Pupils in schools all over the UK will be joining millions in 100 countries around the globe on Wednesday 22 April for a huge BIG READ event. Organised by the Global Campaign for Education (GCE), schoolchildren here will be holding read&write-a-thons to remind Gordon Brown and other world leaders to keep their promise that every child in the world should have received a primary education by 2015.

After reading inspiring words from influential people, including Nelson Mandela, Michael Morpurgo and Dakota Blue on the theme of literacy, children will then write their own stories, speeches and poems to read out at school-wide read&write-athons to MPs, teachers, parents and journalists. Pupils will then use the power of their words by sending their work to the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown.

Around the country VIPs will be taking part in the BIG READ; in Brighton the young star of the Golden Compass, Dakota Blue Richards; in Newcastle the Minister for International Development, Ivan Lewis, in Portsmouth children’s authors, Ali Sparkes and Sean Beech as well as two FC football players will be taking part. Numerous MPs will be attending BIG READ events, including Sir George Young, Norman Lamb, David Heyes, Gordon Prentice, Doug Naysmith, Steve McCabe and David Crausby.

In 2000, world leaders promised that every child in the world would complete a quality education by 2015, but with only 6 years left to go there are still 75 million children around the world who do not get a chance to go to school. At the current rate of progress there will be more than 40 million children out of school by 2015.

Janet Convery, Global Campaign for Education spokesperson said: “We have already had over 6,000 schools sign up to take part in this year’s Send My Friend to School campaign. It is inspiring to see how passionate teachers and pupils in the UK feel about the global education crisis and how dedicated they are in supporting this campaign to tackle inequality and make sure that every child in the world receives a quality education.

“But we are close to crunch time on this campaign and the global financial crisis is making the challenges greater. To complete a primary education by 2015, all students must be registered for school by 2010. In real terms, this week’s budget looks like resulting in less aid money being available to developing countries who are already being hit by the fall in the value of the pound. *"
(* see notes to editors 4)

For more information about the Send My Friend to School campaign visit www.sendmyfriend.org

ENDS

1. To find out if a school in your area is holding a BIG READ event contact:
Karen Garvin on 020 8442 1362/07971 576917 karen.garvin@actionaid.org
Philippa McIntyre on 020 7014 1149 Philippa.McIntyre@ndcs.org.uk
Cara Griffith on 020 7782 1595 cgriffith@atl.org.uk
Interviews, case studies, photographs and film footage are available by contacting the above.

2. The Global Campaign for Education (GCE) is a coalition of child rights activists, teachers’ unions and development organisations around the world, united in their determination to make the right to education a reality.

3. The GCE UK partners are: ActionAid UK, Africa Educational Trust, Association of Teachers and Lecturers, Book Aid International, Children in Crisis, Christian Aid, Consortium of Street Children, Comic Relief, Deaf Child Worldwide, Education Action International, Educational Institute of Scotland, Handicap International UK, Leonard Cheshire Disability International, Link Community Development, National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers, National Union of Teachers, Oxfam GB, Plan UK, Save the Children UK, Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association, Sightsavers International, Ulster Teachers Union, UK National Commission for UNESCO, Voluntary Service Overseas, World Vision UK.

4*. * Information given to Oxfam suggests that the Chancellor Alistair Darling is planning to cut up to £860m a year in planned aid spending, reducing it from £7.5bn to £6.6bn (in line with falling GDP). This combined with the effects of a weaker pound, the value of UK aid could be reduced by more than a third in developing countries. Cuts to the UK aid budget will force more and more developing countries to ask for loans from the IMF. But as research from the GCE has already shown, the policies that come with IMF loans block countries from spending more on education, especially on teachers.

The GCE UK is asking supporters to use their power of words and ensure the UK government:

• Lives up to its spending commitments on education in developing countries, to ensure £750 million - excluding debt relief - is spent in 2009/10; £1billion per year is spent between 2010 and 2015; and that those countries furthest from achieving the EFA goals are prioritised for funding
• Promotes the importance of quality, equity, gender and inclusion of all children, during international and national level discussions about education planning and delivery
• Uses its influence with institutions, like the World Bank and the IMF, to remove damaging conditions attached to their lending and grants – and encourages other governments to untie their aid from IMF approval
• Urges all donors to commit their fair share of the money necessary to help fill the education financing gap at the 2009 Fast Track Initiative donor conference

5. The story so far:

• 2000 – World leaders promise a primary education for all by 2015
• 2003 – GCE smashes the world record for the Biggest Lesson ever, with two million children taking part
• 2004 – Two and a half million take part in The Big Lobby, bringing politicians back to school and taking over parliaments and official buildings
• 2005 – Five million ‘buddies’ – each representing one of the 100 million children out of school – are sent to world leaders.
• 2006 – My Friend Needs a Teacher – over six million campaigners in 112 countries highlight the global teacher shortage
• 2007 – JOIN-UP – children and communities in 120 countries around the world joined up with human or paper chains to show world leaders their commitment to education for all
• 2008 – 8.8 million children in over 100 countries took part in a record breaking ‘World’s Biggest Lesson’.