UN General Assembly
2011

quality education. We have said it many times: education is the true mother of all battles. Unfortunately, it is also the Achilles heel of many emerging economies. In my country in recent weeks, thousands of young people have taken to the streets to demonstrate for a noble, great and fine cause, namely, giving all children and young people quality education that enables them all to be actors in, and not mere spectators of, their own destiny and participation in this knowledge and information society. Our Government has shared, and consistently shares, that goal. It is ready for the greatest reforms and has committed the largest economic, human, professional and technical resources in order to bring about fundamental change in our education system that seeks to substantially improve the quality of education and to increase coverage, in particular in the education of children from minorities and the most vulnerable so that they participate in education soon, not when the years have made it irreversible. We must also substantially increase funding and access at all levels