International Day of Education was introduced in 2018 by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly to celebrate the role of education in development and to demonstrate the world’s political will towards providing quality education for all and achieving sustainable development by 2030. The third edition of the International Day of Education (January 24) comes at a time when education is facing its biggest crisis in modern history. In 2020, over 1.6 billion students were affected by the global school closures brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and the shift to remote education. Access has not been equal, largely due to a great digital divide. At least 463 million students (over 30% of students globally) were cut off from education for months, with no means to access remote schooling. The most vulnerable were most affected. The 2021 theme “Recover and revitalise education for the COVID-19 generation” highlights the extraordinary and unprecedented education crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

This Graduate Women International (GWI) International Day of Education Advocacy and Social Media Toolkit aims to celebrate the positive role of education as a tool for global change and raise awareness of the disturbing inequalities in education exacerbated globally by the COVID-19 pandemic. This interactive toolkit includes impactful and easy-to-use resources. Through this toolkit, GWI will also guide you along your path to strategic advocacy to promote education as a fundamental right and a crucial tool to build peaceful societies.

Here is one example of an advocacy idea found in the toolkit.

Now more than ever, each must see herself as an advocate for the protection and promotion of women’s and girls’ right to safe and quality education up to the highest level.

Our commitment is critical to support the extraordinary individuals worldwide fighting for women’s and girls’ right to education every day.

UWE – GWI members and followers can participate in this international movement by creating their own strategic advocacy plan, tailored to their local and national communities’ context and needs.