Edu-Room: Changing Course, Transforming Education
Date: 14th February 2023.
Marking the International Day of Education 2023, Peace First is organizing Impact EDU-Room starting January 24, 2023. The theme of the Impact EDU-Room is “Changing Course, Transforming Education”. In order to urge for a radical shift in the education system, Peace First is inviting young people around the world to demand an accessible, inclusive, and transformative education.
Globally, a quarter of the population is seen attaining tertiary education of which educational opportunities are limited to marginalized and vulnerable groups. The majority of young children and youth do not attend school, and most children and adolescents have not passed the basic primary level education. This raises an important question - Is education accessible to all?
Quality education supports building an accountable, resilient, and inclusive society. As Nelson Mandela states, “Education is the most powerful weapon to change the world”. However, the lack of quality education in the majority of countries around the world sets an alarming tone that we need to revisit the purpose of education. Since education is not equitably distributed around the world, it hinders lifelong learning opportunities and breaks cycles of deeply ingrained social injustices.
While we say this, it is worth noting that we are not only limiting our conversation to formal education. The essence of education must go beyond staying confided in a classroom - it is the enhanced ability to recognize your voice, demand change, and enable yourself to take up spaces of leadership. However, we see a rather imbalanced structure within the education system where the ability to attain education is driven by geographical positionality, social and economic capital, and social status. As a result, whether or not education is serving its intended purpose raises serious concerns.
