Remind President Obama that Education for All should be a development priority


January 27, 2011
by Crickett Nicovich, Outreach and Advocacy Associate

Sign the GCE-US petition to President Obama calling for education to be a development priority!

In President Obama’s State of the Union (SOTU) address this week, President Obama missed a key opportunity to link U.S. based education policy to the U.S.’s work on global education. Joanna Kuebler, director of the Global Campaign for Education, U.S., a broad-based coalition of U.S. organizations including faith-based groups, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), teachers unions, foundations, and think tanks dedicated to ensuring access to quality basic education in developing nations, released a statement that included this:

During last night’s State of the Union Address, President Barack Obama rightly focused on the importance of creating jobs, reducing spending, and ensuring our nation’s security. The Global Campaign for Education, U.S. (GCE-US) applauds the president for articulating the critical tie between investing in education and promoting economic growth.

However, White House actions of late has GCE-US deeply concerned about the direction of the president’s foreign policy agenda. President Obama has chosen not to make education a global development priority “anytime in the near future” according to White House officials during a recent meeting in Washington.

It is for the very reason of economic development — both at home and abroad — that GCE-US implores the president to reverse his decision not to make education a global development priority. Nearly 70 million children do not have access to a quality basic education — failing to invest in them means critical foreign policy missteps today that will result in costly repercussions over the next several decades.

RESULTS and GCE-US know that having access to education in developing countries is key to breaking the cycle of poverty, fostering economic development, and creating a more secure world. Join your voice to this campaign! Sign the GCE-US petition to President Obama calling for education to be a development priority!

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