Corporal punishment, right to education, violence against children, school discipline
6 December 2017
In a recent high profile decision, a high court in South Africa ruled that the corporal punishment of children on the grounds of ‘reasonable chastisement’ is unconstitutional. Around the world, lawmakers are proposing the removal of exceptions in law that protect parents from being prosecuted for assault when administering corporal punishment. For example, the Welsh Assembly has promised a new... Read more
30 November 2017
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, which oversees states’ efforts to implement the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the foremost treaty guaranteeing the human rights of women around the world, has published its interpretation of Article 10 of CEDAW which guarantees the right to education. General Recommendation 36... Read more
21 November 2017
In a milestone inquiry report released today, Members of Parliament have raised serious questions about the UK government’s funding of the American chain of schools, Bridge International Academies (Bridge), due to concerns regarding the 'poor' quality of teaching, relationships with governments, 'alleged lack of compliance with government regulations', and the 'higher cost of fees'. The findings... Read more
Transgender rights, human rights, right to education, LGBTQI
17 November 2017
In an ongoing case in the United States, the parents of an eight year old transgender girl, are suing their daughter’s private school for refusing to recognise her preferred gender identity and to allow her to wear the designated girls’ uniform and use the female toilets, and stop being addressed with male pronouns. We are seeing discrimination in education against transgender students challenged... Read more
20 October 2017
From 23-26 October 2017, over 80 organisations and state representatives from 24 francophone countries will convene at the Institut de la Francophonie pour l’éducation et la formation in Dakar to discuss the commercialisation and privatisation of education, in what will be one of the biggest civil society conferences on the issue. In view of the rapid growth of private actors in education,... Read more
7 September 2017
PRESS RELEASE (Monrovia, Kampala, Nairobi, Dakar, Lagos, London, 7 September 2017)An independent rigorous study published today, the first of its kind, confirms that the American large-scale commercial chain of pre-primary and primary schools, Bridge International Academies ('Bridge'), is not fulfilling its learning promises, whilst also violating ethical principles. This research confirms the... Read more
Bridge International Academies
1 August 2017
PRESS RELEASE (Nairobi, Kampala, Monrovia, Johannesburg, 1 August 2017) 174 civil society organisations from around the world, including the Right to Education Initiative, have today released a statement calling on investors to cease support for Bridge International Academies, a US-based company running over 500 commercial private schools in the ‘global south’ with the support of international... Read more
Pregnant student in school in Tanzania
6 July 2017
International organisations urge respect for free expression, association (Nairobi, July 6, 2017) – The government of Tanzania should end its hostile rhetoric toward civil society groups and threats to obstruct their work, 18 national and international nongovernmental organisations said today. The comments have targeted groups helping pregnant girls finish their education and those working to... Read more
Right to education, discrimination, children living with HIV and AIDS, India, Supreme Court
30 June 2017
On 5 May 2017, in a public interest litigation brought by Naz India in 2015, India’s Supreme Court held that children living with or affected by HIV (that is, children who are HIV positive and children who are HIV negative but whose parent[s] is HIV positive) should be afforded protected status and included as a ‘child belonging to a disadvantaged group’ under India’s Right of Children to Free... Read more
30 June 2017
At the 35th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) states reaffirmed their commitment to the right to education by adopting resolutions on the right to education and the right to education of girls. The resolution on the right to education, led by Portugal and sponsored by 37 states, welcomes the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to education’s most recent report on non-formal... Read more

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