SPREADING THE WORD OF PRIMARY EDUCATION FOR ALL

The eight members of St John the Baptist BNS along with school principal Will Ryan have created a project aimed at raising awareness of the importance of a primary school education for all the world's children. Currently, approximately 61 million children worldwide still don't have a chance to go to school even though all children have the right to a free primary school education. The second Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of Universal Primary Education is one of eight goals signed by 189 countries in 2000 to help try and solve some of the world's most serious problems. The project, completed as part of the "Our World Irish Aid Awards", features a map of the world containing education-related words.  It links all the other seven goals back to education, something the boys have learned is a vital cog in helping with issues such as poverty, children's health and keeping the environment clean. The student council have spread their message to the school community by presenting their work to each class.  They have enjoyed telling some of the success stories like Zambia where the number of children starting primary school grew from 68% to 95% between 2003 and 2010. By 2015, it is hoped the world community will be well on the way to achieving the goal of primary education for all.