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09_V1_WAT_Nov02 Th ursday, November 2, 2017 • WATERLOO CHRONICLE • 9Serving your community since 1856 Two new reports, the World Bank's World Development Report 2018 and UNESCO's Global Education Monitoring Report 2017/18, warn of a global learning cri- sis. More than 250 million children are not in school. Half of all children of primary school age, even including those who are in school, do not have basic read- ing skills. The probability of achieving the goal of universal, quality education by 2030 -- a goal that has been adopted by 190 countries -- appears increas- ingly remote. In the face of this enormous need, it is unconscionable that internation- al assistance for education has been stagnant or declining, and in 2015 was actually four per cent below what it was in 2010. Education spending, even in poor countries, is funded for the most part out of domestic resources. However, international donors can play a critical role by working with national govern- ments to build capacity and strength- en mutual accountability. For Canada, the Global Partner- ship for Education o� ers a clear and established model for this kind of cooperation. The GPE works to support plan- ning and reporting for the education sector, to build learning assessment and teacher training systems, and to ensure that gender inequalities are addressed at every stage. Importantly, 22 of its 65 develop- ing country partners are fragile and con� ict a� ected states, where half of all children who are out of primary school are living. In an age of long lasting conflict, where families are displaced for an average of 17 years, these children could miss out on education through- out their formative years. Building the lives and capabili- ties of boys and girls at risk addresses humanitarian as well as long term development needs, and resonates strongly with Canada's new feminist approach to international assistance. Canada's fair share of renewed funding for the Global Partnership for Education is $260 million. Making this commitment would be a step towards reversing the decline in international assistance for education. Furthermore, it would be an opportunity to expand Canada's O� - cial Development Assistance budget, which has remained stagnant for sev- eral years. Official Development Assistance that is invested in education, and delivered in coordination with nation- al goals and with sensitivity to local contexts, can be empowering and mutually bene� cial. It can help to create educated citi- zens and future leaders, capable of steering their nations out of poverty and con� ict. It is one of the surest paths toward a future where international assis- tance is no longer needed, and Cana- da should not hesitate to lead the way. Chitra Ramaswami Calgary, Alta. COMMENT WATERLOO CHRONICLEWATERLOO CHRONICLE LETTERS TO THE CHRONICLE Amid decorated trees and twinkling lights, autumn always feels like the perfect time to visit my favourite hot sauce emporium, Taste, during the annual St. Jacobs Sparkles event. � e village-wide kicko� to the holiday shopping season features extended business hours, in-store promotions and sales, draw prizes and festive food sampling over four days. At Taste, customers are encouraged to sample everything from infused vinegars, balsamics and specialty oils to salsas, chutneys, and mustards. "� at's the kicker for Taste, as virtually every product in the store is open for sampling so there are no surprises when you get home," said founder and owner Gerry Mischuk, when I visited Taste this past week to pick up his newest hot sauce, Café Tequila Citrus Habanero, along with the best horseradish I've ever tasted, Extra Bite Horseradish by � e Pickle Guy. "The horseradish we carry took me years to find," he said. "If I'm not knocked out by it, it will not be sold in the store. I am of Polish heritage and horseradish is a part of my gene pool, and � e Pickle Guy Extra Bite Horserad- ish is the best I have ever found and a staple in our store." As a lover of � ery foods, I could gaze for hours at hundreds of little bottles emblazoned with colourful illustra- tions like Caribbean Sunrise, Iguana En Fuego, Melinda's Red Savina, CaJohns Trinidad Scorpion, and Marie Sharp's Green Habanero with Prickly Pear. I told Mischuk how, for more than 10 years, a visit to Taste during St. Jacobs Sparkles has been one of the many magical components of my family's Christmas season traditions, with last year being the busiest we've ever seen. "Last year, Sparkles blossomed and became a major event and we are all hoping it will grow on last year's success to kick-start the new and improved Village of St. Jacobs," said Mischuk, who expressed his frustration with the ongoing road construction in the Village. "Construction has hurt the town signi� cantly," he said. "It all started a few years ago and as a result the traffic flow became a problem and in decline. It continued right up until last weekend when they � nally cleaned up the mess, painted the lines on King Street and removed all the 'road closed' and 'detour' signs. It was the � rst time in two summers that it was again easy to get in and out of town." � ough it's been a tiring experience dealing with construction, Mischuk said he is grateful for good neighbours like Tea, Earth & Sky right next door. "� ey have been heaven-sent, they are a tremendous asset to the Village, and we can never have enough of these types of qual- ity stores that keep bringing people back," he said. "Fortunately for Taste, our customers are loyal and without them I wouldn't have survived the downturn." St. Jacobs Sparkles runs from Nov. 16 to 19 with stores open late � ursday and Friday until 9 p.m., with traditional Victorian carolers, a warm bon� re, and a free horse-drawn shuttle trolley. For more information, visit stjacobs.com. Perhaps I'll see you in Taste, tongues ablaze with � ery � avour. ••• Marshall Ward is a freelance writer and artist. Email is welcome at marshall_ward@hotmail.com. Can't build without a good foundation Last week, I watched a new crane being built, from my balcony. It's for the next residential tower in the Barrel Yards complex, number � ve, if you're counting. It started as a pile of colourful parts. From my van- tage point, it looked like a playroom full of Lego bricks, scattered about before becoming something magical, at the hands of a creative child. One chilly morning, a crew of workers arrived to put it all together. Piece by piece, bit by bit, the latest "bird" in Waterloo started to rise from the ground, ready for work. It's an astonishing process to watch -- methodical and mysterious, all at the same time -- offering the opportunity to think about a lot of things. What is this enormous structure rooted to? Will it withstand Waterloo's wild winter winds? Who are these people, hanging o� the side of a grow- ing bird, fastening it all together? What if they make a mistake? My mind, as it is apt to do, travels to the metaphor that this growing crane presents. I think of organizations. And of leadership. A strong and e� ective organization, built to sustain economic winds and turbulence, must be built on a solid foundation. All who climb that crane -- or live in or around it -- must assume that it is properly secured, with deep roots. In any given organization -- crane builders or, say, a post-secondary education institution -- that bedrock foundation is built on trust. Do we trust our leaders? Do they trust us? Do we respect our leaders? Do they respect us? Do they value what we bring to the organization? Or do they dismiss our contributions? Are we fairly compensated for our work or not? Are we motivated to perform our duties? Or, when the winds start to blow, do our leaders start adding hot air to the mix, in a clear attempt to make those winds � ercer, and perhaps more dangerous. � e thing about trust, is that it takes a long time to build, but it can be destroyed with one small act. Imagine that crane, when the � rst crack appears in that foundation. When years of neglect -- due to a steady lack of respect or, perhaps, questionable employment prac- tices -- start to chip away at that foundation. That crane starts to shake. Perhaps, the managers scramble to shore up the foundation by applying some band-aids, around the edges. But everyone knows that the crane is starting to implode. And there will be no turning back, until the leaders acknowledge the crumbing foundation. ••• Karen Scian is the co-founder of the Talent Business Solutions, an educator and a recovering city councillor. She is also chair of the Waterloo Public Library Board. You can email her at beinscian@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter @karenscian. BEIN' SCIAN KAREN SCIAN A hot spot at St. Jacobs Sparkles MARSHALL WARD MARSHALL ARTS Canada must invest in global education