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New Digital Resource to Make the Case for Education As Social Impact Budgets Are Under Threat
The Key is a comprehensive information toolkit designed for philanthropists, government officials, business and corporate responsibility leaders who want to present a robust case for education
New Digital Resource to Make the Case for Education As Social Impact Budgets Are Under Threat
The Key is a comprehensive information toolkit designed for philanthropists, government officials, business and corporate responsibility leaders who want to present a robust case for education
Published 09-22-20
Submitted by Global Business Coalition for Education
Global children’s charity Theirworld and the Global Business for Education have launched at the 75th United Nations General Assembly, a new resource to help private foundations, businesses and governments redouble efforts to invest in education.
As a recession looms, revenues decline and social impact budgets shrink as a result of the global pandemic, governments, international aid agencies, businesses and philanthropists are faced with tough choices and competing priorities.
In response, the charities combined to produce The Key. The resource provides message framing, talking points, facts and infographics, extensively researched by experts, for anyone who needs to justify investing in education and would welcome the assistance of the most up to date research in a usable format at their fingertips.
Justin van Fleet, President of Theirworld and Executive Director of GBC-Education, said: “What we see in the news every day demonstrates why it’s important to invest more – not less – in education around the world. Education is the key to unlocking climate action, public health, anti-racism and economic recovery. It has never been more important to build young people’s capacities for the future.”
“Yet, as parents and teachers struggle to get children back to school and reduce the digital divide, education budgets are being cut across the board. Education should not be a casualty of Covid-19 but the foundation of a strategy to rebound and build back better.”
Time and time again, investing in education has proven to be a wise decision: individuals become more resilient and revenue increases for companies and governments. After the 2008 recession in the US, jobs for college graduates sharply rebounded and increased by 8.4 million, but jobs for those with a high school diploma or less only increased by 80,000[1]. Over a 34-year period in the US, states that invested more in education ended up having higher per-capita income[2].
In the coming weeks decision-makers are likely to be faced by common questions such as: why invest in education? Where do I put my limited resources? How is it relevant during a health crisis?
The Key allows individuals to copy, paste and advocate the evidence and arguments they need to answer those questions. The resource explains why dozens of topics - everything from climate change to social mobility, public health, human rights and media literacy - are all improved by good education. It details why major issues such as migration, corruption or food security will be alleviated by better-quality learning.
Before Covid-19, there was already a global education crisis, with 258 million children not in school every day, a number that is currently still nearly a billion thanks to the pandemic. The clock is ticking fast on the deadline of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
Designed for use over the next several years, The Key will be updated regularly to reflect developments, and hopefully progress, in the campaign to fulfil Sustainable Development Goal 4 - quality, inclusive education for every child and young person.
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Notes to the editor
About the Global Business Coalition for Education
The Global Business Coalition for Education is a movement of businesses committed to ending the global education crisis and unleashing the potential of the next generation. Its mission is to ensure that every child has the best start in life, a safe place to learn, and skills for the future. Established as an initiative of Theirworld in 2012, the Global Business Coalition for Education is committed to bringing together the expertise and resources of the business community with the campaign for global education and Sustainable Development Goal 4.
Theirworld is a global children’s charity dedicated to giving every child the best start in life, a safe place to learn and the skills they need for the future.
For further information, please contact Francois Servranckx, Head of Communications at the Global Business Coalition for Education on francois@gbc-education.org.
[1] Carnevale et al., 2016.
[2] Contemporary Economic Policy, 2008
Global Business Coalition for Education
Global Business Coalition for Education
The Global Business Coalition for Education is a movement of businesses committed to ending the global education crisis and unleashing the potential of the next generation. Its mission is to ensure that every child has the best start in life, a safe place to learn, and skills for the future. Established as an initiative of Theirworld in 2012, the Global Business Coalition for Education is committed to bringing together the expertise and resources of the business community with the campaign for global education and Sustainable Development Goal 4.
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