Action Week Overview

Dates: April 9, 2003
Theme: The World's Biggest Lesson
Collective Action: Participating simultaneously in a world wide lesson on the importance of education.

In 2003, nearly 2 million young people took part in the GCE Week of Action, which included simultaneously learning the World’s Biggest Lesson.
The World's Biggest Lesson had the following objectives:

• To raise awareness of the current numbers of people who have no opportunity to attend school
• To raise awareness of the fact that education is everyone's right, and of the importance of education for both girls and boys
• To explain the particular difficulties girls face in getting a good education
• To explain the world record in which students are taking part
• To explain the campaign to get all of the world's children into school

The lesson did not have to take place in a "real" classroom, but could happen anywhere, and any competent person could take the role of the teacher. Anyone of any age could take part in the "class" and be counted toward the world record.
The lesson plan includes suggestions, examples, and explanations on the following topics:

• The importance of education for both girls and boys
• The campaign to end illiteracy and to get all of the world's children into school
• Why so many women are unable to read and write