Director-General Bokova
博科娃总干事
Ladies and gentlemen
女士们、先生们:
It gives me a great pleasure to join you for this important initiative as the UN marks its 70th anniversary.
在联合国纪念成立70周年之际,我很荣幸能够参加这一重要倡议的相关活动。
Education is very close in my heart. My father grew up in a very small village in China. In those days, not many villagers could read. So my father opened a night school to teach them how to read. With his help, many people learned to write their own names; with his help many people learned to read newspapers for the first time; with his help, many women were able to teach their children how to read. As his daughter, I know what education means to the people, especially those without it. 我对教育感念至深。我的父亲生长在中国一个非常小的村庄里。在那些岁月里,许多村民都不识字。因此我的父亲开办了一所夜校帮助他们识字。在他的帮助下,许多人学会了写自己的名字;在他的帮助下,许多人有生以来第一次读报;在他的帮助下,许多妇女开始有能力教自己的孩子读书写字。作为她的女儿,我知道教育对一个人来说意味着什么,特别是那些没有文化的人。
After generations of hard work, China has come a long way in education. I myself am a beneficiary of that progress. Otherwise I would never become a soprano and a professor of musical. I am following my father’s footsteps by teaching at China’s Conservatory of Music to help continue China’s success story.
I want to thank Director-general Bokova and UNESCO for naming me the Special Envoy for Women and Girls Education. I am truly honored to work with the UN and do something about Global Education. I have visited many schools around the world. I’ve seen first-hand on how much we can do for education.
Education is about women and the girls. It is important for girls to go to school because they will become their children’s first teacher someday. But women still account for over half of the world’s poor in population and 60% of adults who can’t read. Education is crucial in the addressing such inequalities.In China, Spring Bud Education Program has helped over 3 million girls go back to school. Many of them have finished university education and they are doing well at work.
Education is about equality. In poor countries and regions the number of school dropouts is astonishing. We call for more educational resources to these places.
教育事关平等。在贫穷国家和地区,辍学儿童的人数高得惊人。我们呼吁将更多的教育资源投入这些地方。
Education is about the young people. Young people are the future. Education is important because it not only gave young people knowledge and skills but also help them become responsible citizens.
As the UNESCO special envoy and the mother myself my commitment to education for all will never change. Many years ago my father made a small difference in his village. Together we can make a big difference in the world.
I was once asked about my Chinese dream. I said I hope all children especially girls can have access to good education. This is my Chinese dream. I believe one day education first will no longer be a dream, it will be a reality enjoyed by every young woman on this planet. Thank you very much.