The Bakhita Partnership for Education has presented a 6 point petition to the African Union summit happening in Addis Ababa Ethiopia calling for a transformative educational systems that honors the dignity and potential of every girl and boy in Africa.
In the petition coming in the back of celebrating the World Day for Social Justice has called on the national leaders to remember the vulnerable and marginalized, especially in places of crisis, and to illuminate paths of learning that have been darkened by inequality and neglect in line of the organization’s mission of ensuring 100 percent retention and to significantly improve access to and quality of education for all children, especially girls, in the targeted countries and schools.
“This initiative underscores a commitment to leveraging this pivotal year to advance education equity and empower girls and women across the continent to ensure that every girl receives quality education, prioritizing the most vulnerable and marginalized,” added Charles Chilufya, Chairperson of the Bakhita Partnership for Education.
The petition, which is in collaboration with a network of educational and ecclesiastical institutions demands that the national leaders join the faith inspired institutions in the holy endeavour,and act decisively and compassionately, ensuring that the collective future is built upon the cornerstone of equitable education for all.
The six petition to the African leaders are:
- Elevate Educational Funding: BPE call upon your leadership to uphold the commitments made to educational funding and gender equality. We urge the adoption of policies that allocate a minimum of 20% of national budgets to the education sector, as agreed by UNESCO Member States. Such investments should be directed primarily toward infrastructure development, teacher training and salaries, provision of learning materials and technology, scholarships and financial aid, nutrition and health programmes, and early childhood education.
- Gender-Responsive Reform: Transform African schools to cherish both girls and boys equally, as each is made in the image of God, deserving of equal opportunity and respect.
- Accessibility to Sanitary Towels: Remove taxes on sanitary products, affirming the dignity of girls and ensuring they are not hindered by the natural processes of the body God created.
- Resilient Education Structures: Develop systems and curricula that cultivate virtuous leaders, prepared to meet the world with a moral compass and innovative spirit.
- Uplift the Marginalised: Uphold the ‘preferential option for the poor’ by ensuring the marginalized are not forsaken, bringing education to every corner, every heart.