Day of Education: Theme, History, Significance and Celebration
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| International Education Day |
Education plays a pivotal role in everyone's life. A person who is not educated goes through a lot of struggles in his/her life. The development of a person dominantly depends on education. Education is a basic fundamental right of every person, but there are still many struggles for the children out there to get the basic education. Thus, now people emphasize more on promoting education.
Education is a human right, a public good and a public responsibility.
The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 24 January as International Day of Education, in celebration of the role of education for peace and development.
Without inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong opportunities for all, countries will not succeed in achieving gender equality and breaking the cycle of poverty that is leaving millions of children, youth and adults behind.
Today, 258 million children and youth still do not attend school; 617 million children and adolescents cannot read and do basic math; less than 40% of girls in sub-Saharan Africa complete lower secondary school and some four million children and youth refugees are out of school. Their right to education is being violated and it is unacceptable.
Every year, January 24 is celebrated as International Day of Education. It is also said that education is a human right, a public good, and a public responsibility.
History of International Education Day
First-Ever International Day of Education
The first-ever International Day of Education was observed on the 24th of January 2019. This year it would be the third time when International Day of education will be visualized to proclaim that Education comes under the basic needs of every person. Acknowledging it vigilantly, The UN’s General Assembly has made it possible to preach its message to every corner of the world and reflected a clear impact. It also sounds the betterment and welfare that education keeps inside itself; an educated individual, a civilized individual and hence a civilized society, blessed with opportunities and optimism.
On January 24, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming this day as International Day of Education on December 3, 2018, in celebration of the role of education for peace and development.
The adoption of the resolution ‘International Day of Education’, co-authored by Nigeria and 58 other member states, demonstrated the unwavering political will to support transformative actions for inclusive, equitable, and quality education for all.
This day is also celebrated to promote the role of education and thus the International Day of Education came into existence.
What is the theme of International Education Day?
Every year, International Education Day is celebrated with some particular theme. Considering the coronavirus pandemic, this year's theme for International Education Day is "Recover and Revitalize Education for the COVID-19 Generation."
The purpose of the 2022 theme is to strengthen and welcome the revival of education. Education in its usual and formal way has observed a huge gap in the year 2021. All activities especially educational activities remained under-cover and were frozen with the wave of Corona Virus which started from china and closing all educational institutions there, it encapsulated the whole world. Now a ray of hope has appeared when our generation who suffered very much during Covid-19 period and thus labelling itself the Covid-19 generation, will start going to school college and universities.
The physical recovery from this pandemic is that we are back at our work and are sound and healthy but the mental recovery is only possible when our education may also be back on track which is the most vital thing to do. Education in this regard is so important that we even require education to avoid the contamination of viruses. We need to educate ourselves about health concerns and the health of the whole community.
Hence vitality of education is always there but the theme of 2022 international day of education also stresses that education itself must be recovered to its usual form and its importance must be redressed for the large benefit of our generation.
Theme of International Day of Education for the year 2020 was,
“Learning for people, planet, prosperity, and peace”
The objective of International Education Day
On this day, the celebration takes place in a unique way. Various global events are conducted based on three main segments, which are: learning heroes, innovations, and financing. Such global events are conducted at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris and New York. The day focuses on topics like providing quality education universally. It highlights the role of quality and appropriate education for peace and development worldwide.
Why Education Day is celebrated?
International Community has stressed in its adopted charter where it intends to achieve Sustainable Development Goals. The first and the foremost significance to commemorate this day is that education is essential for the success of all 17 of its Sustainable goals. Hence, this day works as an umbrella that shelters and covers many other motives of the United Nations and the message conveyed through this day has a wide range of effects and authorities.
Among many challenges and short-comings that United Nations has to comply with is poverty and it is an interesting and more preferably astonishing thing to know that in many countries including third world countries, the percentage of poverty is almost equal to the percentage of illiteracy. There is a famous Chinese proverb; don’t give your fish to anyone in order to help him, teach him how to catch a fish and it would make a lot of difference. United Nations cannot at once, eradicate poverty but it can create opportunities to minimize its effects and education is one of the salient power to do so.
Education and Covid-19
Covid-19 or Corona Virus is a respiratory disease that started from china and then reached every corner of the world. The spread of this fatal disease was so quick and unusual that it rattled the whole world. It was noticed that the disease spread through air and touching other people or things where virus becomes inhabitant. Millions of people came under its effect and in no time, it made the masses caged in their houses.
Education was also not an exception as a huge gathering is found at educational institutes and the governments were compelled to close down the educational institutions and even lock down the whole sectors so that the alarming spread of the virus could have been escaped. Hence, under the strict lockdown and in the period of sheer anxiety and fear, education was a hope, a motivation, a guidance, a supporter and well-wisher. Where online education kept the people busy and didn’t let their minds go astray towards depression, it also guided them well to achieve what people cannot do routinely. The Pandemic Covid-19 taught us that Education for our generation is not linked with the institutions and general sources like books only. In the harder times, education must not be paused, hence through devices like mobiles and computers, the online study continued and there was no risk of getting contaminated with the virus
