As I am studying for my final exams of this academic year, I cannot help myself but think how greatly I lucked out in the lottery of birth. I have spent my entire life taking education for granted. It is something that has been ever-present in my environment, something I never even considered to be a privilege. But it is a privilege.
Every single day, around 1 billion children go to class. Nevertheless, at this very moment, 27 million children living in conflict zones cannot attend school. UNICEF estimates that 617 million children and adolescents globally are unable to reach minimum proficiency levels in reading and mathematics, even though two-thirds of them are in school. Furthermore, there are still 781 million illiterate adults, as reported by the Global Education Monitoring Report.
Source: UNICEF/UN0149769/Dejongh
Education as a human right
The first things that come to mind when we hear the word education are learning, obtaining skills, information and knowledge. But education is far from just that.
UNESCO emphasises that the right to education is a human right and indispensable for the exercise of other human rights. Quality education plays an important role in reducing poverty and child labour and is, therefore, the key social and cultural right. It is one of the most powerful tools in lifting socially excluded children and adults out of poverty and into society. Education promotes democracy, peace, tolerance, development and economic growth and it aims to ensure the development of a fully rounded human being. But in order for this human right to have an effect, there must be universal access, enforceable and monitored quality standards and equality of opportunity for every child.
Establishing the right to education has two components, namely, numerous normative international instruments are recognising and protecting the right. At the same time, the governments of State Parties politically commit to respecting, protecting and fulfilling the right to education.
Recognition of the right to education
The right to education is recognized as a human right by numerous international conventions. The right is stipulated in Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a milestone document in the history of human rights.
Article 26
“Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit."
The Declaration might not be binding but it has served as an inspiration and paved the way for over 70 human rights treaties worldwide.
An important international human rights treaty, which currently counts 196 parties, is the Convention on the Rights of the Child. All 196 nations that have ratified this treaty are bound by international law. The Convention recognizes the right to education in Articles 28 and 29.
UNICEF and Education
UNICEF works to provide learning opportunities for children and young people in 144 countries all around the globe. The organization strives on giving each individual an opportunity to gain the skills and knowledge they need to thrive and reach their full potential. There are three key areas UNICEF focuses on; access, learning and skills and lastly, emergencies and fragile contexts.
The organisation strives to ensure gender-equitable access to quality education from early childhood to adolescence, including for children with disabilities, marginalized children and those living in humanitarian and emergency settings. In order to achieve this, UNICEF increasingly promotes equity and inclusion, which also includes making targeted efforts for children who are excluded on the basis of gender, disability, poverty, ethnicity and language, as well as those who are displaced or affected by emergencies.
Furthermore, in 2012, UNICEF launched the Out-of-School Children Initiative (OOSCI) in collaboration with the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. The aim of this cooperation is to make a substantial and sustainable reduction in the number of children who do not attend school worldwide, by providing partner Governments with actionable data. OOSCI identifies barriers that lead to exclusion and develops proposals for policies and programmes that put more children in school, on track to complete their education. So far, more than 90 countries are a part of this initiative and many rely on OOSCI data to work on education sector improvements and plans.
UNICEF's planned results for the year 2021:
Source: UNICEF
What can I do to help?
You can help advance the right to education by being an engaged citizen, learning about the situation in your country and spreading the message that eduction is a human right everyone is entitled to. Check this website to find out how you can contribute by raising awareness and showing your support!
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