The Convention on the Rights of the Child establishes parents and other primary caregivers as children’s first educators. The Committee on the Rights of the Child in its General Comment No. 7 (paras. 15 to 21 and 29) elaborates in detail the parental responsibilities and the assistance States need to provide to the parents in performing their child-rearing responsibilities, especially at the early childhood.

Early childhood is a critical developmental period for physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development. Since they are interrelated and influence each other, a holistic approach is essential to ensure children's overall development and growth at an early age.

The States have the obligation to make primary education compulsory. The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (General Comment No. 36 (paras. 36, 39) recommends that education should be free and compulsory from pre-school to secondary.

In some countries, the key dimensions of the right to education may not be explicitly enumerated in legal provisions, but they can be addressed through policies that are not legally binding.  These policies could have been revised and adopted at different periods depending on the changing context. Additionally, some levels of education, such as early childhood care and education, may not be covered in the legislation, but they could be integrated as part of either education policies or separate policies that focus on the 'care' and 'education' of young children.

States have the obligation to provide ‘reasonable accommodation’ to students with disabilities. Reasonable accommodation is defined as ‘appropriate modification and adjustments which are necessary, in a particular case, to ensure persons with disabilities can enjoy, on an equal basis with others, all human rights and fundamental freedoms’.