Time to send in your #UpForSchool Petition signatures

More than eight million people have joined the global call for all children to get an education.

They’ve added their names to the #UpForSchool Petition, which will be handed in to world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September.

We couldn’t have reached that remarkable eight million milestone without the amazing help of individuals, schools, faith groups and communities around the world.

And now we need you to send in your #UpForSchool signatures to make sure we have them ready in time. They have to be accompanied by a signed cover letter – which you can download here.

And you can also find Five Simple Steps to Send in Your #UpForSchool Signatures.

Ben Hewitt, A World at School’s Director of Campaigns and Communicationsr, said: “The petition is truly global, with signatures being added from more than 185 countries. These are individuals making their voices heard and signing up.

“People have been adding their names to the campaign in villages, towns and cities, from youth events to faith meetings. This is a people-led campaign and it is important that the demands are heard by world leaders. 

“Every signature is crucial to us as we take the message forward and we think it is important to physically take these petitions to the United Nations. This is already the biggest-ever petition for education and it is inspiring to see at all the names and signatures of people who have signed – whether they are in the Philippines or Gaza, New York or Delhi. These are people with a common goal of getting every child into school.”

A World at School’s offices in London and New York are filling up with huge piles of petition signatures and more are arriving each day.

Ben added: “We recently received a set of signatures from a girls’ school in the UK, from churches around the world, and a signature book of names collected in an office and a school we didn’t even know was collecting in Australia.

“There is something powerful and inclusive about what has been happening this year. Getting every child into school is about inclusion and fairness.

“We have taken this approach with our campaign – anyone can add their name online but the majority of support has come from communities where people struggle most to get a decent education.”

If you haven’t signed the #UpForSchool Petition yet, you can do it online here.