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Winning the Fight For Global Education

In 2000, when the world adopted the Millennium Development Goals, a promise was made: education is a universal right that will be upheld for every child. Last week’s Oslo Summit on Education for Development confirmed the growing consensus within the global education community about what must be done to honor that pledge.

ADDIS ABABA – In 2000, when the world adopted the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a promise was made: education is a right, and every child must be educated. Last week’s Oslo Summit on Education for Development confirmed the growing consensus within the global education community about what must be done to honor that pledge.

Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg and Foreign Minister Børge Brende are to be congratulated. They not only helped to turbocharge the discussion, but also – and more important – helped to forge policymakers’ resolve to find the resources that will be required to get the job done under the upcoming Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs, which will succeed the MDGs).

Indeed, the first achievement of the Oslo summit was a call to get much more serious about closing the $39 billion annual gap in external funding needed to ensure that every child attends pre-primary, primary, and secondary school. This is the bedrock of the proposed SDG to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote life-long learning opportunities for all.”

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