Malala’s story offers an extreme example of what can happen if people are not treated equally in education. It is very clear that parts of the world suffer because they withhold education. Her campaign, calling for all children worldwide be in school, helped lead directly to Pakistan’s Right to Education Bill. The British Government is supporting her, and girls across the region by teaching local teachers. In Pakistan we are now training 90,000 teachers a year.
Gender gaps in primary school enrolments have narrowed in many countries over recent years. Nevertheless, vulnerable and poor girls make up the most disadvantaged group in education. Despite the progress that has been made in recent years, poor quality of education, extreme poverty, structural inequality and violence against girls continue to jeopardize our efforts. Getting this right is vital, not just for equality, but also for our economy and our society as a whole. If we don’t ensure that women and girls can access the same opportunities as boys and men then we are losing 50% of the world’s talent, 50% of people, one of whom might come up with the next great scientific breakthrough, become the next great world leader or produce the next great piece of art.
My Lib Dem colleague, International Development Minister Baroness Northover, has been campaigning recently to make sure that disadvantaged people around the world have equal access to education. She recently announced a new focus on tackling discrimination against people with disabilities in developing countries through foreign aid initiatives. This venture will see the UK ensuring that those with disabilities have equal access to schooling and are educated to as high a standard as their peers.
It is not just abroad that inequality disrupts education and this is why, in this government, we have worked towards building a fairer education system. I am proud that the Lib Dems have played a key role in this.
We’ve done an awful lot already, but there is still much more to do. My Party, the Liberal Democrats, wants to go even further in the next Parliament to help young people attending school and college. One of the biggest problems for young people wanting to continue their education, particularly in specialist subjects, is actually affording to get to the school or college which teaches them. That’s why we have said we want to introduce a Young Person’s Discount Card, so that all young people ages 16 – 21 get an automatic 2/3rds discount of bus travel. If young people are discouraged from following their dreams because of the cost of getting to college then what hope is there of creating the next generation of doctors, engineers, scientists and mathematicians?
I cannot emphasise enough the importance of giving everyone an equal start in life. Whether it is here or abroad we must make sure that no one is left out of education. It is too damaging to us, children and our society as whole.