World Vision Bangladesh Collects More than 1.5 Million Signatures for Global Education Petition #UpForSchool

Dhaka, Bangladesh, March 18, 2015

International humanitarian organisation World Vision Bangladesh has collected 1.5 million signatures for the #UpForSchool petition calling on world leaders to invest in education and ensure every child has the right to go to school. This signature has been collected since January 2015 across the country.

#UpForSchool petition  is a global petition for education calling on governments and world leaders to make the political commitments and financial investments necessary to get every child into school and learning.

58 million children around the world are out of school. In Bangladesh, 1.5 million children do not go to school. We have seen improvement in primary enrolment and completion since 2000, but challenges still remain. Bangladesh has one of the world’s highest rates of child marriage, ranking third globally and the highest outside of Sub-Saharan Africa. The impact of child marriage on girls’ education in Bangladesh is clear - gender disparities in school enrolment widen progressively at the senior secondary level, when girls are most affected by the incidence of child marriage.

Therefore, World Vision Bangladesh (WVB) is taking action to break down the barriers to education and help ensure every child has the right to education by signing the #UpForSchool petition. 1.5 million supporters of WVB signed the #UpForSchool petition. WVB’s campaign mobilised through child forums, youth rallies, action in classrooms, markets and at door to door in villages across the country. The most signatures came from Mymensign Region (610,651 signatures), 381,091 signatures came from Dhaka , Chittagong  and Sylhet region.

Advocacy director of World Vision Bangladesh Chandan Z Gomes says “This initiative will promote Bangladeshi children’s voice to the government and global leaders to take appropriate action in the future”

The petition will be presented to world leaders at the United Nations in September 2015. This is our moment to make sure all children gain their right to an education, without danger or discrimination. Help create a message no government, politician or leader can ignore and demand that every child can go to school safely by signing the #UpForSchool petition. Nothing changes without pressure.

Sign the petition at upforschool.org 

For more information :

Devashish Ranjan Sarker , Media Relations Specialist, World Vision Bangladesh

Banani,  Dhaka-1213, Bangladesh
Phone: 880-2-8815515 - 7, 8813555 – 7,

Cell: +8801712800421, +8801612800421
Fax: 880-2-8815180 ; Skype: devashish.bd
www.wvi.org/bangladesh