Highlighting the intrinsic connection between education, literacy and the realization of the right to education.

- International normative framework -

The right to education is often considered a "gateway right," as it enables the realization of other human rights. It empowers learners to access information, participate in civic life, and secure decent employment. However, this gateway right remains shut without literacy. Youth and adult literacy has long been an important concern for policy-makers and international instruments such as the CRC, the CEDAW, and regional charters in Africa, the Americas and Arab States pay special attention to eradicating illiteracy. The CADE and the ICESCR lay down the obligation of States regarding continuing and fundamental education, of which literacy is part. The major normative base of youth and adult literacy is the UNESCO Recommendation on Adult Learning and Education (RALE, 2015) which provides normative guidance in five areas of action: policy; governance; financing; participation, inclusion and equity; and quality. SDG 4, under Target 4.6 calls on States to ‘ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy’. The Framework for Action affirms that literacy is part of the right to education and cites the benefits of literacy, in particular for women, including greater participation in the labour market, delayed marriage, and improved child and family health and nutrition; in turn, helping to reduce poverty and expand life opportunities. UNESCO's 2006 Education for All Global Monitoring Report stressed the vital link between literacy and education emphasizing that literacy is both a human right and an essential means for individuals to pursue their aspirations, acquire knowledge, and actively engage in local life. The ILO complements this perspective by recognizing literacy as a fundamental skill for economic participation and decent employment. ILO's Recommendation No. 195 on Human Resources Development (2004) further underscores the importance of basic education, including literacy, in securing productive employment, highlighting the intrinsic connection between education, literacy and the realization of the right to education. As mentioned above, literacy is the doorway to further education, yet there are still around 773 million illiterate adults and the majority of these are women, girls, rural populations, low-income background families, people with disabilities, refugees, migrants, nomads and other vulnerable groups (UIS data, n.d.). The international legal framework should do more to overcome this distinct challenge to the right to education, in particular by ensuring universally accessible and free access to foundational skills.