Monday, 22 April 2013
Thursday, 18 April 2013
The National NUT Conference on Easter Saturday
NUT- On Saturday 30th we spoke in front of
teachers at the NUT conference in Liverpool. Our speech reminded attendees that
children abroad should have the same right to education as young people in the
UK. We spoke about the schools we visited in the urban slums where we witnessed
the inequalities of education faced by Indian children. We talked about our
meeting with representatives of Oxfam India and about speaking at the public
hearing. Having experienced the education system in India first hand, we hoped
to deliver a powerful message about rights of children abroad to our teacher
audience.
I hope the teachers gained a new perspective on teaching and
the challenges facing some education systems abroad. The audience were really
engaged in what we were saying and we hope they will sign up their schools to
the 2013 send my friend to school campaign.
Sam adds that he hopes the campaign will gain momentum and that
as the campaign gets stronger, governments will become more likely to act.
We were really thrilled to recieve a standing ovation from the delegates. We were glad to get teachers approval for our campaign. We understand that this was a first for global meetings at the NUT conference.
This week we have launched this year’s campaign within our
school. All tutor groups are watching our video and next week we will follow up
with assemblies.
The JOSH Project
The JOSH project that we visited on our first day in Delhi,
produced a news item on their blog. We’re so pleased they are spreading the
word too : )
Please look at the article here:
Updates on the statistics from India
Here are some recent findings that Maju from Oxfam India sent us - they're at http://www.firstpost.com/india/only-7-percent-schools-rte-compliant-rte-forum-684879.html
Ringwood School's BBC School News Report Day
http://bbcnsr.ringwoodschool.co.uk/special-features/
Please follow this link to see the videos and news articles written by Year 9 Btec Creative Media students on School Report Day 21st March 2013
Please follow this link to see the videos and news articles written by Year 9 Btec Creative Media students on School Report Day 21st March 2013
Oxfam's Video of our trip
Please follow this link to a video Oxfam have made about our trip and the work they are doing:
http://www.sendmyfriend.org/resource/millie-and-sams-trip-to-india/
http://www.sendmyfriend.org/resource/millie-and-sams-trip-to-india/
Day 5 "The people we have met have been so inspirational for us.”
Today we had the opportunity to take time out, do a little sightseeing and reflect on our experiences of the past week. We visited Red Fort, a grand red sandstone fort that demonstrates the power of the Mogul Empire. There were spacious grounds with beautiful buildings and many visiting tourists. We also filmed nearby in the beautiful Lodhi Gardens. It was like a secret retreat with sweeping lawns and old buildings of grand style and history. It felt far away from the slums of Trilokpuri and Madanpur Khadar.
This week has been both an eye opener and extraordinary. Both of us have learnt and gained so much knowledge and understanding. The extreme poverty was a shock to us and really shows that where you are born dictates the chances you have at life.
If the Indian government spends the targeted amount of GDP on schooling then the level of education would most definitely improve. All the country needs is the political will to drive forward better education for all.
As well as the government needing to allocate more money, it also needs to fairly distribute the money for all children. We observed two schools within the same local government programme but with vastly different standards. This is unfair. A similar observation applies across the world. Every child can receive a good education if the political will is there and the needs of the poorest are not overlooked.
We now more clearly understand the part that the younger generation can play in campaigning for the right to education. All the people we have met have been so inspirational for us. The young, articulate school students, such as those we met at Trilokpuri and at the YP Project, were passionate advocates for the education of others. Those in the slums were desperate to promote their own need for education and for the infrastructure that allows it. This was the key message of the public hearing, where the community stated their grievances about the poor quality of their schools and demanded action.
From this experience we firmly believe we both can campaign more effectively for education. We are armed with an amazing real life experience of both the barriers to education and the ways communities can take action to make the government stick to their promises. We look forward to linking up with young people in the UK and our new friends in India to help make education for all a reality.
We feel fortunate and privileged that we had the opportunity that few others get, actually meeting community members, visiting schools and meeting organisations that help to get more children into education. Thank you to the Global Campaign for Education UK, NUT, Oxfam India and Oxfam GB for giving us this once in a lifetime opportunity.
This week has been both an eye opener and extraordinary. Both of us have learnt and gained so much knowledge and understanding. The extreme poverty was a shock to us and really shows that where you are born dictates the chances you have at life.
If the Indian government spends the targeted amount of GDP on schooling then the level of education would most definitely improve. All the country needs is the political will to drive forward better education for all.
As well as the government needing to allocate more money, it also needs to fairly distribute the money for all children. We observed two schools within the same local government programme but with vastly different standards. This is unfair. A similar observation applies across the world. Every child can receive a good education if the political will is there and the needs of the poorest are not overlooked.
We now more clearly understand the part that the younger generation can play in campaigning for the right to education. All the people we have met have been so inspirational for us. The young, articulate school students, such as those we met at Trilokpuri and at the YP Project, were passionate advocates for the education of others. Those in the slums were desperate to promote their own need for education and for the infrastructure that allows it. This was the key message of the public hearing, where the community stated their grievances about the poor quality of their schools and demanded action.
From this experience we firmly believe we both can campaign more effectively for education. We are armed with an amazing real life experience of both the barriers to education and the ways communities can take action to make the government stick to their promises. We look forward to linking up with young people in the UK and our new friends in India to help make education for all a reality.
We feel fortunate and privileged that we had the opportunity that few others get, actually meeting community members, visiting schools and meeting organisations that help to get more children into education. Thank you to the Global Campaign for Education UK, NUT, Oxfam India and Oxfam GB for giving us this once in a lifetime opportunity.
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