Leaders gathering at the International Summit on Balanced and Inclusive Education (Third Forum BIE 2030) in Djibouti have called on governments to increase budgetary allocations and resources to the education sector.
This, they say will make education inclusive and accessible to children.
The conference which started on Monday and ends on Thursday brings together education stakeholders from 36 countries from Sub-Saharan Africa, South East Asia, Latin America and Europe. It has been organized by the Education Relief Foundation in conjunction with the Djibouti government.
The foundation’s president Sheikh Manssour Bin Mussalam challenged governments to change the existing education policies and increase budgetary allocations to make education more inclusive and accessible to all children.
The first ForumBIE 2030 was held at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland in December 2017 with the second being staged in Mexico in November 2018 which heralded the launch of the Global Guide of Ethics, Principles, Policies and Practices in Balanced and Inclusive Education.
The initial signing of the International Call for Balanced and Inclusive Education was also done.
The document has called for the preparation of the Universal Declaration of Balanced and Inclusive Education.
During the three-day event, the officials affirmed and signed into being the Universal Declaration of Balanced and Inclusive Education (UDBIE); and affirmed and signed into being platforms and mechanisms of technical and financial cooperation to support the implementation of commitments made in the UDBIE.
The assembly of nations of the Global South taking leadership in reforming education, preparing societies and communities to confront the challenges and opportunities of sustainable development, embodies the aspirations shared by many in the international community.
Convened with the understanding of the urgency for new equitable models of social and economic development to be constructed through education, the III – International Summit on Balanced and Inclusive Education – embraces new ideas and ensures new paths can be found.
The Universal Declaration follows in the spirit of previous international agreements on education.
It combines those ideas, links them with novel concepts, and situates them within a holistic, flexible and operational structure resting on four key pillars of Balanced and Inclusive Education (BIE).
BY ODINDO AYIEKO
