We New Yorkers can learn an important lesson from the swine flu sneeze. Our own Mayor Bloomberg explained that “Science has no way of stopping this from spreading... unless you were to go wall yourself off” Unfortunately we cannot wall ourselves off. As we consider the weighty issue of school closings that effect thousands of New York's children, lets also consider that our national government is failing to protect the right of over 75 million children to go to school.
Unless we speak up, our government will fail on its commitment to create, in candidate Obama's words a “$2 billion Global Education Fund to counter the radical madrassas that have filled young minds with messages of hate.” Maybe some of us don't buy this national security argument – so why else should we care about educating the poor? Let's forget about the fact that the “educational vaccine” helps prevent epidemics by informing students about germs and the importance of hygiene. Let's also ignore the fact that 75 million children between the ages of 7 and 12 have no access to school – imagine the “Lord of the Flies” scenario with 45 Manhattan islands floating around, each filled to the brink with illiterate forth graders. Let's just look at, simply, how we can put money in our pockets.
The World Bank estimates that $92 billion – billion – in global productivity is lost due to the lack of education in 65 of the world's developing countries. You'd think the economists at the World Bank would help us do something about this – they did, they created the Education for All Act, which we signed. To get the world moving on this we need our $2 billion in the FY2010 budget. $2 billion is a lot you think? Americans spend $22 billion each year on frozen treats and ice cream. Still think its too much?
When someone sneezes on the subway next to you, think about 16 schools closing in Queens. Then think about 16 million schools that never had a chance to open. The virus's travel around the world, and our promised funds need to as well, if not because its the right thing to do, then because its for our own good. Let congress and the president know that we expect our country to make good on its promises to give the poor a chance to go to school.
