17 国际学生节 International Students' Day

International Students' Day is on November the 17th every year. It has a tragic beginning, at the start of WWII. Nazis attacked the University of Prague in what was then Czechoslovakia. On November 17, 1939, nine students were executed and 1,200 sent to concentration camps. The 17th of November was first marked as International Students' Day in London in 1941. The International Students' Council (ISC) started it and for many years, asked the United Nations to accept it worldwide. The ISC developed into the International Union of Students (IUS) and continued to remember what happened in Prague. It continues to fight against discrimination. It also places education at the centre of the fight for democracy and human rights.

Students are among the most important members of our society. They are the future of the world. It is time many governments accepted this and took students and their education more seriously. It seems as though few governments truly recognize the importance of a good education for every child. Even in the USA, the “No Child Left Behind” act has left children behind. In Britain, the government’s promise of “Education. Education. Education” has been spent on weapons. Students all over the world are desperate to go to any kind of school. The news is full of stories of kids in developing countries wanting an education. This is sad, because many students in developed nations waste their time at school.