The modern world is in a constant process of flux and evolution, shaped and reshaped by technology, globalisation, climate change, and multiple crises. In this context, the right to education is also at an inflection point. On 14 December 2023, UNESCO held a Formal Dialogue on the Initiative on the evolving right to education, at which state representatives, members of global civil society and online participants listened and responded to two panels.
I had the pleasure of intervening in this formal dialogue, which sits within the important body of work spearheaded by UNESCO to understand and contextualise the right to education in the modern world. In my intervention, I recognised and acknowledged the importance of reflecting on a revision of UNESCO 1960 Convention against Discrimination in Education in light of the transformation of education and wider society. For instance, it is incredibly important that international law better reflects that education starts at birth and lasts through life. Equally, as technology becomes a ubiquitous aspect of modern life and its role in the classroom increases, it is imperative to clearly set children’s best interest and right to privacy.
I also stressed the relevance and value of the ongoing interpretation of international human rights law, recalling that we must ensure that international legal provisions related to the right to education are general enough to apply to various contexts and over a long period of time. Given the rapid pace, scale and effects of the change we are currently seeing, we need to anticipate that the world will keep evolving and allow room for further interpretations if needed.
Yet I insisted that the existing legal framework must be the basis from which we work. The backbone which holds the system firm are the rights of equality and non-discrimination. They must be at the heart of any development of the right to education.
It is also my view that the aims of education should guide the evolving right to education process. These aims must be understood to transcend the utilitarian approach to education, integrating the multiple dimensions of human existence. We know that education is important not only for individuals but also for societies. It is central to our development, and to the realisation of potential. It is also fundamental to establishing and maintaining fair, inclusive and peaceful societies - which in these challenging, chaotic and increasingly bellicose times is more vital than ever.
In this context, I believe there will be a key role for UNESCO as the guardian of the right to education. This role for UNESCO will be especially salient given the extremely rapid and deeply troubling growth of privatisation and commercialisation in all levels of education. Ensuring that education remains a right and does not become a commodity is the challenge UNESCO must address, if the right to education is to be reality.
Find out more about the Formal Dialogue here
Find out more on UNESCO’s initiative on the evolving right to education
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