THE UN AND EDUCATION RIGHTS
What are Eduction rights
and why it isnt relevant in countries?
Existing Laws & Policies
Education rights are the fundamental right to good quality
and affordable education.This policy will require that all kids
be given equal educational opportunity no matter what their
race, ethnic background, religion, or sex background, or
whether they are rich or poor, citizen or non-citizen. Even
though education is one of the most important things both
sides can agree on, there are too many countries that don't
have equal education. The violation of an education right is
mainly found in Sub-Saharan Africa and parts of southeast
Asia. Over one-fifth of children between the ages of 6 and 11
are out of school. Almost 60% of children in sub-Saharan
Africa between the ages of 15 and 17 are not in school.
Article 26 in the UDHR states that: 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 based on merit.
We’ve told you a lot about education rights, but you still
might be wondering. Why are education rights not relevant in
certain countries/regions? The answers are many, but for
time's sake, I'll only state a few: A lower developed country
might depend on cheap labor from child workers, which forces
children to not go to school, and corrupt countries wouldn't
feel the need to enact legislation for fair labor rights. Finally,
because 689 million people live in poverty, these families lean
on their kids to work for them to bring in the money to make
life a little bit liveable.
The Convention of the Rights of the child is an international human rights treaty directed to the well-being and equal
opportunities of children across the globe. Specifically, Articles 28, 29, and 40 state that children have the right to an
education, the right to develop equally with different classes for different kids, and the right to children to speak out
against their parents if they’re forcing them to do otherwise. Over 190 countries have ratified this convention but 3
countries have not ratified such as Somalia, South Sudan, and surprisingly the United States. An area that I'm focusing
on is Africa (more specifically Sub-Saharan Africa) and I see that Somalia and South Sudan have not ratified.
The CEDHW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women) is an international treaty
that is a bill of rights for women across the globe. Articles 10 and 14 states that States parties have to ensure that
women and men are not discriminated against in the field of education and job Opportunities and States Partie have
to ensure that women working in farms/rural areas have some form of education and the chance to have a job not
related to agriculture. 189 states have ratified this Convention and some states that haven't ratified it are Iran, Palau,
Somalia, Sudan, Tongo, and the United States. Palau, Somalia, Sudan, and Tongo are states in Sub-Saharan Africa and
Southeast Asia that have not ratified the CEDHW.
The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination is a treaty that protects different races and
eliminates racial discrimination. Article 5 states that no race should have an advantage in education and no race
should be segregated in their education. Only 182 parties and 88 signatories have signed this piece. Countries in the
regions I'm focusing on have a majority of states that did not ratify this.
Monitoring, Investigation, and Enforcement Efforts
National governments such as the United States can establish different
agencies that deal with Education rights violations. For example, having Child
Protective Services and incentives to enroll your kids in education could be a
way to prevent education rights from being violated. A government can use its
police enforcement at the Local, State, and National levels in order to solve an
investigation and then release the findings to the press. The United Nations
(an example of an intergovernmental organization) can accomplish more
punishments, treaties, and investigations across all member states to make
sure that no education right is being violated. A non-governmental
organization such as Save the Children works to make sure kids across the
world complete their early education and with donations they succeed by
sending aid and supplies to certain lower developed regions. Finally,
Individuals can spark protests for their government to enforce education rights
and establish a better education system. Some individuals in Afghanistan have
even held secret schools for women who don't have access to education due
to the Taliban rule.
How to Take Action
Education rights are an absolute necessity that is needed for our modern society
to function. If we don't have qualified individuals to take on positions that need
pierced and smart individuals, our society will collapse. Although the existing UN
Conventions on education rights are good, there's no enforcement. There are no
outside forces making sure certain states don't violate a treaty they signed and
there is zero involvement from the UN due to their Human Rights branch being
severely underfunded and short-staffed. My action will address the enforcement
making sure that people do have a right to an education. Families' lives improve
because while their children are at school parents can have more free time and
more time to work. Generally, our society will improve because we will have more
educated individuals steering our society in the right direction.
References
American Civil Liberties Union. (n.d.). Your right to equality in Education. American Civil Liberties Union. Retrieved June 2, 2022, from
https://www.aclu.org/other/your-right-equality-education
Congressional Research Service. (2015, July 23). The U.N. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW): Issues in the U.S. Ratification Debate. EveryCRSReport.com. Retrieved June 2, 2022, from
https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/R40750.html
Convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women in new york, 18 December 1979. OHCHR. (n.d.). Retrieved June 2, 2022, from
https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/convention-elimination-all-forms-discrimination-against-women
Convention on the rights of the child. OHCHR. (n.d.). Retrieved June 2, 2022, from https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/conventionrights-child
Girls' education. Save the Children. (n.d.). Retrieved June 2, 2022, from https://www.savethechildren.org/us/what-we-do/education/girls-education
Global education. Save the Children. (n.d.). Retrieved June 2, 2022, from https://www.savethechildren.org/us/what-we-do/education/global-education
Katherine Gallagher. (2020, June 23). Education in Africa: 10 Must-know facts. The Borgen Project. Retrieved June 2, 2022, from https://borgenproject.org/10-factsabout-education-in-africa/
Kermani, S. (2022, May 17). Afghanistan: The secret girl's school defying the Taliban. BBC News. Retrieved June 2, 2022, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia61470748
Nations, U. (n.d.). Universal declaration of human rights. United Nations. Retrieved June 2, 2022, from https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-ofhuman-rights