Dear friends,
We are writing to you to invite your group to participate in this year’s ‘Right 2 Education Week’. Every year, the Right 2 Education Campaign mobilises an increasing number of people globally to take part in a week of events and actions to raise awareness about the plight of Palestinians in their quest for education.
This year, from 11-15 November, we are aiming for a deeper, international impact than ever before.
Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights stipulates that, ‘Everyone has the right to education’. Palestinians living under military occupation are being systematically denied this basic right.
Restrictions on movement means that higher education is not ‘equally accessible to all on the basis of merit’ (Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 26) but rather is accessible only to those who can reach it. Checkpoints and roadblocks inside the West Bank can see short journeys take hours, or become impossible. Gazan students are unable to leave to study elsewhere, and those who do obtain permission cannot return to see their families. Studying abroad is difficult, as is the freedom of international intellectuals and students to visit Palestinian universities. Materials and text books purchased are often delayed by the military which leads to a recycling of knowledge as students are not able to access the most up-to-date information. Many students face arrest and detention for political activism, and in the vast areas of the West Bank under complete military occupation it is prohibited for Palestinians to build, amongst other things, education facilities. These man-made problems have led to a decimation of the rights of Palestinians to education.
This is why we need your support. The Right 2 Education campaign is a non-violent, student-led movement based at Birzeit University in the West Bank. We seek to raise awareness of the issues that Palestinian students face – and in doing so to bring about change. We would like you to organise events at your university to show that those who enjoy the full extent of Article 26 believe in its universal application. You will be part of a global movement, standing up for human rights.
Events in the past that have proved successful include: debates, film-screenings, discussions, guest lectures, exhibitions, video conferences with Palestinian students, and hosting Palestinian students on a UK tour.
Education is a right which should be given to all; regardless of race or religion.
Please be in touch by emailing right2education.bzu [at] gmail.com if you would like to work with us on this most basic of rights, and we can help you to plan your week and provide you with useful materials.
Show your support by joining the facebook event, following us on Twitter and telling everyone you know. Use the hashtag #R2Eweek
We have created a series of documents to help societies prepare for their own #R2Eweek. These are accessible on google drive, and the links are as follows:
#R2Eweek Information Pack, which provides information and ideas for hosting your own week: https://docs.google.com/
#R2Eweek Fact Sheet, which provides up-to-date information about education under occupation which can be used in creating content for your week: https://docs.google.com/
#R2Eweek Additional Materials, which provides links to publications, photographs and videos which can be used for further research: https://docs.google.
If you would like to participate, please could you send us an email to confirm, as well as a schedule of events for your week. You can send this as an email, or by using the following template: https://docs.google.
>Don’t forget to use Facebook and Twitter to promote your events and establish links with us here in Palestine. We are hosting a Twitter Day on Wednesday 13th where we will be answering questions and promoting messages of solidarity. Join in by using the hastag #R2Eweek
With every best wish,
Right 2 Education Team
Birzeit University
right2education.bzu [at] gmail.com
http://www.right2edu.org
