There are two important issues observed on January 24, one is of an international scale and the other of national importance. The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the day as International Day of Education in 2018. Nine years before that, in 2009, the then Congress-led government had declared the day as a National Girl Child Day.
Is there a reason that this particular day was chosen?
The day is significant in Indian history as it marks the swearing-in of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, the first woman to occupy the post in the country. While launching it as a National Girl Child Day, the Women and Child Development Minister of the time, Renuka Chaudhary, had said, "Indira Gandhi is an inspiration for women across the country. Thus it is only appropriate that we declare the girl child day on the date of her swearing in."
While there is a lack of clarity on why this particular day was chosen by the UN, what we do know is that the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming this day as International Day of Education on December 3, 2018, in celebration of the role of education for peace and development. It was adopted by 58 member nations.
What does this day aim to address?
At the time of the launch, Chaudhary had said that the focus would be on targeting scourges of female foeticide, domestic violence and malnutrition and girl child education. Over the years, governments have changed but these problems plaguing the society have remained the same and with that, the focus of this day has also — more or less — remained the same. The theme for the initiative last year was 'Digital Generation, Our Generation.' The government has not announced any theme for this year. This year, the International Education day is based on the theme 'Changing Course, Transforming Education'. The aim of this day, according to the UN, is to generate a debate on the essential triggers of transformations to build more equitable and inclusive education systems around the world.
Are there any special events lined up to mark these occasions?
The Ministry of Culture has organised an event 'Umang Rangoli Utsav' to mark this day. The participants have to make rangoli at 50 special locations across India. A kilometre-long rangoli will be done on the streets and squares named after the female freedom fighters of the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually connect and felicitate the winners of the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar (PMRBP) in the presence of Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Zubin Irani. The UN will be celebrating the day in recognition of education at the UN Headquarters in New York, Expo 2022 in Dubai, Harvard University Graduate School of Education, and Global Minnesota.
What are some key officials involved saying?
Modi in a tweet said, "National Girl Child Day is an occasion to reiterate our commitment and further strengthen ongoing efforts to empower the girl child. It is also a day to celebrate the exemplary accomplishments of the girl child in different fields." He added, "In every development initiative undertaken by our Government, we accord immense priority to empowering the girl child and strengthening our Nari Shakti. Our focus is on ensuring dignity as well as opportunities to the girl child."
In an interview published on the UN News, when asked about his message to governments and health ministers around the world on this year’s International Education Day, UNICEF's Director of Education Robert Jenkins, said, "The importance of prioritizing schools reopening, so that marginalized children can return back onto their learning journey. Let’s use this moment to transform and address long-standing education issues."
