Roger Federer called for more investment in the training of young children on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Monday evening. He advocated quality elementary education.
IMAGO/Bildzentur Mon
“If we don’t do everything right from the beginning in the education process for children, we have almost no chance of moving forward,” the former tennis star said.
The former world No. 1 is committed to the United Nations Development Goals, one point of which requires that every child can benefit from at least one year of pre-school. “We are halfway but already know that the goal cannot be reached due to lack of financing,” the Basel resident lamented.
All stakeholders involved – parents, teachers, economic and political leaders, the community in general – must ensure quality training as quickly as possible. “Every touch counts,” said Roger Federer, who as a father of four knows how important the first years of a young child’s life are. “I’m here to incite action!”, he said again.
With his foundation created 20 years ago, Roger Federer has so far invested 77.5 million francs in training projects, benefiting 13,000 schools and kindergartens. Thus approximately 25 lakh youth were affected.
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