SPAIN: Ensuring education becomes a creator of fraternity, peace and justice
SPAIN
Misiones Salesianas signs on to Pope Francis Global Compact on Education
(MissionNewswire) Misiones Salesianas, the Salesian Mission Office in Madrid, has signed on to the Pope Francis Global Compact on Education, a pact to encourage change on a global scale, so that education may become a creator of fraternity, peace and justice.
More than 258 million children around the world do not go to school. More than 1 billion people don’t know if their classrooms will reopen after the pandemic, and 23.8 million additional children and youth (from pre-primary to tertiary) may drop out or not have access to school next year due to the pandemic’s economic impact alone, according to the United Nations.
Children’s education is the first and best response to breaking the cycle of poverty. Father Eusebio Muñoz, head of Misiones Salesianas, said, “A child who goes to school will have tools and opportunities for the future. He will acquire knowledge that will help him find a better job and a better quality of life. He will marry later, will be a more responsible parent, and will want his children to go to school. He will also know his rights and will not let them be abused, and he will participate in decision-making in his community, town or country. It is a virtuous circle that begins with a pencil, a blackboard and a school.”
“Education is at the service of that path so that every human being can be the architect of his own destiny,” said Pope Francis in his latest encyclical Fratelli Tutti.
Misiones Salesianas believes that education fosters dreams and provides hope for a better life. “We are committed to work for the integral education of children, especially the most vulnerable, so that they have opportunities in life,” added Fr Muñoz. For this reason, the Salesian institution adheres to the Global Compact on Education proposed by Pope Francis.
“Never before has there been such a need to unite efforts in a broad educational alliance to form mature people, capable of overcoming fragmentation and opposition and rebuilding the fabric of relationships for a more fraternal humanity,” said Pope Francis when he launched the Global Compact on Education.
Salesian missionaries establish vital primary and vocational schools in some of the most impoverished and remote places on earth. By focusing on the poorest places and most vulnerable children and young adults, this effort makes a lasting impact.
Salesians are also considered the largest private provider of vocational and technical training in the world. Programs focus on helping vulnerable youth by providing access to educational opportunities that match the local employment needs. Around the globe, there are nearly 1,000 Salesian vocational, technical, professional and agricultural schools—with a focus on serving poor and needy youth.
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Sources:
ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)
ANS – Spain – “Misiones Salesianas” joins Global Educational Pact proposed by Pope Francis
United Nations – Policy Brief Aug. 2020 Education During COVID and Beyond
