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Youth advocates have been shocked and saddened by the news yesterday that international aid for education has fallen dramatically.

UNECOÂ鶹APP™s revelation that comes two weeks ahead of the to help 29million children go to school in the poorest countries.

The decline in aid worries Philip Obaji Jr., an from Nigeria.

He said: Â鶹APPœItÂ鶹APP™s sad and unfortunate that, at a time when we need to be accelerating progress for education, funding is being cut.Â鶹APP�

But Philip added: Â鶹APPœOur lives and futures are in the balance and this just energises us to accelerate our countdown campaign and organise more young people to reverse this trend.Â鶹APP�

Chernor Bah is youth representative on the high-level steering committee for the and chair of its .

He reacted with shock to the aid figures, with only 18 months left to fulfil the Millennium Development Goal for all children to be in school and learning.

Chernor said: Â鶹APPœWhen young people gathered at the United Nations for the first Youth Takeover on Malala Day, we adopted and passed a historic youth resolution.

Chernor Bah with Global Youth Ambassadors at Countdown Summit

Â鶹APPœIt called attention to the global education emergency and invited world leaders to accelerate action to address the huge gap that remained Â鶹APP“ 57million children out of school and more than 250million not able to read and write.

Â鶹APPœUnfortunately, one year on, the news that education funding has been actually decreasing is shocking. In every survey and opinion poll conducted with youth leaders around the world, we rank education top or near the top of our priorities.

Â鶹APPœIt is the best investment in our future Â鶹APP“ and for a  peaceful and developed society. We ask our leaders are government to immediately reverse this trend and invest in our future by making education the priority it deserves.Â鶹APP�

Chernor said governments should be accelerating progress and increasing funding to education to secure the gains that had been made and to help the millions more not already helped.

He added: Â鶹APPœWorld leaders have a chance to do that at the GPE pledging conference on June 26. ItÂ鶹APP™s an opportunity to show commitment to education Â鶹APP“ and in our future and our stated priorities as young people.

Â鶹APPœWe should not only meet the GPE funding target but surpass it Â鶹APP“ because what we have now is a crisis that requires an urgent response.Â鶹APP�

The drop in aid will affect children in countries around the world. Children like Celina Anupe, a 10-year-old pupil at Lolupe Mobile Primary School in Turkana, Kenya.

She walks for two and a half hours to get to school Â鶹APP“ but it doesnÂ鶹APP™t have any classrooms. Classes are held outside under a tree with the pupils sitting on the ground.

Celina said: Â鶹APPœI start walking at 5:30 and I reach school at 8am.

Â鶹APPœI love the school because IÂ鶹APP™m learning new things and at school we get given some food. My favourite subjects are English, CRE, the alphabet and Swahili. When I grow up I want to be a nurse and help people.

Â鶹APPœWe donÂ鶹APP™t have enough food and thereÂ鶹APP™s no water at this school. We sit outside on the stones and in the hot sun.Â鶹APP�