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What are the universal human rights? - Benedetta Berti

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In order to do so there must exist equality of opportunity and universal access. Normative instruments of the United Nations and UNESCO lay down international legal obligations which recognize and develop the right of every person to enjoy access to education of good quality.

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Newsela | Court rules students have a constitutional right to a "basic" education

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A court decision may require the state of Michigan to do more to make sure students have the chance to learn to read.

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The right to education is universal and does not allow for any form of exclusion or discrimination. However, all countries face challenges guaranteeing equal opportunities for all in accessing education and within education systems. Marginalised groups are often left behind by national educational policies, denying many people their right to education.

Although thinking about 'groups' can be helpful, groups tend to be heterogenous. For instance, the group 'women and girls', composed of half the world's population, is highly diverse. It includes women and girls from rich and poor backgrounds, girls with impairments, Indigenous girls, girls living in rural areas, etc. and any combination thereof. Each women experiences discrimination and inequality in a unique way depending on her idenity and other factors. A feature of marginalisation is that people who are marginalised are very likely to be subject to multiple layers of discrimination.

Non-discrimination and equality are key human rights that apply to the right to education. States have the obligation to implement these principles at national level. National laws can prohibit discrimination and create an environment enabling greater equity. Furthermore, affirmative action and promotional measures are often necessary in order to eliminate existing inequalities and disparities in education.

The UNESCO video below explains what the data tells us about the marginalised groups of children who are excluded from education.

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The right to education is universal and does not allow for any form of exclusion or discrimination. However, all countries face challenges guaranteeing equal opportunities for all in accessing education and within education systems. Marginalised groups are often left behind by national educational policies, denying many people their right to education.

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Education is not a privilege. It is a human right.

Education as a human right means:

the right to education is legally guaranteed for all without any discrimination

states have the obligation to protect, respect, and fulfil the right to education

there are ways to hold states accountable for violations or deprivations of the right to education

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What does the right to education entail?

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Unlike other regions, Asia and the Pacific do not have a legally binding instrument that guarantees human rights. However, in 2012, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) adopted a Human Rights Declaration that recognises the right to education. Members of ASEAN are: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam.

ASEAN Human Rights Declaration, 2012 (Articles 27 and 31)

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Unlike other regions, Asia and the Pacific do not have a legally binding instrument that guarantees human rights. However, in 2012, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) adopted a Human Rights Declaration that recognises the right to education. Members of ASEAN are: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam.

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This page shows that children with disabilities are more likely to miss out on school than other children. We explain more about the barriers they face and the global commitments to overcome the barriers and give inclusive education to all children.

Education for the most marginalised children

Children with disabilities are more likely to miss out on school than other children. Even if they go to school, they are more likely to leave before finishing their primary education.

For children who are already marginalised, such as girls and children living in rural areas, a disability creates an additional barrier to accessing education.

Global statistics on children with disabilities

Between 93 million and 150 million children live with a disability worldwide. The World Health Organization and the World Bank estimate that in some countries "being disabled more than doubles the chance of never enrolling in school". An estimated one in three out-of-school children have a disability.

Throughout Africa, less than 10% of children with a disability are in primary education. In some countries only 13% receive any form of education.

In Bangladesh, 30% of people with disabilities have completed primary school, compared to 48% of those without disabilities. In Zambia it is 43% compared to 57% and in Paraguay 56% to 72%.

According to one estimate, 75% of children with disabilities in Afghanistan are out of school. Many of them have been injured by land mines.
In developing countries, people with disabilities tend to be poorer than other adults. Missing out on education not only affects the quality of life for individuals and their families, it also has a negative economic impact for countries. A study by the International Labour Organization found that countries lose between 3% and 7% of Gross Domestic Product by excluding people with disabilities from the job market.

Education can help people with disabilities get increased access to employment, health and other services, and develop a better awareness of their rights.

Barriers to learning for children with disabilities

Specific barriers to education for children with disabilities include:

School buildings may not be accessible to children with physical disabilities. In remote rural areas or slums with poor infrastructure, there may be no way for children with physical disabilities to get to school.

Inadequate teacher training and support

Teachers often lack the training and resources to teach children with disabilities and to adapt their methods to address their needs.

Inflexible curriculum and materials

Limited resources mean schools can struggle to adapt teaching materials like books and chalkboards for students with disabilities. For example, less than 5% of published books are available in formats appropriate for people with visual impairments.

Only 21 countries have living standard surveys that collect data on chronic illness and disability. There is no universally-accepted definition of disability for comparison between countries. Statistics and information about people with disabilities are often inaccurate due to a lack of resources. Sometimes disabilities are not reported because of cultural discrimination.

Many countries do not have plans, targets or policies that include children with disabilities. Education budgets in developing countries are often limited, leaving insufficient resources for children with disabilities. The lack of accurate data also works against effective laws and policies being introduced.

Cultural beliefs sometimes mean teachers, parents and other children have negative attitudes to people with disabilities leading to bullying, abuse and exclusion from school. Because of stigma and discrimination, students can suffer from low self-esteem which affects their academic work. Some children even hide their disabilities because of their fear of rejection and stigmatisation and so don't get the support they need.

Inclusive education in emergencies and disasters

When there is a crisis situation, getting children with disabilities into school can be bottom of the list of problems to be tackled.

However, it's widely accepted that education is even more crucial in these circumstances to provide structure and a chance for children to deal with trauma which can cause emotional and psychological issues.

Education in emergencies can save children's lives - providing them with a secure environment and information, and protecting them for abuse, exploitation, prostitution, child labour, recruitment into fighting, etc.

Global commitments to inclusive education

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals explicitly include those with disabilities in some targets to be reached by 2030, such as:

Equal access to education and vocational training

Building or upgrading education facilities to make them inclusive learning environments

Safe, accessible transport systems for all

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006) has now been ratified by 157 countries, which means they are committed to providing inclusive education to all children with disabilities.

Many countries are moving towards a model of inclusive education, which enables children with disabilities to be educated in local schools rather than be educated separately. This requires system-wide and structural changes to reduce and remove the barriers.

When people with disabilities get a quality education, they are enabled to take up key positions in their communities, challenging stigmas and changing negative attitudes about their abilities.

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: The UN Convention promotes, protects and ensures the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, and promotes respect for their inherent dignity.

Send All My Friends to School: Evaluation of the UK's Aid to Education for Children with Disabilities, published by the Global Campaign for Education in 2014.

Equal Right, Equal Opportunity: Report on Inclusive Education For Children With Disabilities, published by the Global Campaign for Education in 2013.

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Children with disabilities are more likely to miss out on school than other children. But there are global commitments to overcome the barriers and give inclusive education to all children.

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Assistive Technology in Action - Meet Elle

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Kids Meet a Guy in a Wheelchair for the First Time | Kids Meet | HiHo Kids

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It's against the law for a school or other education provider to treat disabled students unfavourably. This includes:

direct discrimination, for example refusing admission to a student or excluding them because of disability

indirect discrimination, for example only providing application forms in one format that may not be accessible

discrimination arising from a disability, for example a disabled pupil is prevented from going outside at break time because it takes too long to get there

harassment, for example a teacher shouts at a disabled student for not paying attention when the student's disability stops them from easily concentrating

victimisation, for example suspending a disabled student because they've complained about harassment

Reasonable adjustments

An education provider has a duty to make 'reasonable adjustments' to make sure disabled students are not discriminated against. These changes could include providing extra support and aids (like specialist teachers or equipment).

Schools are not subject to the reasonable adjustment duty to make alterations to physical features, like adding ramps. They must make the buildings accessible for their disabled pupils as part of their overall planning duties.

Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)

All publicly funded pre-schools, nurseries, state schools and local authorities must try to identify and help assess children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

If a child has an an education, health and care (EHC) plan or a statement of special educational needs, these must be reviewed annually. From year 9 the child will get a full review to understand what support they will need to prepare them for adulthood.

Higher education

All universities and higher education colleges should have a person in charge of disability issues that you can talk to about the support they offer.

You can also ask local social services for an assessment to help with your day-to-day living needs.

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Find out about protection for disabled people from discrimination at work, in education or dealing with the police

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The World Health Organisation and the World Bank estimate that one billion people experience some form of disability. Of those, it is estimated that 93 to 150 million are children. According to Plan International these children are 10 times less likely to go to school than other children and when they do attend school, it is likely to be in a segregated setting. The Global Partnership for Education estimates that 90% of children with disabilities in low and lower-middle income countries do not go to school. In 2016 the UN reported that less than half of the world's six million refugee children were in school whilst in a report on the education of Syrian refugee children, Human Rights Watch identified that refugee children with disabilities faced particular and ongoing barriers to school enrolment.

Historically, children with disabilities have been excluded from the general education system and placed in 'special schools'. In some cases, they are separated from their families and placed in long-term residential institutions where they are educated in isolation from the community, if they are educated at all. Both practices persist in many regions, for example, Eastern Europe has the highest number of institutionalised children in the world and a child with a disability is almost 17 times more likely to be institutionalised than other children ( UNICEF, 2012).

Children with disabilities have very low rates of initial enrolment. Even if they do attend school, children with disabilities are more likely to drop out and leave school early without transitioning to secondary school and beyond ( GCE, Equal right, equal opportunity report, 2014). Children with disabilities are also at increased risk of school violence and bullying, preventing the safe enjoyment of their right to education ( UNESCO, School violence and bullying: Global status report, 2016).

These facts and figures reflect the impact of the significant ongoing barriers to education faced by many people with disabilities, which include:

lack of accessibility, both in terms of physically inaccessible school buildings and unsuitable learning materials

discrimination and prejudice which prevents people with disabilities from accessing education on equal terms to others

exclusion or segregation from mainstream school settings (also referred to as 'regular schools')

inferior quality of education, including in mainstream settings where children with disabilities have been 'integrated' into the existing non-inclusive system

Human rights law seeks to directly tackle these issues by placing obligations on states to respect, protect, and fulfil the right to education of people with disabilities, through the implementation of 'inclusive education'.

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The World Health Organisation and the World Bank estimate that one billion people experience some form of disability. Of those, it is estimated that 93 to 150 million are children. According to Plan International these children are 10 times less likely to go to school than other children and when they do attend school, it is likely to be in a segregated setting.

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Inclusive Education and Children with Disabilities | UNICEF

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Education and Disability: Analysis of Data from 49 Countries | UNESCO UIS

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A new paper from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), Education and Disability, presents the first in-depth analysis of available data for 49 countries. It confirms that persons with disabilities are less likely to ever attend school, more likely to be out of school and that they tend to have fewer years of education than persons without disabilities. They are less

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Inequality between girls and boys: the education of girls in jeopardy

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Girls Education in the Developing World | Wanda Bedard | TEDxMontrealWomen

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Rebeca Gyumi, activist for the rights of women and girls (Tanzania)

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Investing in girls' education transforms communities, countries and the entire world. Girls who receive an education are less likely to marry young and more likely to lead healthy, productive lives. They earn higher incomes, participate in the decisions that most affect them, and build better futures for themselves and their families.

Girls' education strengthens economies and reduces inequality. It contributes to more stable, resilient societies that give all individuals - including boys and men - the opportunity to fulfil their potential.

But education for girls is about more than access to school. It's also about girls feeling safe in classrooms and supported in the subjects and careers they choose to pursue - including those in which they are often under-represented.

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Gender equality in education benefits every child.

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Today more girls than ever go to school. However, despite progress, women and girls continue to face multiple barriers based on gender and its intersections with other factors, such as age, ethnicity, poverty, and disability, in the equal enjoyment of the right to quality education. This includes barriers, at all levels, to access quality education and within education systems, institutions, and classrooms, such as, amongst others:

The international community has recognised the equal right to quality education of everyone and committed to achieving gender equality in all fields, including education, through their acceptance of international human rights law. This means that states have legal obligations to remove all discriminatory barriers, whether they exist in law or in everyday life, and to undertake positive measures to bring about equality, including in access of, within, and through education.

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Today more girls than ever go to school. However, despite progress, women and girls continue to face multiple barriers based on gender and its intersections with other factors, such as age, ethnicity, poverty, and disability, in the equal enjoyment of the right to quality education.

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Solutions to Keep Girls Learning in Emergencies

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Migrants, including refugees, and internally displaced persons (IDPs), are people away from their home region or country, who often face challenges in enjoying the right to education. Due to migration - forced or not - schooling for children and adolescents is often disrupted.

The reasons people migrate are multiple and varied from the search for better living and working contions due to poverty to personal security, conflict, environmental degradation or other human rights violations. Migration journeys can be long and dangerous during which children generally do not have access to any let alone adequate education. Yet, education is essential for all young people to not just provide some form of stability in their daily lives but to equip them with the skills and knowledge to develop themselves personally, facilitate the enjoyment of other rights and thereby to participate effectively in society.

According to international law, host and/or transit states have the obligation to provide access to quality education for migrant children regardless of their migratory status, based on the fundamental human rights principles of non-discrimination and equality.

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Migrants, refugees and internally displaced persons

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Migrants, including refugees, and internally displaced persons (IDPs), are people away from their home region or country, who often face challenges in enjoying the right to education. Due to migration - forced or not - schooling for children and adolescents is often disrupted.

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Why Illegal Immigrants Can Attend Public School | Plyler v. Doe

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Advocating with empathy for immigrant education | Lindsey Bird | TEDxModesto

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A diverse range of minorities and Indigenous Peoples exist across the world, and one thing they all have in common is that they often face discrimination, marginalisation and exclusion.

International human rights law, underpinned by the principle of equality, guarantees the right to education of everyone. And yet, minorities and Indigenous Peoples are likely to be denied their right to education. According to Minority Rights Group International (2009, p.13), the majority of children who are out of school worldwide are minority and indigenous children. Minority and indigenous children are also regularly deprived of access to quality education that is relevant and responsive to their specific context and needs.

To this end, international human rights law identifies a number of individual and collective dimensions of the right to education. This includes the recognition that minorities and Indigenous Peoples require special measures vis-à-vis the realisation of their right to education. However, in order for the protections guaranteed by international law to be engaged, minorities and Indigenous Peoples must be able to claim minority or indigenous status.

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A diverse range of minorities and Indigenous Peoples exist across the world, and one thing they all have in common is that they often face discrimination, marginalisation and exclusion. International human rights law, underpinned by the principle of equality, guarantees the right to education of everyone.

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Ending School Segregation | Brown v. Board of Education

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Photo Credit: bridgeinternationalacademies.com

For those of us that live in the United States and other developed nations, good quality education is something we take for granted. But such is not the case in most third world countries. In places like Kenya, access to schools is severely limited and even those that do exist are producing poor academic results. Now, thanks to an innovative 'out of the box' solution provided by Bridge International Academies, there may be hope.

Founded by US-based Jay Kimmelman, Shannon May, and Phil Frei in 2008, the schools take a different approach to education, starting from the buildings they are housed in. Instead of requiring solid brick structures, they sport tin walls that are supported by plywood frames, a couple of bathrooms and a small outdoor courtyard for the kids to play in. This allows each campus to be built for a mere $1,800 USD, which means that they can 'pop' up in every neighborhood. The classroom equipment is also kept to the bare minimum, comprising only of basic tools like chalkboard slates and clay.

Photo Credit: bridgeinternationalacademies.com

To ensure that all students get the best possible education, the Bridge philosophy is to approach teaching like Starbucks approaches coffee making - Complete standardization. Hence, instead of seeking out highly qualified educators, their faculty comprises largely of high-school graduates, who are trained to manage classrooms and teach the curriculum per the strict standards set by the company.

All kids are taught the same academics, right down to the last math problem. Custom-made class workbooks created around the local curriculum, reiterate what is being taught. The learning is further reinforced with low cost classroom tools like brightly colored bottle caps and re-purposed egg cartons for color recognition and basic math skills, as well as, educational toys like building blocks, paper dolls and puzzles, to help develop fine motor skills.

Photo Credit: bridgeinternationalacademies.com

The educators are also held to the highest level of accountability via a Tablet, which as you may have guessed is the one and only piece of hi-tech equipment in a Bridge Academies classroom. Not only is it used to monitor that the day's lesson plan is being taught at the right pace through real-time tracking of the scripted lessons, but also, to ensure that each session starts on time. If there is a delay of more than 15 minutes, the teacher is called upon by a Bridge 'technician' to investigate the cause and try to get the class back on track.

In addition, the Tablet also keeps a record of attendance, assessment scores and pupil comprehension on a weekly basis. Any drop in performance requires immediate investigation and may even result in the teacher's pay being docked. On the flip side, a higher than expected score may make him/her eligible for a bonus. By tracking every element of the classroom's progress, Bridge ensures that their pupils are receiving the best education possible.

Photo Credit: bridgeinternationalacademies.com

And while the approach may sound a little too rigid to some, it is working. Bridge-enrolled students tend to outperform their local counterparts by up to 205% in reading comprehension and 37% in fundamental math skills. Not only that, thanks to the low cost of attending ($5 USD a month), better accessibility and the stellar results, more parents are sending their kids to schools. According to the founders, over 50,000 kids in Kenya are currently attending a Bridge International Academy. This is pretty impressive given that the first school opened its doors in the Mukuru slum in Nairobi, Kenya, just about 5 years ago, in January, 2009. Besides providing the kids with quality education, the company is also creating meaningful jobs for the country's youth.

The success of the Kenyan schools has spurred the group into planning ' pop up' academies all the way from Uganda to Nigeria and even India. By 2025, they hope to reach over 10 million students. What is not clear is if the company that currently provides only elementary school education is planning to use its unique approach for middle and high school as well - We sure hope so!

Resources: Wired.com,bridgeinternationalacademies.com

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'Pop-Up' Schools Provide A Glimmer Of Hope For Third World Countries

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For those of us that live in the United States and other developed nations, good quality education is something we take for granted. But such is not the case in most third world countries. In places like Kenya, access to schools is severely limited and even those that do exist are producing poor academic results.

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On World Humanitarian Day, we turn our focus to the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia, where children have endured devastating consequences of conflict and the upheaval caused by COVID-19. A new independent...

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On World Humanitarian Day, we turn our focus to the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia, where children have endured devastating consequences of conflict and the upheaval caused by COVID-19. A new independent...