“Let国产视频檚 get our children off the streets and let’s get them into the classrooms”
Moses Browne meets Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
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Hundreds of students gathered across Liberia国产视频檚 capital, Monrovia on June 16, in observance of the 40th anniversary of the International Day of the African Child.
The programme began with an early morning parade through the principal streets of Monrovia, where students presented a petition statement to Members of the Liberian legislature.
Reading the petition, student Wilnet S.Z.T. Gaye, 11th聽Grade, Soltiamon Christian School, said: 国产视频淎s we commemorate this year国产视频檚 Day of the African Child, we have gathered here to draw your attention to issues that are important to the education attainment for Liberian children.
国产视频淗onourable Lawmakers: across Liberia, an estimated 500,000 children remain out of school聽as of today. There are many whose education has been disrupted by conflicts and natural disasters.
国产视频淲hile the government has made impressive gains to get children into schools, there are still hundreds of thousands of them desperate for a quality education.
国产视频淲hen these children drop out of school, they are left at risk of being married off as child brides, being trafficked, becoming child labourers and of extremism.
国产视频淚n 2014, A World at School Global Youth Ambassadors and more 75,000 young Liberian students presented the #UpForSchool Petition to you honourable lawmakers.
国产视频淭oday, we are here again to re-echo our call.聽We call on you to launch a new platform to fund education in emergencies so that children caught up in future crisis are in a safe school and not at risk of child labour, early marriage, trafficking and extremism.
国产视频淲ith your backing, the new platform can and must reach at least 200,000 children annually within five years, with a plan in place to reach every child by 2030.
国产视频淲e call on you to support the 2016/2017 education budget with a 10% increment. We urge you, Honourable Lawmakers, to ensure that all children who lost their parents to the deadly Ebola Virus Disease are enrolled back in school during the next academic year.
国产视频淲e implore you, Honourable Lawmakers, to promote access to technology in schools for all children in Liberia to enhance their learning in the 21st聽century.
国产视频淎s we all are aware, the toughest year for education and attacks on children the world over was 2014. Education has been one of the first casualties of the Ebola outbreak.
Day of the African Child blog: see what our GYAs have been doing
国产视频淟et国产视频檚 get our children off the streets! Let国产视频檚 stop them from becoming child brides! Let国产视频檚 get them into the classrooms! And let国产视频檚 save the future of our dear country, Liberia!
国产视频淭his is the time for us to act very fast before it国产视频檚 too late国产视频.
Receiving the petition on behalf of members of the legislature, Senator Jew Howard Taylor, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Education, committed her colleagues to ensuring budgetary increment for education in the 2016/2017 national budget currently being discussed.
She said: 国产视频淲e are currently discussing the 2016/2017 national budget and I believe this petition is timely for us to consider as we discuss the national instrument for development across the country.
国产视频淚 will prevail on my colleagues to ensure all of what you have listed in your petition are discussed and appropriate actions taken to support quality education in Liberia.国产视频
Before presenting the petition, the students stopped briefly and met with Mrs Ellen Johnson Sirleaf at her Foreign Ministry office and she promised to take some drastic actions in her last two years to improve the country国产视频檚 education sector to impact the lives of every child.
President Sirleaf said: 国产视频淲hilst it国产视频檚 true that many students are out of school, the real issue is that many students live in small villages and towns where there are no schools and they refused to move or relocate to the central district or community where the schools are.
国产视频淗owever, we will continue to engage our partners to construct modern schools at those locations to reach every child. In the last two years of my administration, we will take some actions to address your plights.
国产视频淧lease find the time. Let国产视频檚 meet to discuss further on the best approaches and actions this administration can take to address the education challenge so that all children can be enrolled and have access to quality education.国产视频
Moses Owen Browne, Jr., Global Youth Ambassador for A World at School, said:聽国产视频淲e are hoping that in the last 18 to 20 months of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf国产视频檚 leadership, there would be a drastic change in our education system and major improvement to ensure the 1.1 million children out of school in Liberia can be enrolled and have access to quality education.
国产视频淲e remain positive and engaging as we strive for better learning facilities and safe schools for all Liberian children.
国产视频淲e will not stop on June 16. Several calls will be made and the engagements with both the government and education partner organisations will continue until all children are in school and learning and they can have the opportunity to realise their full potential.国产视频
I would like to thank A World at School国产视频檚 London office for providing the support to make the Day of the African Child celebrations a grand success in Liberia.