As part of the “Raise your hand” global campaign, GPE organized a national launch on November 6 in Spain to raise awareness on the importance of continued investment in global education, especially following the negative social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The event was organized in collaboration with ProFuturo (Telefonica Foundation and La ”Caixa“ Foundation) and the Campaña Mundial por la Educación (GCE Spain).

Participants discussed the opportunities of education, how to combat the learning crisis and Spain’s role in strengthening global education efforts. Alejandra Agudo, Journalist for El País’ development section ‘Planeta Futuro’, moderated the event.

The discussion started with a keynote speech by Ángeles Moreno Bau, Secretary of State for International Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, Spain.

Teresa Perales, Paralympic champion swimmer, also provided opening remarks, “A school can help a child dream. And it can help make that dream come true. We must get children back into school so they can learn and dream of a better life. So they can dream of becoming a doctor. A librarian. Or an astronaut. And so they can dream about helping others.”

Serigne Mbaye Thiam, Senegal’s Minister of Water and Sanitation and GPE Vice Chair, shared the transformative role that education can play.

“Education is the engine of transformational change for the future. It changes individual futures, especially for girls and women. It changes the futures of nations. Investing in education leads to more equitable, healthy and prosperous societies.”

Participants then discussed what needs to be done in order to ensure all children get a quality education and gain the skills they need to succeed.

In Zimbabwe, Maria Tokwani, Education Specialist at World Vision, also expressed, “To adapt to the new normal, you need to improvise a lot of approaches that are both non-tech and tech to leave no child behind, especially girls.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown many the increasing importance on digital skills and teachers. Magdalena Brier Lopez, General Manager, ProFuturo Foundation Spain, stated, “To overcome the challenges faced, we must equip teachers with the digital and pedagogical skills to teach in the digital era and find innovative ways to reach the unconnected and guarantee that not having access to a computer or internet connectivity is not an obstacle to continue education.”

Mónica, a young activist from 'Movimiento niñas con igualdad', Plan International, Paraguay, also shared her thoughts on what needs to be done for young girls. “That is why it is important to invest in the education of girls and young women so we can develop as young professionals, enter the labor market and make our own decisions.”

Representing GCE Spain, Fernando Mudarro, CEO of Ayuda en Acción, stated “To get real transformation in the world, we need to fight for education, gender equality and the climate. if we are able to focus our actions on those three SDGs, we are going to be able to transform our world in the long term.”

The event also provided an opportunity for panelists to encourage Spain to play a leading role in global education.

Lastly, participants raised their hands to show their support for global education.

Full event recording (English)

Full event recording (Spanish)