CHILDRENS RIGHT

to
EDUCATION

TABLE OF CONTENTS

What is Education

Right to Education

Literacy

Primary sense of literacy

Four Main Levels of Education

Preschool

Primary or Elementary Education

4.

Secondary Education

5.

Tertiary Level

Vocational Education

Purpose of Pursuing Education

Emphasis on Human Rights Education

Reasons for educating oneself

11

Reasons of Out of School Youth

15

Best Interest of a Child

16

Elimination of Child Labor

18

Free Education

19

Plan of Action

20

Strategies for Promoting Right of Education

Education in its general sense is a form of learning in which the knowledge, skills,
and habits of a group of people are transferred from one generation to the next through teaching,
training, or research. Education frequently takes place under the guidance of others, but may also
be autodidactic. Any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts
may be considered educational. Education is commonly divided into stages such
as preschool, primary school, secondary school and then college, university or apprenticeship.
Education began in the earliest prehistory, as adults trained the young in the knowledge and skills
deemed necessary in their society. In pre-literate societies this was achieved orally and through
imitation. Story-telling passed knowledge, values, and skills from one generation to the next. As
cultures began to extend their knowledge beyond skills that could be readily learned through
imitation, formal education developed. Schools existed in Egypt at the time of the Middle
Kingdom. Formal education occurs in a structured environment whose explicit purpose is
teaching students. Usually formal education takes place in a school environment, with
classrooms of multiple students learning together with a trained teacher. Most school systems are
designed around a set of values or ideals that govern all educational choices in that system. Such
choices include curriculum, physical classroom design, student-teacher interactions, and methods
of assessment, class size, educational activities, and more.

The right to education is a universal entitlement to education, recognized in

the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights as a human right that
includes the right to free, compulsory primary education for all, an obligation to
develop secondary education accessible to all, in particular by the progressive introduction of
free secondary education, as well as an obligation to develop equitable access to higher
education, ideally by the progressive introduction of free higher education. The right to education
also includes a responsibility to provide basic education for individuals who have not completed
primary education. In addition to these access to education provisions, the right to education
encompasses the obligation to rule out discrimination at all levels of the educational system, to
set minimum standards and to improve quality of education.
3

Literacy is

the

ability

to read and write.

The

inability

to

do

so

is

called illiteracy or analphabetism. Visual literacy also includes the ability to understand visual
forms of communication such as body language, pictures, maps, and video.[2]Evolving definitions
of literacy often include all the symbol systems relevant to a particular community. Literacy
encompasses a complex set of abilities to understand and use the dominant symbol systems of a
culture for personal and community development. In a technological society, the concept of
literacy is expanding to include the media and electronic text, in addition to alphabetic and
number systems. These abilities vary in different social and cultural contexts according to need,
demand and education.

The primary sense of literacy still represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining
meaning from a critical interpretation of the written or printed text. The key to all literacy
is reading development, a progression of skills that begins with the ability to understand spoken
words and decode written words, and culminates in the deep understanding of text. Reading
development involves a range of complex language underpinnings including awareness of
speech sounds (phonology), spelling patterns (orthography), word meaning (semantics),
grammar (syntax) and patterns of word formation (morphology), all of which provide a
necessary platform for reading fluency and comprehension. Once these skills are acquired, the
reader can attain full language literacy, which includes the abilities to approach printed material
with critical analysis, inference and synthesis; to write with accuracy and coherence; and to use
information and insights from text as the basis for informed decisions and creative thought.[3]
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) defines
literacy as the "ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate and compute, using
printed and written materials associated with varying contexts. Literacy involves a continuum of
learning in enabling individuals to achieve their goals, to develop their knowledge and potential,
and to participate fully in their community and wider society"

There are Four main Levels of Education

PRESCHOOL
Preschools provide education up to the age of between 4 and 8 when children
enter primary education. Also known as nursery schools and as kindergarten, except in the USA,
where kindergarten is a term used for primary education. Preschool education is important
because it can give a child the edge in a competitive world and education climate. While children
who do not receive the fundamentals during their preschool years will be taught the alphabet,
counting, shapes and colors and designs when they begin their formal education they will be
behind the children who already possess that knowledge. The true purpose behind kindergarten is
"to provide a child-centered, preschool curriculum for three to seven year old children that aimed
at unfolding the child's physical, intellectual, and moral nature with balanced emphasis on each
of them. This period of education is very important in the formative years of the child. Teachers
with special skills and training are needed at this time to nurture the children to develop their
potentials.

PRIMARY or ELEMENTARY EDUCATION

Primary or elementary education consists of the first years of formal structured education.
In general, primary education consists of six or eight years of schooling starting at the age of five
or six, although this varies between, and sometimes within, countries. Globally, around 89% of
primary-age children are enrolled in primary education, and this proportion is rising. Under
the Education For All programs driven by UNESCO, most countries have committed to
achieving universal enrollment in primary education by 2015, and in many countries, it is
compulsory for children to receive primary education. The division between primary
and secondary education is somewhat arbitrary, but it generally occurs at about eleven or twelve
5

years of age. Some education systems have separate middle schools, with the transition to the
final stage of secondary education taking place at around the age of fourteen. Schools that
provide primary education, are mostly referred to as primary schools. Primary schools in these
countries are often subdivided into infant schools and junior school.
In India, compulsory education spans over twelve years, out of which children receive
elementary education for 8 years. Elementary schooling consists of five years of primary
schooling and 3 years of upper primary schooling. Various states in the republic of India provide
12 years of compulsory school education based on a national curriculum framework designed by
the National Council of Educational Research and Training.

SECONDARY EDUCATION
In most contemporary educational systems of the world, secondary education comprises
the formal education that occurs during adolescence. It is characterized by transition from the
typically

compulsory,

comprehensive primary

education for minors,

to

the

optional,

selective tertiary, "post-secondary", or "higher" education for adults. Depending on the system,
schools

for

this

period,

or

part

of

it,

may

be

called

secondary

or high

schools, gymnasiums, lyceums, middle schools, colleges, or vocational schools. The exact
meaning of any of these terms varies from one system to another. The exact boundary between
primary and secondary education also varies from country to country and even within them, but
is generally around the seventh to the tenth year of schooling. Secondary education occurs
mainly during the teenage years. In the United States, Canada and Australia primary and
secondary education together are sometimes referred to as K-12 education, and in New Zealand
Year 113 is used. The purpose of secondary education can be to give common knowledge, to
prepare for higher education or to train directly in a profession. The emergence of secondary
education in the United States did not happen until 1910, caused by the rise in big businesses and
technological advances in factories that required skilled workers. In order to meet this new job
demand, high schools were created, with a curriculum focused on practical job skills that would
6

better prepare students for white collar or skilled blue collar work. This proved to be beneficial
for both employers and employees, for the improvement in human capital caused employees to
become more efficient, which lowered costs for the employer, and skilled employees received a
higher wage than employees with just primary educational attainment. In Europe, grammar
schools or academies date from as early as the 16th century, in the form of public schools, feepaying schools, or charitable educational foundations, which themselves have an even longer
history

TERTIARY LEVEL
Community colleges offer nonresidential junior college offering courses to people living
in a particular area. Higher education, also called tertiary, third stage, or post secondary
education, is the non-compulsory educational level that follows the completion of a school
providing a secondary education, such as a high school or secondary school. Tertiary education is
normally taken to include undergraduate and postgraduate education, as well as vocational
education and training. Colleges and universities are the main institutions that provide tertiary
education. Collectively, these are sometimes known as tertiary institutions. Tertiary education
generally results in the receipt of certificates, diplomas, or academic degrees. Higher education
generally involves work towards a degree-level or foundation degree qualification. In most
developed countries a high proportion of the population up to 50% now enter higher education at
some time in their lives. Higher education is therefore very important to national economies,
both as a significant industry in its own right, and as a source of trained and educated personnel
for the rest of the economy

University education includes teaching, research, and social services activities, and it
includes both the undergraduate level sometimes referred to as tertiary education and the
graduate or postgraduate level sometimes referred to as graduate school. Universities are
7

generally composed of several colleges. In the United States, universities can be private and
independent like Yale University; public and state-governed like the Pennsylvania State System
of Higher Education; or independent but state-funded like the University. A number of career
specific courses are now available to students through the Internet.
VOCATIONAL EDUCATION
Vocational education is a form of education focused on direct and practical training for a
specific

trade

or

craft.

Vocational

education

may

come

in

the

form

of

an apprenticeship or internship as well as institutions teaching courses such as carpentry,

agriculture, engineering medicine, architecture and arts.

In the past, those who were disabled were often not eligible for public education.
Children with disabilities were often educated by physicians or special tutors. These early
physicians people like Itard, Seguin, Howe, Gallaudet set the foundation for special education
today. They focused on individualized instruction and functional skills. Special education was
only provided to people with severe disabilities in its early years, but more recently it has been
opened to anyone who has experienced difficulty learning. While considered "alternative" today,
most alternative systems have existed since ancient times. After the public school system was
widely developed beginning in the 19th century, some parents found reasons to be discontented
with the new system. Alternative education developed in part as a reaction to perceived
limitations and failings of traditional education. A broad range of educational approaches
emerged, including alternative schools, self-learning, and home school.

Individual purposes for pursuing education can vary. The understanding of the goals and
means of educational socialization processes may also differ according to the sociological
paradigm used. In the early years of schooling, the focus is generally around developing
basic interpersonal communication and literacy skills in order to further ability to learn more

complex skills and subjects. After acquiring these basic abilities, education is commonly focused
towards individuals gaining necessary knowledge and skills to improve ability to create value
and a livelihood for themselves. Satisfying personal curiosities education for the sake of itself
and desire for personal development, to better oneself without career based reasons for doing so
are also common reasons why people pursue education and use schools.

Education is often understood to be a means of overcoming handicaps, achieving greater

equality and acquiring wealth and status for all. Learners can also be motivated by their interest
in the subject area or specific skill they are trying to learn. Learner-responsibility education
models are driven by the interest of the learner in the topic to be studied. Education is often
perceived as a place where children can develop according to their unique needs and
potentialities with the purpose of developing every individual to their full potential.

Human Rights Education became an official central concern internationally after the
World Conference on Human Rights in 1993. This conference brought the issue of educating
formally to the top of many countries priority lists and was brought to the attention of the United
Nations. It was two years later that the United Nations approved the Decade for Human Rights
Education, which reformed the aims of application once again. Since the development of the UN
Decade, the incorporation of human rights education into formal school curricula has been
developed

and

diversified

with

the

assistance

of

nongovernmental

organizations,

intergovernmental organizations, and individuals dedicated to spreading the topic through formal
education.
The emphasis on Human Rights Education began in 1995 with the beginning of the UN
Decade for Human Rights Education, though previously addressed in 1953 with the UNESCO
Associated Schools Program, which served as an initial attempt to teach human rights in formal
school settings. The first formal request for the need to educate students about human rights
9

came about in UNESCOs 1974 article Recommendation concerning Education for International
Understanding, Cooperation and Peace, and Education Relating to Human Rights and
Fundamental Freedoms. The participants of the International Congress on the Teaching of
Humans Rights eventually met in 1978 to form a specific definition of what would be required
application of the education in formal curricula. The aims at which the Congress agreed upon
including the encouragement of tolerant attitudes with focus on respect, providing knowledge of
human rights in the context of national and international dimensions as well as their
implementations, and finally developing awareness of human rights translating into reality
whether social or political on national and international levels.

Today, the most influential document used to determine what qualifies as human rights
and how to implement these ideas and rights into everyday life is the Universal Declaration. This
declaration was adopted by the General Assembly in 1948, making December 10 annual Human
Rights Day ever since. To this day the 30 article compilation is seen as a common standard of
achievement for all peoples and all nations. According to international human rights law, primary
education shall be compulsory and free of charge. Secondary and higher education shall be made
progressively free of charge.

Free primary education is fundamental in guaranteeing everyone has access to education.

However, in many developing countries, families often cannot afford to send their children to
school, leaving millions of children of school-age deprived of education. Despite international
obligations, some States keep on imposing fees to access primary education. In addition,
there are often indirect costs associated with education, such as for schoolbooks, uniform or
travel, that prevents children from low-income families accessing school.

10

Financial difficulties States may face cannot relieve them of their obligation to guarantee
free primary education. If a State is unable to secure compulsory primary education, free of
charge, when it ratifies the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
(ICESCR), it still has the immediate obligation, within two years, to work out and adopt a
detailed plan of action for its progressive implementation, within a reasonable numbers of years,
to be fixed in the plan Progressive introduction of free education means that while States must
priorities the provision of free primary education, they also have an obligation to take concrete
steps towards achieving free secondary and higher education.
Education helps us with many things, but most importantly, it empowers an individual to
think, question, and see beyond the obvious. Human beings are born with a natural tendency to
question. Education is the best way to satiate our curiosity, without extinguishing the burning
desire to learn and explore more. Here are a few 'obvious' reasons for educating oneself.
Education broadens our horizon and gives us a better understanding of the world around us
and how things work.
The world needs education, since it is the basis of a civilized, structured society.
Education helps people to think rationally and avoid illusions in life.
Education reduces social and economic disparity, allowing progress to be shared equally.
It gives scope for technical advancements in fields of science and technology.
Studies indicate that educated people have longer life expectancies. They tend to lead a
healthier lifestyle by exercising more and playing more sports. Most of them understand the
implications of diet and lifestyle on their health, enabling them to make healthy choices.
On an average, educated people have more meaningful and interesting jobs than those held by
uneducated people. They are usually in a position to make decisions at work. This results in
higher job satisfaction which leads to a better quality of life.

11

 Educated people are found to have higher self-esteem. Their lives are mostly well-planned,
and have a definite direction. They have better problem-solving skills and are consequently
better equipped to handle everyday decisions.
Children of educated parents have access to better education facilities. These children have a
higher cognitive development as compared to children of uneducated parents.
Educated people are better positioned to contribute positively to society, and even towards the
environment, as they understand the implications of their choices and actions.
In developing countries, education is viewed as means to alleviate poverty and engineer social
change. It isn't a magic pill for solving all the problems. But it can surely be a ladder to climb out
of poverty, exclusion, ignorance, oppression, and war.

One may turn back the pages of history and reexamine primitive societies and their
barbaric lives. It is the best way to realize the need of education. Many ineffective, modern
educational systems have proved successful in opening people's eyes, but they have closed
people's minds. It is very important to analyze needs and improvise the support system to ensure
a better future for forthcoming generations. Its purpose should be to empower mind and soul, to
achieve its full potential. Whether our systems achieve or hinder that purpose is another
discussion.

Education does not exist in a vacuum. Ensuring that every child has access to quality and
respectful learning environments throughout his or her childhood necessitates action far beyond
departments of education. The right to education can only be realized in a political and economic
environment that acknowledges the importance of transparent, participatory and accountable
processes, as well as broad-based collaboration both across government and in the wider society.
It needs a long-term strategic commitment to the provision of adequate resources, development
of cross-departmental structure, engagement with the energies and capacities of parents and local
communities, and partnership with non-governmental organizations.
12

Both the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights require that States undertake all appropriate legislative,
administrative and other measures to the maximum extent of their available resources for the
implementation of education rights. There will always be fi scal constraints, but it is possible to
maneuver to better allocate resources. Countries with very similar gross domestic products can
and do apportion very different levels of investment in education. The committees that monitor
these treaties have both argued that even where the available resources are demonstrably
inadequate, the obligation remains for a State party to strive to ensure the widest possible
enjoyment of relevant rights under prevailing circumstances.Governments need to develop
strategic plans for the progressive realization of educational rights that include a time frame for
the introduction of measures to extend access to both primary and secondary education, raise the
quality of education and introduce the necessary legislative and policy measures to ensure the
protection of childrens rights in schools. If States fail to meet minimum core obligations, such as
universal access to free, compulsory primary education, they are required to demonstrate that
every effort has been made to use all resources available to satisfy as a matter of priority those
minimum obligations.

But the issue arises, there are specific reasons that there are children that are out of school
youth, there right to education cant be exercise;
1. INCAPABLE GOVERNMENT,
The Government does not have the ability to give a good and standard education.
Where funds for new projects that would provide the learners a good habitat for learning
is being deprive from them because of the rampant corruption of its officers. We all know
that the Government are trying their best to give the needs of the students like books,
classrooms and a teacher that would facilitate the learners, but this is not good enough for
the people need a Government that is not deaf enough to hear the cries of children being
squeeze into tiny classrooms and having a booming population of more than 70 plus
13

students. We need a Government who is not blind to see teachers leaving the country
looking for greener pastures and teachers who are teaching in different levels at the same
time but with less books. This is the sacrifices and long suffering of Filipino people. The
Government has already demolished already our right for a better education therefore the
Government needs a quick change of its wrong system of governing its nation.

2. POVERTY
Even the education is free, many cannot afford still to go to school because of the
lack of essential needs like bag, notebooks, paper, writing materials etch.. We cannot
really deny the fact that the a country where poverty is rampant and the hardships of life
is in one package deal already. To very poor people they cannot even afford to eat three
times a day that's why it is more important for them is food rather than investing for the
education for their children.
3. UNSUPPORTABLE PARENTS
What are the qualifications of unsupportable parents; one is they are the antimotivator they don't motivate their children to go to school instead they are manipulating
their children not to go to school. This Parents don't give any moral support like, why
do you go to school instead of helping us here in the house or in the field and lastly even
though how eager the child would want to go to school, his/her parents will not give any
financial support and the child cannot do anything about it.

4. BAD PEER PRESSURE

Some common reasons why children, and teens drop out are there bad peers.
What are these bad pressure they are influencing to them?. Here are some examples;
premarital sex, under-age drinking liquor, drugs of any kind (marijuana, cocaine, shabu
etc.) self-mutilation even hygiene practices that are potentially unhealthy or harmful, like
eating habits that lead to disorders, vandalism, theft. Bullying and pornography.
14

5. BAD VICES
Vice is a practice or a habit considered immoral, depraved, and/or degrading in
the associated society. Vices are like bad habits or addictions that is always considered as
too much for a person. This is an issue that most high school drop-outs even in
elementary are addicted on this vices like drinking liquors, smoking, drug addiction, bad
peer pressure even addiction in computer games can cause a drop outs in certain schools
where it will lead to out of school youths who are a becoming an additional burden to our
society.

6. DISTANT PARENTS
These are a good example for Over Seas Filipino Workers (OFW), OFW parents
do distant parenting strategies. Amid the tide of a nationwide rise of drop-outs and the
slump of kids school participation and troop survival, And rides against the commonlyheld belief that distant parenting strategy doesnt work. With this drop-outs more and
more young get out of school and the distant parents do not have any idea that there
children are already in the wrong pat.

7. CHILD LABOR
Child Labor refers to the illegal employment of children below 18 years old in
hazardous occupations. Under-age children are being forced to manual Labor to help their
families mainly due to poverty. About millions of children all around the world are
compelled to do Labor, such as in crop plantations, mining caves, rock quarries and
factories. Child Labor has many ill effects in children who are supposed to be in the
environment of a classroom rather than roaming the streets and risking every chance,
time and time again, to earn enough money. Although most do get the privilege of
education, most end up being drop-outs and repeaters because they are not able to focus
15

on their studies. Because of child Labor, children suffer from malnutrition, hampered
growth and improper biological development.

8. BAD ENVIRONMENT
The environment of the learner has also an impact because students are
discourage to go to schools because of terrorism like in some parts of world where class
days are being stop for the fight between the soldiers and rebels adding to that is the
kidnapping of teachers.

9. TEACHER FACTOR
Some teachers in rural areas have an unruly attitude, who does not care if there
students are coming to school or not whether they are teaching the right thing or not who
always mocks punish children without any reason. This teachers are already considered
incapable or ineffective teachers that only cares of their salary and not to his/her students.

10. LAZINESS
Laziness is the noun for lazy which mean the lack of desire to do something.
Laziness can be arouse because of all the factor which was mentioned above where
students are becoming lazy because of the lack of motivation that keeps them going.
As a rights-based approach to education places the primary responsibility for ensuring
good quality education on the state, consideration needs to be given to whether it has the
capacity in terms of managerial, human and financial resources to analyse, organize and
provide all the inputs necessary to make meaningful education a reality for those who are left out
of the system. Many government programs worldwide have tried to reach out to marginalized
groups of children but have lacked the capacity to work simultaneously on several fronts access,
quality and respect. Thus, the role of capacity-building and development becomes crucial. While
some States for example, those in transition or just emerging out of conflict, require capacity
16

building such as teacher training or curriculum development, others may require capacity
development in terms of working with the state bureaucracy to train their officials to reform legal
and regulatory frameworks, as well as the systems for implementing them.

Legislation must ensure the entitlement of all children to compulsory primary education.
In some countries, this is provided in the constitution, and consideration may be given to
amending constitutions to introduce a universal right to education where it is not provided for. In
India, for instance, the Constitution was amended via the 93rd Constitutional Amendment to
provide universal, free and compulsory primary education to all children between the ages of 6
and 14. Even in 2004, however, at least 25 countries still had no specifi ed age for compulsory
education. Wherever possible, consideration should also be given to including entitlement to
secondary education as a longer-term goal. Consideration should also be given to introducing an
entitlement to care and education during the early years with family involvement. Minimum
levels of qualification need to be established for teachers at all levels of the education system,
and the same standards applied to schools in both urban and rural areas. Full-time education
should be defined in terms of a specific number of hours per week and weeks per year and laid
down in statute in order to establish the exact entitlement of children. There has to be a
commitment to defining the maximum desired number of pupils per teacher in a class, and to
introducing a time frame for working towards achieving that ratio in all classes. It can also be
helpful to introduce requirements to involve local community members on school governing
bodies to strengthen community support and ownership, and promote accountability and
transparency. In particular, girls attendance can be encouraged by increasing the involvement of
women. For example, there could be a statutory obligation to ensure that women make up a
given proportion of the school governing body.

The principle that the best interests of the child shall be the primary consideration in all
actions concerning him or her needs to be introduced into all relevant legislation, including in
educational laws. Anti-discrimination legislation that introduces a prohibition on policies,
17

practices and actions that directly or indirectly discriminate will not be sufficient to end all forms
of exclusion and segregation. For example, separate schooling systems for children with
disabilities are often sustained without breaching non-discrimination laws. It is, therefore,
possible to go further and introduce a positive obligation to promote inclusive educational
environments. Legislation can establish a commitment to inclusion, introduce requirements on
education authorities to take all necessary measures to ensure that no groups of children are
excluded and that the barriers that may impede their access are removed, create incentives to
promote socially inclusive school environments, and design and implement affirmative action or
positive discrimination programs.

Ultimately, the elimination of child labor is a prerequisite for the realization of childrens
education rights. Evidence indicates that child workers, even when they attend school, tend to
achieve lower learning outcomes than children who are not working. A range of legislative
reforms can be introduced to begin the process of ending child labor. Many countries currently
fail to synchronize their legislation to ensure there is consistency between the minimum age for
full-time work and the school-leaving age in line with International Labor Organization (ILO)
Convention. It is important to ensure that these align. Without such legislation, children can
legitimately be employed at an age when they should be in full-time education. The introduction
of a minimum wage, applicable equally to children, will serve to discourage employers from
using children as a cheap source of labor. Legislation must be introduced to prohibit the use of
children in hazardous, harmful and exploitative forms of work and bring countries in line with
the standards of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and relevant ILO conventions. In the
context of the broader conducive political and economic environment, States need to develop
specific education policies aimed at realizing the right to education for every child.
Measures need to be introduced that address the provision of education throughout
childhood, ensure the quality of that education and provide learning environments that are
respectful of the human rights of children. First and foremost, States must invest in the
infrastructure to create learning environments and opportunities for the education of every child.
18

Provision of schools, teachers, books and equipment is a fundamental prerequisite of education.

But if the right of every child is to be realized, that provision needs to be sufficiently flexible and
inclusive to address the learning needs of all children. It also needs to be sensitive to and
respectful of the different circumstances of children, particularly the most marginalized. This will
necessitate action to remove the multiple barriers that impede childrens access to education. The
right to an education that brings about their optimum development requires investment in
children throughout their childhood. In terms of national policy and planning, a life-cycle
approach based on the human rights of children necessitates action beyond the basic provision of
universal access to primary education to include pre- and post-primary provision. Accurate
information on the preschool and school-aged population in each district or locality is needed to
ensure that the availability of places, trained teachers and educational resources is consistent with
the size of that population. The process of mapping can be undertaken in partnership with local
non-governmental

organizations,

community

members,

traditional

leaders,

religious

organizations and parent groups. Efforts need to be made to include the less visible children,
such as children with disabilities, children of migrant and domestic workers and children with
specific health impairments. In communities where families deny the existence of a child with a
disability because of associated stigma or shame, the involvement of organizations of persons
with disabilities or parents of children with disabilities in the process of data collection has been
effective. Child-to-child approaches to mapping have also helped raise awareness. As noted
earlier, birth registration is an important factor in building accurate records of child populations,
and schools can play a key role by providing a site for this. Sufficient school facilities must be
provided for all eligible children. From the outset, account needs to be taken of the specific
access needs of all children, including those with disabilities. The physical design and resources
available in school can serve as barriers to inclusion, and it is far harder to redress inaccessible
design after schools have been built. Governments need to consult with the community in the
design and construction of schools. The needs of children with different physical abilities, as
well as the needs of both girls and boys, should be reflected in the design of all equipment and
resources, as well as play and sports facilities in schools and surrounding community spaces.
Schools must ensure that hygiene and sanitation facilities are appropriate for both boys and girls
19

 clean water, proper toilet facilities and privacy, particularly for girls and take account of any
religious requirements. In addition, some children will require aids such as wheelchairs if they
are to be able to attend school.

Compulsory education cannot be implemented unless it is provided to all free of charge.

The continuing imposition of fees has been challenged from both a human rights and a povertyreduction perspective. Fees are common in primary education in many developing countries
faced with resource constraints and represent perhaps 20% of all education spending, and as
much as 30% in Africa. Direct tuition fees and textbook charges are less common than
community contributions, parent-teacher associations dues and compulsory uniforms. Both
direct and indirect costs may prevent poorer children from exercising their right to education. In
fact, experience from various countries shows that the abolition of fees has been successful in
creating significant increases in enrolment and in improving equitable access to education.
However, the abolition of school fees and other charges is not a panacea. The consequent
increased enrolment can lead to a reduction in quality due to overcrowding and lack of textbooks
and adequately trained teachers, leading in a few years to falling enrolment and higher drop-out
rates. For some marginalized or vulnerable communities abolition of fees alone is insufficient to
overcome the barriers to education.

Furthermore, abolition necessarily results in rising expenditures for governments that

need to be budgeted for in terms of fee replacement and quality inputs. Finally, more rapid and
efficient management and logistical measures are needed to address the surge in enrolment in a
timely and sustained fashion. rights and a poverty-reduction perspective. Fees are common in
primary education in many developing countries faced with resources. Direct tuition fees and
textbook charges are less common than community contributions, parent-teacher associations
dues and compulsory uniforms. Both direct and indirect costs may prevent poorer children from
exercising their right to education. In fact, experience from various countries shows that the
abolition of fees has been successful in creating significant increases in enrolment and in
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improving equitable access to education. However, the abolition of school fees and other charges
is not a panacea. The consequent increased enrolment can lead to a reduction in quality due to
overcrowding and lack of textbooks and adequately trained teachers, leading in a few years to
falling enrolment and higher drop-out rates. For some marginalized or vulnerable communities,
abolition of fees alone is insufficient to overcome the barriers to education.

The World Programed for Human Rights Education Plan of Action has identified five
essential components for achieving successful human rights education. Investment needs to be
made in educational policies, policy implementation, the learning environment, teaching and
learning, and professional development of teachers. Promoting respect for human rights is not a
matter simply, or even primarily, of the school curriculum. It cannot be taught in an environment
where those rights are consistently violated. The principles must also permeate the ethos of the
school, and the behavior of teachers must be consistent with the rights they are teaching about. It
is important to build a culture in which human rights are respected for all members of the school
community. Human rights need to be incorporated into all school policies through negotiation
and involvement of all members of the school community, in order that children and teachers are
aware of what their rights, and consequent responsibilities, are and how to exercise them. Many
forms of discrimination exist in every society. Children will bring into the school attitudes,
beliefs and behaviors they have learned from their families and communities, some of which
may include negative attitudes towards some groups of children for example, assumptions as to
the superiority of boys, contempt for lower class or poor children, hatred of different religions,
ethnic groups or cultures, or belief in the stupidity of children with disabilities. Not only do these
attitudes and the behaviors that accompany them violate the rights of many children, they also
impede their education. Children who are systematically discouraged, marginalized and reviled
lose confidence and self-esteem, which in turn impacts on their motivation and ability to learn.
Schools need to take a proactive role in promoting a culture of inclusion and respect for all
children, through both the formal curriculum and the way the school is run.

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Strategies for promoting rights-based education

Development partners can utilize a range of strategies in their programming for rights-based
education, including:
Providing technical expertise and building capacity to help States meet their international
human rights commitments.
Facilitating stakeholders capacity to claim their rights this will involve training and support
on human rights to enhance their capacity to advocate for and claim their rights, and the creation
of opportunities for them to do so.

Holding States to account partners with a commitment to the human rights of children have
obligations to hold States to account on the commitments they have made in ratifying
international human rights treaties.
Building systemic change in the long run, the most disadvantaged are clearly best served by a
non-discriminating and fully inclusive education system. Overall, therefore, investment needs to
be made in programs that have the potential to achieve large-scale systemic change. Until such
reforms have been introduced, it remains essential to provide support to the most vulnerable
groups, including through compensatory and positive discrimination programs. Targeted
interventions will only cease to be necessary when national standards are set, adhered to and
monitored by communities.
Support collection and analysis of data from a national, regional and international perspective
to facilitate informed policymaking. This will also help identify promising programs or practices,
analysis the conditions under which those best practices can be adopted by countries facing
similar challenges and allow for cross-country comparisons of progress.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_education
http://www.right-to-education.org/
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/leading-the-international-agenda/right-toeducation/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_of_Children_to_Free_and_Compulsory_Education_Act
http://www.hrea.org/index.php?doc_id=402
http://www.right-to-education.org/node/233
http://pdhre.org/rights/education.html
http://www.mhrd.gov.in/rte
http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/your-rights/human-rights/what-are-human-rights%3F/thehuman-rights-act/right-to-education
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/leading-the-international-agenda/right-toeducation/
http://www.ehow.com/info_7991951_rights-child-education.html
http://www.unicef.org/education/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_of_Children_to_Free_and_Compulsory_Education_Act
http://www.childrensrightseducation.com/index.html
http://www.un.org/cyberschoolbus/humanrights/resources/child.asp
http://loc.gov/law/help/child-rights/uk.php

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