For Advertorial: National Pledge Event -- Wednesday, Nov. 30,

For Advertorial: National Pledge Event -- Wednesday, Nov. 30,
2005

National Pledge for achieving EFA and MDGs goals in Indonesia

Indonesia is expected to achieve Education for All (EFA) and
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) objectives following the
signing the National Pledge Event.

Organized by the Centre for Betterment of Education (CBE) with
the support of UNESCO, Jakarta, the National Pledge was signed by
at least 30 representatives from various different parties in
Jakarta on Nov. 24, 2005.

The signatories included representatives from the Ministry of
National Education, international agencies, non-governmental
organizations (NGOs), teachers and elementary students.

The signing ceremony was opened by Hasnah Gagim,
representative of the Indonesian National Commission for UNESCO,
and Riswan Lapagu, director of CBE. The event was closed by
Alisher Umarov, Education Officer of UNESCO Jakarta.

The signing of the National Pledge Event has demonstrated
strong public commitment to looking over the implementation of
the EFA goals especially No. 2 and 5, which are to ensure that by
the year 2015 all people, young and old, can achieve primary
education level, and MDGs goals, especially No. 2 and 3, which
aim to achieve gender-equal education by the year 2015 in
Indonesia.

Under the National Pledge Event, the signatories agreed among
other things to accelerate the attainment of EFA and MDGs goals,
synchronize and coordinate their efforts on behalf of EFA
attainment, while at the same time respecting the specific
competencies and capacities of all participating agencies.

They also pledged to implement integrated strategies for
gender equality in education that recognize the need for changes
in attitudes, values and practices and participate in monitoring
the progress toward EFA goals, strategies and the national
educational program in Indonesia.

Established in 2000, CBE is an NGO with focus on education for
elementary and junior high school level.

Since 2003, CBE, the national partner of the Worldwide Global
Campaign supported by UNESCO, has been active in promoting EFA
and MDGs in Indonesia.

"Education to End Poverty" is this year's EFA and MDGs
campaign theme. And in parallel with the theme, CBE has been
engaged in a series of activities since April of this year, with
the signing of the National Pledge Event as the peak of the
activities.

In line with EFA and MDGs goals, CBE has focused its
activities on organizing group discussions with education
stakeholders; inviting politicians and influential figures to
visit schools and communities through "Go Back to School"
activities and asking school children to write about their
friends who are not in school for different reasons. CBE also
distributes solidarity card "cut-out friends' that were also
signed by the Pledge participants as their solidarity symbol for
illiterate young children.

To help achieve the goal, CBE prepares and distributes EFA &
MDGs campaign materials, such as posters, leaflets, brochures,
and banners to the schools and communities in different provinces
of Indonesia, including Aceh.

CBE has identified at least 300 elementary school drop-outs
from 13 schools in Jakarta, Bogor and Depok.

Indonesia is one of the countries that signed the Dakar
Framework for Action in 2000. Under the framework, Indonesia
along with other world leaders are committed to continuing to
support the efforts of developing countries in the implementation
of the Education for All Initiative, including with enhanced
resources of all types in support of country-led national
educational plans.

However, millions of young children remain illiterate, with
the gender-gap in basic and secondary education remaining wide.

No doubt, the National Pledge Event is important given its
role in establishing solidarity networks between the government
and other stakeholders in order to achieve the EFA and MDGs
goals.