International day of Education

International day of Education

The year 2023 marks the mid-point since the UN adopted the 2030 Agenda for people, planet and prosperity, with a set of 17 interlocked goals that will come up for review at the SDG Summit in September on the theme of investing in people.

Building on the global momentum generated by the UN Transforming Education Summit in September 2022, this year’s Day of education calls for maintaining strong political mobilization around education and charting the way to translate commitments and global initiatives into action. Education must be prioritized to accelerate progress towards all the Sustainable Development Goals against the backdrop of a global recession, growing inequalities and the climate crisis.

The International Day of Education on 24 January 2023 is dedicated to Afghan women and girls. 

Education is a human right, a public good and a public responsibility.

Education is a human right

The right to education is enshrined in article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The declaration calls for free and compulsory elementary education. The Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted in 1989, goes further to stipulate that countries shall make higher education accessible to all.

EFDN and Education

At EFDN we are fully behind the idea that education is a human right and we try to use the power of football to promote education through different programmes. Two of those being the STEM project and the EFDN STEM Football & Education Programme and the Scoring for Health programme.

 EFDN STEM Football & Education Programme

The EFDN STEM Football & Education Programme is a pan-European project selected for financial support from UEFA Foundation for Children aiming to promote STEM Education amongst European youth. STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics – is the field that helps children learn how to program, make codes, and understand technological devices. Statistics tell us there are currently more than a million job vacancies in the STEM industry, while at the same time only 16% of college students graduate in STEM fields or subjects. Demand for STEM jobs increased three times between 2000 and 2010, and continues to grow, with many new fields and professions emerging each day. With the support of project partner Sphero and their supplemental resources, EFDN plans to deliver STEM Education programmes across Europe using the power of football to keep children engaged and committed to learning.

PROJECT AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

• To assess existing activities via a range of research methods, including: primary research via interviews with key stakeholders and participating organisations, and secondary research via case study research and literature review.
• To test and develop the STEM Education Football Programme methodology in primary and secondary schools.
• To evaluate, adjust and further develop the methodology.
• To develop the STEM Education Football Programme training materials, local delivery plan, partnership plan and quality guidelines.
• To disseminate the STEM Education Football Programme Resources and organise a dissemination event in 2022.
• To develop and maintain an online platform with all programme resources.

Scoring for Health

Scoring for Health (EU) aims to tackle the problem of childhood obesity which, as identified by the World Health Organization, is still a critical issue throughout Europe today. With the underlying target of promoting a healthy diet and lifestyle amongst children, their families and wider communities across Europe, the programme supports the 3rd UN Sustainable Development Goal of Good Health and Well Being and is funded by Erasmus+.

Scoring for Health encourages children from 7 to 14 years and their parents to adopt a healthy lifestyle and make them aware of healthy nutrition. This programme will be running for 3 years, where 3 periods of 20 weeks of various activities will be delivered by the participating football clubs and the Portuguese FA in cooperation with local schools and health organisations. Each cycle of the programme starts and finishes with a sporting event at the respective stadiums or elite academies.  Participants will be given specialist interactive classes, learning sessions and workshops on a weekly basis on topics such as nutrition, cooking, physical activity and football sessions.  The launch events for the programme will be held at the stadiums or elite academies of the participating clubs where, with players from the club supporting them, the pupils will have the opportunity to enjoy a day of sports and games as well as several educational workshops.  Key physical indicators and health determinants (weight, height, BMI, speed, balance etc) will also be measured, collected and calculated for each participant, giving an instant analysis of each child’s fitness and providing a scientific basis for allowing comparisons and defining the participants’ progress.

THE PRINCIPAL GOALS OF THE PROGRAMME ARE:  

• To encourage awareness of healthy lifestyles among the children and their parents
• To allow participants to experience that sport and exercise are healthy and enjoyable
• To increase physical activity among children (25% more meets HEPA Guidelines standards) 
• To promote healthy dietary behaviours based on the Guidelines for healthy nutrition
• To improve children’s physical fitness

Scoring for Health will be embedded as much as possible in ongoing lifestyle interventions in the municipalities of the clubs. This will be achieved by a local working group per municipality, in which all involved stakeholders are represented.