‘Don’t fail us’: Sightsavers calls on leaders to address the global learning crisis

As the Global Education Summit began in London on 28 July, Sightsavers continued its pressure on global leaders to ensure children with disabilities can receive an education.

UK prime minister Boris Johnson and Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta welcomed world leaders to the summit, which aims to secure US$5 billion in funding for the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) to transform education in lower-income countries over the next five years.

Ahead of the summit, Sightsavers used its Equal World campaign to call on global leaders to address the learning crisis, which includes 33 million children with disabilities who were out of school prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Through an open letter to G7 leaders and country campaigns in Sightsavers countries, the campaign asked governments across the world to use this pivotal moment to ensure education is accessible to all children and to support children with disabilities not just to learn, but to thrive. The call to global leaders was ‘don’t fail us’.

Sightsavers director of policy Dom Haslam said: “The world is in the middle of a global learning crisis and world leaders have failed to meet the US$5 billion needed just to begin addressing the scale and urgency of the problem.

“The COVID-19 pandemic is making existing inequalities worse for already marginalised children: 33 million children with disabilities were out of school even before the pandemic. These children, especially girls, are not only less likely to attend or complete school, but also less likely to learn effectively while they are there due to significant and continuing barriers to the quality of their education.

“While there were some promising commitments to disability from countries including Tanzania and Malawi, the lack of specific commitments from others shows that disability inclusion is still being sidelined. Donor governments must step up and increase their funding further to ensure inclusive, quality education is available and accessible to everyone – including children with disabilities. Investing in inclusive education doesn’t just benefit children with disabilities, it makes education stronger for everyone. World leaders need to fulfil the promises they made in the SDGs and show ambition in building back better to make sure that no child is left behind.”