International Day of Education

Rights in early childhoodEveryone is entitled to rights, including children. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights described childhood as a period ‘entitled to special protection and assistance’ (article 25) and there is an increasing recognition that early childhood is an absolutely critical development period.  Small children undergo the most rapid stage of development, in terms of their maturing bodies and nervous systems, improving mobility and motor skills and increasing levels of communication, intellectual capacities and socio-emotional growth. There is a need to advocate for certain rights for this age group to ensure that this growth happens in an optimal environment to give them the best possible start to life. Early childhood care and education ( ECCE ) is known to play an imperative role in levelling the playing field somewhat, so disadvantaged children have a stronger start in life and enter primary education ready to learn. The right to education applies from ...

 The right to education framework currently distinguishes between primary education, which must be free, compulsory and universal, and secondary education , which is to be generally available, accessible to all and progressively free. However, a leap forward was made with the drafting of SDG Target 4.1 which called on States to ‘ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes ’. The SDG target has effectively created a 15-year time limit to achieve a target of at least 12 years of free, publicly funded, inclusive and equitable quality primary and secondary education , of which at least nine years are compulsory. There has been a movement in soft law towards a right to free secondary education, evidenced by communications of the CRC Committee to Member States, the UN SpecialRapporteur on the Right to Education and the CRPD Committee (Sheppard, 2022). In an increasing number of co...

  We, the youth of the world,  recognize that our contemporary world is teeming with multiple and tumultuous crises. With these crises unfolding globally, if we are to survive and thrive in planetary peace and righteous equality, then education is our primary source of hope and resolution. In order to redeem and remake the state of the world, we must first transform the state of education. For too long, we have been excluded or only tokenistically included in the policy and decisionmaking processes affecting our lives, livelihoods, and futures. In transforming education, we demand that our voices be heard, our lived experiences valued, our demands addressed, and our efforts, leadership, and agency acknowledged. We intend to achieve these goals not as passive beneficiaries but as partners and collaborators every step of the way. We are not waiting for an invitation to transform education. In fact, we are at the forefront of driving change; pioneering innovations, mobilizin...

 The Youth Declaration on Transforming Education is a tangible result of youth’s willingness and capacity to contribute to strategic dialogues in education . Their initiatives at grassroots level, where young people play an instrumental role in supporting their peers with the provision of education – especially in crisis situations – are instrumental to take informed decisions : they need to be better brought to light, mainstreamed and considered. Read the full declaration .

Tertiary education in the 21st century.  The nature of tertiary education is changing. It has broadened in form, now encompassing not just university education but also a wide TVET offering, as well as flexible learning pathways that include part-time, online and distance learning opportunities, the development of micro-credentials, etc. Moreover, tertiary education has seen a huge upsurge in participation across the globe. Over the past few decades, gross enrolment has doubled worldwide, from 19% in 2000 to 40% in 2020 (UIS data, n.d.), while acknowledging sharp disparities across regions and income levels8 . There has been a particular rise in rates in middle- and low-income countries and among women. Some contributing factors might be increased demand from the middle classes, improved progression rates through primary and secondary, greater wealth and more options for non-traditional students including parttime students and working adults (UNESCO-GEM Report & IIEP, 2017). T...