Sarah Brown: young people can help to achieve education for all

Education for every child in the world is achievable if countries, companies, organisations, faith groups and young people work together.

That is the message from A World at School co-founder Sarah Brown, who said that “young people who want, deserve and need an education to meet the challenges of the future will ensure that this happens”.

Sarah, who is also president of the charity Theirworld and Executive Chair of the Global Business Coalition for Education, examined the Sustainable Development Goals today in a blog for the Huffington Post. SDG4 is: “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”.

She wrote: “As a society we have to value education as much as we value global health. An educated society is one that is able to address poverty and inequality. It gives people the tools with which to provide for themselves and their families, it creates economic growth and improves health.

“We have to bring groups together to work on the goal of getting all children into education – the public and private sectors, youth, faith and civil society groups and governments must join hands. Energy and goodwill without cooperation will not be enough. Some of this is happening, and the rest is all possible.”

Sarah said the 59 million children out of school “had been left adrift by the international community”.

But she was proud that A World at School had “created a movement of young people who say that we can’t forget the promises on education that have been left unaddressed” – referring to our 500 Global Youth Ambassadors in 85 countries.

You can read the full blog here.