Togo education event asks thousands to sign #UpForSchool

Thousands of people who attended an education event in Togo were asked to help get all children into school by signing the #UpForSchool Petition.

The launching ceremony of Global Action Week 2015 in the West African country was organised by the Togolese National Coalition for Education For All. 

Almost 3500 participants represented administrative, political and religious authorities; members of parliament; teachers and students of primary and secondary schools and students with disabilities; ANCEFA staff of the Lome Programme office; members of the board of directors of the coalition; civil society organisations (representing student parents associations, teachers’ unions, women’s associations and youth associations); technical and financial partners (including UNICEF and UNESCO); and international NGOs (including Plan Togo, BØRNEfonden Togo and Aide et Action).

They were all invited to sign the #UpForSchool Petition at the event or on the ANCEFA (African Network Campaign on Education For All) #UpForSchool page.

The ceremony included:

• An explanation about the #UpForSchool campaign and the collection of signatures for the petition
• A reminder of the six Education For All goals and the Millennium Development Goals commitments made in 2000, highlighting the fact that EFA was unfinished business and that a post-2015 education agenda needs to build on EFA
• Messages of advocacy towards political and administrative authorities of Togo
• Handing-over of the advocacy document to the representative of the Minister of Education
• A  demonstration on the use of Internet by the blind students
• Testimonies of students born in April 2000
• A  show by nursery school children
• Presentation of outcomes of the World Economic Forum in Korea in May
• Clarification of the “right to education” concept

Speeches were given by the board chair of the Coalition, an ANCEFA representative and the representative of the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education.

The event also featured a musical performance by the band Happy Brothers, which is made up of blind artists.

You can sign the #UpForSchool Petition here.