Make education a priority for all children

By Letter to the Editor on October 4, 2017.

You would have to be living under a rock to not know about the many global campaigns and initiatives stressing the importance of educating girls. By now, we know that in many poor countries, more boys go to school than girls. We know in some places no children go to school for reasons including poverty, culture and conflict. And by now, we should know that when girls are educated, they are more likely to marry at a later age, have healthier babies and smaller families, make higher incomes and help lift their communities out of poverty.

A percentage of Canada’s foreign aid investments go to some of the poorest countries on Earth, helping to educate all kids, especially girls. This benefits everyone. Population control starts to happen and poor countries become more stable and therefore more peaceful. Trading increases between countries boosting economies and the world becomes a better place.

But the poorest need help to get there and it behooves us to help them. Considering how wealthy Canada is, we don’t give nearly enough. Education gets among the lowest percentages of foreign aid dollars even though it’s a cornerstone of global efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. International investment in education must go up and the sooner the better. Yes we’ll continue to feed the hungry, aid refugees, fight killer diseases and help in climate disasters but we need to also continue investing in education. It’s an investment in the future. Canada’s share in the Global Partnership for Education is $260 million over the next three years. We can do this. Please contact your MP and tell them, for the sake of the future, to make it so.

Paulie Duhaime

Calgary

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