordon Brown, Up for School or #upforschool campaign

The #UpForSchool Petition has reached another exciting landmark – we now have 1.5million signatures demanding that world leaders get all children into school and learning.

The latest milestone in our campaign was marked when two young #UpForSchool activists met Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi and Gordon Brown, United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education.

Emily Foreman, 15, and Josue Kiyabala, 14, are both in Year 10 at Kelvin Hall School in Hull, which was the first in the United Kingdom to collect 1000 names for the petition. The school started collecting after some of their students attended the #UpForSchool youth rally in London in November.

And yesterday Emily and Josue handed Kelvin Hall's petition signatures over to Kailash and Gordon at the House of Commons.

The #UpForSchool Petition is led by inspiring and courageous youth around the world and is supported by a unique global coalition of NGOs, civil society groups, teachers, businesses, and faith-based organisations. The petition was launched at the United Nations in September 2014 and since then signatures have been pouring in from all around the world from Democratic Republic of Congo to Norway, from the United States to Bangladesh, from people calling for urgent action by world leaders for education.

Ben Hewitt, Director of Campaigns at A World at School, said: “People power influences our decision-makers and it's hugely encouraging that 1.5 million people around the world are demanding urgent action to get every child into school. 

“We know that education is a number one priority for the majority of people around the world and the response to the campaign in just a few months reflects this. Already the #UpForSchool Petition is bigger than the petition that secured the right to free education in Pakistan – but we need more people to join the movement to ensure we put the pressure on all political leaders to keep their promise and make sure all boys and girls gain their right to an education, no matter who they are or where they are born.  

“Big numbers of people mobilising over an issue cannot be ignored. Please share the #UpForSchool Petition with your friends, colleagues and family today.

Read more about the #UpForSchool Petition and the young people around the world who are helping the campaign.


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