To be a Pilgrim … is to grow, Episode 15
Education is a right for all…
Sunday, 24 January, was the United Nations International Day of Education. Here at The Pilgrims’ School, every day is a day when we celebrate and strive for the highest standards education but Sunday and, specifically Monday when we marked the UN Day of Education as a whole school, were different. On Monday, we remembered that access to an education is a right for all children in the world in order to develop their personalities, talents and mental and physical abilities to their fullest potential. António Guterres, Secretary General of the UN, paid tribute to “the resilience of students, teachers and families in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic”. The pandemic is thought to have exacerbated the attainment gap between less and more affluent children as the former are more likely to be constrained by lack of access to technology, individual tutorship and stable learning environments. But on Monday, the UN Secretary General also reminded us that even before the pandemic a massive 258 million children and teenagers in the world did not have access to education - the majority of whom are girls. António Guterres encouraged all countries and economies to address this issue saying, “Education is the foundation for expanding opportunities, transforming economies, fighting intolerance, protecting our planet and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.” It is not negotiable.