Caroline Dinenage MP presented artwork produced by students at Brockhurst Primary School to the Secretary of State for International Development, the Rt Hon Priti Patel.
Students at Brockhurst had produced the work as part of the ‘Send My Friend to School’ campaign, the UK coalition of the Global Campaign for Education (GCE). The GCE works to ensure quality education for all children, with members in over 80 countries. Send my Friend to School has been running since 2005, and over 10,000 schools and youth groups, and millions of children, have been involved so far in the UK.
Participating students are encouraged to reflect upon what it means to have a good education, and to design images explaining the importance of education for all. Examples of artwork produced by Brockhurst Primary School consider the importance of issues such as access for children with disabilities, equality for girls and boys, and adequate sanitary facilities.
Commenting, Caroline said: ‘’Send My Friend to School’ is a really exciting project that encourages children in to the UK to consider the value of education.
There are over 250 million children and young people currently out of school around the world. A good education is absolutely crucial to improving a young person’s life chances and breaking the cycle of poverty. Between 2011 and 2015, UK funding helped over 11 million children, including 5.3 million girls, access primary and lower secondary education, and the Government is committed to giving another 11 million children in developing countries a good education by 2020. I’m really proud that UK aid is able to support such important work, and it’s so encouraging to see local students engaging with such important issues.’