Education

I do not have to earn The right to learn. It’s mine.

And if because Of faulty laws And errors of design,

And far too many places where Still far too many people do not care –

If because of all these things, and more, For me, the classroom door,

With someone who can teach, Is still beyond my reach,

Still out of sight, Those wrongs do not remove my right.

So here I am. I too Am one of you

And by God’s grace, And yours, I’ll find my place.

We haven’t met. You do not know me yet

And so You don’t yet know that there is much that I can give you in return.

The future is my name.

And all I claim Is this: my right to learn.

~Robert Prouty from My right to learn

Creating and Developing Awareness

In 2000, the World Education Forum held in Dakar in which the international community confirmed its commitment to achieving education for all. Out of that forum, the participants adopted guidelines to help move them towards the goal of education for all. They included:

• Expand early childhood care and education
• Provide free and compulsory primary education for all
• Promote learning and life skills for young people and adults
• Increase adult literacy by 50%, especially for women
• Achieve gender parity by 2005 and gender equality by 2015
• Improve the quality of education

UNICEF describes the underlying thought process for the goals as rights-based holistic approach to education which includes access to education, quality of education and an environment which provides education.

We will look at how where the international community is in achieving those goals late in this document. The UN declared everyone has a right to education in Article 26 of its Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It reads:
Article 26.

1. 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.
2. Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
3. Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children

This right is also embeded in the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals as goal number 4: Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning. They list the current situation of education globally:

• Enrolment in primary education in developing countries has reached 91 per cent but 57 million children remain out of school
• More than half the children who have not enrolled in school live in sub-Saharan Africa
• An estimated 50 per cent of out of school children of primary school age live conflict- affected areas
• 103 million youth worldwide lack basic literacy skills and more than 60 per cent of them are women.

UNESCO created a database as a tool to track, provide data for research and advocacy on the right to education at every level. The information covers 195 countries and holds over 1,200 documents.

Educate, Inform and Create Inspiration

What This Looks Like in Real Life (Stories and Case Studies)

Skills Development and Activities

How to Implement or Put into Action

Source Links:

https://memphistr.org/?gclid=CJaQqNqzmtQCFYRmfgodfowNgw

https://www.unicef.org/publications/files/A_Human_Rights_Based_Approach_to_Education_for_All.pdf

http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/

http://www.unesco.org/education/edurights/index.php?action=home&lng=en