Violence in schools and other educational settings is a worldwide problem. Students who are perceived not to conform to prevailing sexual and gender norms, including those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT), are more vulnerable. Violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity/expression, also referred to as homophobic and transphobic violence, is a form of school-related gender-based violence. It includes physical, sexual and psychological violence and bullying and, like other forms of school-related violence, can occur in classes, playgrounds, toilets and changing rooms, on the way to and from school and online. This report presents the findings of a global review, commissioned by UNESCO, of homophobic and transphobic violence in schools and education sector responses.
More than 40 percent of Tanzania’s adolescents are left out of quality lower-secondary education despite the government’s positive decision to make lower-secondary education free.
This report examines obstacles, including some rooted in outmoded government policies, that prevent more than 1.5 million adolescents from attending secondary school and cause many students to drop out because of poor quality education. The problems include a lack of secondary schools in rural areas, an exam that limits access to secondary school, and a discriminatory government policy to expel pregnant or married girls.
For a summary, see here.
For an esay to read version, in English, see here.
Based upon Plan International's dataset of 1.4 million sponsored children, the report compares sponsored children with a disability to those without, from 30 countries worldwide. The report, produced in collaboration with London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, reveals that children with disabilities in developing countries are being held back from an education. The findings will help Plan International - and other researchers and organisations - to improve responses to the needs of children with disabilities, particularly their health and education.
The second edition of the Global Education Monitoring Report (GEM Report) presents the latest evidence on global progress towards the education targets of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
With hundreds of millions of people still not going to school, and many not achieving minimum skills at school, it is clear education systems are off track to achieve global goals. The marginalised currently bear the most consequences but also stand to benefit the most if policy-makers pay sufficient attention to their needs. Faced with these challenges, along with tight budgets and increased emphasis on results-oriented value for money, countries are searching for solutions. Increased accountability often tops the list.
The 2017/8 GEM Report shows the entire array of approaches to accountability in education. It ranges from countries unused to the concept, where violations of the right to education go unchallenged, to countries where accountability has become an end in itself instead of a means to inclusive, equitable and high-quality education and lifelong learning for all.
The report emphasises that education is a shared responsibility. While governments have primary responsibility, all actors – schools, teachers, parents, students, international organizations, private sector providers, civil society and the media – have a role in improving education systems. The report emphasises the importance of transparency and availability of information but urges caution in how data are used. It makes the case for avoiding accountability systems with a disproportionate focus on narrowly defined results and punitive sanctions. In an era of multiple accountability tools, the report provides clear evidence on those that are working and those that are not.
In the present report, the Special Rapporteur reviews the role of equity and inclusion in strengthening the right to education, in particular in the context of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The Special Rapporteur concludes by calling for states to take significant, positive actions to tackle discrimination, inequity and exclusion in education to ensure that the Sustainable Development Goals are met.
“Her Turn”, a new report from UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, reveals that refugee girls at secondary level are only half as likely to enrol in school as their male peers, even though girls make up half of the school-age refugee population.
Access to education is a fundamental human right. Yet, for millions of women and girls among the world’s growing refugee population, education remains an aspiration, not a reality.
For all refugee children around the world, the school gates are a great deal harder to prise open than they are for their non-refugee peers. For refugee girls, it is even tougher to find – and keep – a place in the classroom. As they get older, refugee girls face more marginalization and the gender gap in secondary schools grows wider.
The report is available here http://www.unhcr.org/herturn/
This paper firstly sets out the legal and political frameworks on gender equality in education to which states have committed and then describes how they have committed.
In the second section, the content of states’ commitments to achieve gender equality in education is explained, including the normative content of relevant provisions found in international and regional human rights treaties and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This section also includes a classification of states according to what legal commitments to women and girls’ right to education they have made.
The final section details how states can be held accountable for failure to meet their legal commitments to gender equality in education, including what mechanisms are available and examples of how these mechanisms have been used to hold states accountable.
In this report, the Special Rapporteur shows that non-formal education programmes provide flexible, learner-centred means to improve education outcomes. This is particularly relevant for girls and groups in vulnerable situations, including children with disabilities, minorities and rural and impoverished children, who are disproportionately represented among out-ofschool populations. When designed to be available, accessible, acceptable and adaptable, such programmes enable States to fulfil the right to education of learners who are excluded from the formal system. Furthermore, such programmes can promote holistic learning objectives that support cultural and linguistic rights.
Finaly, the Rapporteur calls upon States to recognize non-formal education as a flexible, cost-effective mechanism that can provide quality education and that can help States to meet their obligations in connection with the right to education.
Dans ce rapport, la Rapporteuse spéciale explique que les programmes d’enseignement non formel offrent des moyens souples et centrés sur l’apprenant pour améliorer les résultats dans le domaine de l’éducation. Ces programmes sont particulièrement utiles dans le cas des filles et des groupes vulnérables, notamment des enfants handicapés, des enfants issus de minorités, ainsi que des enfants vivant en milieu rural ou dans la pauvreté, qui sont surreprésentés dans la population non scolarisée. Lorsqu’ils font l’objet des dotations voulues, qu’ils sont accessibles, acceptables et adaptables, ces programmes aident les États à donner effet au droit à l’éducation des apprenants exclus du système formel. Ils contribuent en outre à la réalisation d’objectifs généraux d’apprentissage qui favorisent l’exercice des droits culturels et linguistiques.
Enfin, la Rapporteuse invite les États à reconnaître l’intérêt de l’éducation non formelle qui constitue un moyen souple et peu onéreux d’assurer un enseignement de qualité et peut à ce titre contribuer à permettre aux États de s’acquitter de leurs obligations relatives au droit à l’éducation.
En este informe, la Relatora Especial explique que los programas de enseñanza no académica ofrecen fórmulas flexibles y centradas en los estudiantes para mejorar los resultados de la educación. Ello es particularmente importante para las niñas y los grupos que se hallan en situación vulnerable, como los niños con discapacidad, las minorías y los niños de las zonas rurales y empobrecidas, que constituyen un porcentaje excesivo de la población no escolarizada. Cuando se los formula para que sean asequibles, accesibles, aceptables y adaptables, esos programas permiten a los Estados hacer efectivo el derecho a la educación de los estudiantes que están excluidos del sistema académico. Además, esos programas pueden promover unos objetivos pedagógicos integrales que fomenten el ejercicio de los derechos culturales y lingüísticos.
Finalmente, la Relatora exhorta a los Estados a que reconozcan que la enseñanza no académica es un mecanismo flexible y eficaz en función de los costos que puede proporcionar una educación de calidad y ayudar a los Estados a cumplir las obligaciones que tienen respecto del derecho a la educación.