Huhne backs Wyvern School's "Buddy" campaign for global education

12.17.02pm UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 27th May 2005

Huhne backs Wyvern School's "Buddy" campaign for global education

Chris Huhne, Eastleigh's new MP, went back to school today to support the campaign of Wyvern School pupils in Fair Oak to bring education to the 100 million children worldwide who receive no education.

Mr Huhne said told the assembly at the school in Fair Oak that their initiative to highlight the lack of schooling for so many children across the world was commendable and worthwhile and a cause close to his own heart as someone who had worked with developing countries for many years when he was an economist.

Wyvern school is participating in a national campaign to "Send my Friend to School" organised by a coalition of charities and other interested organisations including Oxfam, ActionAid, Comic Relief, VSO and Plan International. Some 3,000 schools across the country are participating.

Mr Huhne is pictured here with Wyvern head girl Lizzie Dearden, head boy Michael Kurn, and prefects Steph Spicer and Abi Stickland and some of the 300 "buddies" that pupils have made to send to world leaders ahead of the Gleneagles summit in July to remind them of their promise to make sure all children have access to primary education by 2015.

Mr Huhne said that education was the foundation stone of a successful life, and that one of the most shocking facts was that 60 million of the 100 million children who go without school are girls.

"All the evidence is now that those who miss out on school cannot learn skills for the world of work, and cannot pass on basic knowledge about how to eat healthily and avoid disease to their families. Without tackling the key millennium development goal of worldwide basic education - a promise of the global community since 1948 - progress in fighting world poverty will be far too limited" said Mr Huhne.

Mr Huhne contributed a "buddy" to the Wyvern campaign, and also answered questions about the global education campaign from Wyvern students.