Lagos — Co-founder and global co-chair of the 1GOAL: Education for All campaign, Queen Rania of Jordan last Thursday welcomed the news that South Africa will host a global summit on education during the World Cup.

"I congratulate President (Jacob) Zuma and PM Gordon Brown on their vision and commitment to make global education the greatest goal of the South Africa World Cup 2010. With the world's eyes on South Africa this summer, the summit presents an opportunity to highlight challenges and accelerate achievements in the global education sector," a 1GOAL statement quoted the Queen as saying.

"On behalf of the millions of children denied their right to an education, I hope that in the future, when we reflect on 2010 we can say with confidence that this was the year global leaders stood by their conscience and convictions and made Education for All a reality," she added.

The 1GOAL campaign, an international initiative coordinated by the Global Campaign for Education in partnership with FIFA, aims to leverage the popularity of the 2010 World Cup to ensure that millions of out-of-school children receive an education by 2015.

Chair of the 1GOAL campaign committee, Adrian Lovett also welcomed the news from Zuma's meeting with Brown.

"(The) announcement that there will be an education summit gives real political momentum to the campaign to ensure all children go to school. The world's greatest game could leave the world's greatest legacy: An education for every child," he said in the statement.

"We look to world leaders, led by President Zuma, to ensure Africa's first World Cup unlocks the school gates to 72 million children that currently cannot get in," Lovett said.

Rallying the support of footballers and fans in a massive sign-up campaign, 1GOAL seeks to remind world leaders of their commitment to universal education as part of the Millennium Development Goals.

In 2000, 164 world governments came together to create the UN Millennium Development Goals, with two of the eight goals involving ending poverty through providing education for all, the 1GOAL statement said.

They promised to make sure there was enough money and that the policies were in place to make it a reality, it added, noting that since then many countries have abolished school fees, spending was increased by $4 billion and an extra 40 million children are now going to school.

It is anticipated that $16 billion a year, just under 0.2 per cent of what is being spent on bailing out the global banks, is required to make this reality happen, according to 1GOAL.

The campaign, which will run up until the World Cup final on July 11, will engage and mobilise the World Cup audience through films, digital and print channels globally, "involving some of the biggest broadcasters, sponsors, players, teams and nations in the world", the statement said

Harvestfield Educational

The train of the sixth International Education Expo Nigeria, which took off at the Hotel Presidential, Port Harcourt yesterday moves to the Cultural Centre Complex, Calabar today. The theme for this year's exhibition, organised by Harvestfield Educational Services, is 'Exploring Possibilities, Maximising Potentials'.

Two exhibitions would be held in Lagos at the Lagoon Restaurant, Victoria Island and Protea Hotel, Isaac John on Friday and Saturday, respectively, while the last leg would hold on Tuesday, March 16 at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.

Highlights of the expo include, presentations and seminars, 'Introducing Dubai: World Class Destination, World Class Education', forum for parents of students studying abroad (challenges and solutions), as well as affordable schools in Dubai, Malaysia, South Africa, Canada, Ukraine, UK, USA, etc. The exhibition is open to parents and guardians, secondary and tertiary schools students, government officials and the general public.