Reuters – Belinda Goldsmith
“A spate of shocking violence against schoolgirls in developing nations has set the stage for a global commitment later this year to ensure all girls have the chance of an education, according to former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Gillard, who chairs the board of the Global Partnership of Education, said a new set of development goals to be finalised in New York in September was the opportunity to sharpen the focus on universal education and the quality of teaching. The former politician, who served as Australia’s first national female leader for three years until 2013, said 58 million children globally were deprived of a primary school education and girls particularly were suffering. The U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama wrote in Britain’s Financial Times on Tuesday that 62 million girls were out of school globally, describing it as “a heartbreaking injustice”. Forced marriages, early pregnancies and sexism were some of the obstacles to education.”(more)