Local MP Back Global Education Campaign In Parliament With Help From Swindon Students

North Swindon MP, Justin Tomlinson, joined Young Ambassadors from across the country including students from Isambard Community School, in Parliament as part of the Send my Friend to School campaign.  TV presenter and Paralympian Ade Adepitan also joined the event to highlight the 58 million children worldwide who are still missing out on school and the importance of the 2015 for the world’s children. 

The event precedes the campaign’s national day of action on Friday, when over 4000 schools across the UK will be speaking to their MP about what world leaders need to do to get every child into school.

In 2000, world leaders promised quality primary education for every child in the world by 2015, but there are still 58 million children missing out on even a basic, primary education, with millions more struggling to learn in crowded classrooms.  In New York this September, a new set of sustainable development goals will be agreed.  The Global Campaign for Education UK is campaigning for education to be at the heart of those development plans.

Earlier this year, students from the Isambard Community School in Swindon contacted Justin to highlight their support for the campaign. As the former chair of the All-Party Group on Global Education, Justin visited the school to talk to students about the campaign and took their concerns directly to the Prime Minister, who wrote to the school shortly afterwards to the show the Government’s support for delivering global education through sustainable development.

At the event in Parliament, two students representing Isambard met with Justin, campaigners and other politicians to discuss the important role the Government will play during the talks. Both Justin and the students from Isambard are backing the Government to lead the agenda when the issue is discussed by the United Nations later this year.

Justin Tomlinson MP said: “This is an issue that I take incredibly seriously, having chaired the All-Party on this issue in Parliament. There has been some great progress – millions of young people around the world have spoken out and 50 million more children have benefitted from an education.  It was fantastic to meet again with students from Isambard, a school which I know takes this issue very seriously having visited earlier this year and which led me to raise their concerns with the Prime Minister who duly threw his support behind the campaign to deliver global education. September’s talks are vital and I am proud of the work we are doing to ensure that every child around the world receives an education”.