Education is the most powerful tool countries have for boosting economic growth, increasing prosperity and forging more just, peaceful and equitable societies. Where educational deprivation exists, it breeds conflict and enables repression. ... Education needs to be the cornerstone of every country, and it belongs at the top of the international agenda. All over the world children like Malala are risking ostracism, harassment and even death to demand an education. We should have their backs.
... Last month, with too little fanfare, the United Nations announced an historic initiative called Education First. Spearheaded by Ban Ki-moon, it marks the first time a U.N. Secretary General has made education a priority. Education First has three goals: to put every child in school, to improve the quality of learning, and to foster global citizenship. Influential global constituencies have been key to eradicating disease and addressing climate change because we understood that these are areas where nations’ welfare is intertwined. The same is true for education.
At a time when foreign policy is often defined by conflict and divisions, President Obama and Governor Romney can trumpet education as a shared global value — and an issue where countries can work together despite their differences to move forward faster. It’s the single best investment we can make to end strife between and within nations....
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