CHILDREN at Minehead Middle School have sent off more than 150 'buddies' to the G8 summit as a symbol of their commitment to education for all. 'Send My Friend to School' is organised by leading UK charities and teacher unions to remind world leaders of their promise that every child should have an education by 2015. A buddy is a cut-out representation of a child who is out of school. Year 5 pupils have been learning that more than 100 million children worldwide are out of school, that 60 per cent of these are girls and one in four children does not complete five years of basic education. Nearly one billion adults are illiterate. Almost all of these people live in developing countries. Headteacher, Paul Rushforth, said: "Education can have a profound impact on the lives of children, the development of countries and on peace and stability throughout the world. "However, at the rate things are currently going, it could take 150 years to achieve a goal of education for all by 2015. "Making a buddy isn't the end of the story but is the beginning of making a difference." Year 5 teacher Michelle James, who organised the activity, said: "The children have been spending lesson time learning all about children's rights and responsibilities for education. "They looked at how great it is to get an education in this country, their individual responsibility to use that right and then they researched countries where children don't have the same opportunities. "It is a global problem, as well as one which sometimes happens on our own doorsteps, for different reasons." Following the Boxing Day tsunami disaster, Minehead Middle School twinned with a Sri Lankan school on the south coast called Mirissa, which was badly damaged. The buddy activity also helped focus the children's minds on their Sri Lankan counterparts, who are soon to become pen-pals.
