The role of education in eradicating poverty and making the world a better place to be, is wel known. Read for example this Think 3 post on the subject. But how does a faulty health care system affect a country's education? What effect will climate change have on universal enrollment in schools?

These questions might not get an answer, but well be discussed at the E4 - Engendering Empowerment: Education and Equality conference in Dakar in 17th-20th May. The conference will examine issues of violence, poverty and educational quality and their intersections with participation, climate change and health.

Picture:
© UNICEF/NYHQ2006-0322/Pirozzi

Behind the conference stands the United Nations Girls' Education Initiative and Beyond Access - a research project set up by Oxfam, University of London and the U.K. Department for International Development.

Perfect, you might think - education can not be tackled in isolation, but must be seen as a part of society as a whole. But if this is the first time you hear about the E4 conference, I am sorry to inform you tht it is too late t participate. Only about 150 activists, practitioners, policy-makers and scholars from around the world will be invited to Dakar, and the submission of papers has already closed.

But don't despair. As a bloger and internet literati you can take part in the e-conference, that welcomes anyone with an interest in education and development issues.

The e-conference will take place over a period of 5 weeks, between April 12th and May 14th. Each week will focus on one of the themes emerging from the situation analysis produced for the conference:

• April 12th - 16th Poverty, intersecting inequalities and girls’ rights to education
• April 19th - 23rd Quality education for gender equality
• April 26th - 30th Breaking the silence: contesting violence and girls’ education
• May 3rd - 7th Connecting social policy: climate change, health, AIDS and girls’ education
• May 10th - 14th Convergence week

Each subject will be introduced with a live webcast, that will later be available for download, and during the week discussion is welcome. During the last Convergence week, participants are free to discuss whatever they feel needs to be adressed. The outcome of these discussions will then be forwarded to the traditional conference in Dakar.

If this sounds interesting, there are two things you can do:

0. Take part in the e-conference. It is open for you!
0. Spread the word! The E4 teams ask for your help to share presentations and videos on available foras like Vimeo and Youtube

Personally, I would love to go to Dakar. But as not all of us can, I find the e-conference a wonderful way to include even more voices in a very important discussion.

Also avaliable at the Maladets! homepage