Students worldwide say education should be accessible by all.
Being born in a free, democtratic country like Canada affords youth many opportunities to take their futures as far as they wish and pursue any venue their hearts desire. And for those fortunate enough to afford a private education, there are even more chances to grow, learn, network, and succeed in Canada and around the world. However, while the same possibilities are technically available in the public school system, the majority of schools are continuously faced with budget cuts and the threat of closure. And after high school, all university and college students are faced with constantly increasing tuition fees across the country. Something else that’s rising is student debt, which is now just under $13.5 million for federal loans alone, without including provincial and private loans.
As slow as Canada is to respond to the need for more funding for public education, we’re definitely not alone. The recent global economic crisis is putting schools around the world at risk as influential interests are pushing governments to turn public services into private industries, which could be a great detriment to the people of the world already facing marginalization. So as the globe’s most powerful leaders come together at the G8 and G20 Summits this week in Huntsville and Toronto, Ontario, the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) along with student groups from Africa, Europe, Asia, the United States, Norway, Latin America, and the Arab world are raising their voices. Representing over 150 million students worldwide, they have issued a statement calling for leaders to recognize education as an essential public good, along with nutrition, health-care, and other social services.
A major part of the G8 and G20 discussions will revolve around how to rebuild the global economy, which the students view as the perfect moment to improve the quality of and accessibility to education.
“Protecting public services and investing in education are vital to building a secure and prosperous global future,” said David Molenhuis, National Chairperson of the CFS. “Students from across the world are united in calling on the leaders of the G8 and G20 to invest in people and the planet, not privatise public services and resources.”
In addition to demanding the G20 nations to fulfill their responsibilities to their citizens and chart a course to prioritize universal access to quality education, this international collaboration of student unions is calling their leaders to “propose bold action to combat global poverty; make real progress to prevent global warming and transform the global economic and financial system to create a fair and sustainable world.”
Equal access to education is a quality that is very dear to Canadians as citizens of a democratic country, but there are still many areas about the public system that need major fixing. That is partly why so many families scrimp and save to send their children to private school. Our governmental leaders, and those around the world, need constant reminding that education should be a prime consideration in the global economic recovery. And since they will most likely be the leaders at future G8 and G20 conferences, today’s students are excellent advocates to voice this concern. But they cannot stand alone. If access to education is truly going to become equal around the world, students of the past and future must join them.
