The Right to Education Initiative, with the support of international and British organisations as well as teachers' unions have submitted a report to the Committee onEconomic, Social and Cultural Rights about the UK's support of the growth of private actors in education through its development aid: questioning its responsibilities as regards its human rights extra-territorial obligations.
The report raises concern about the increased use of British aid money to support for-profit schools, in particular so-called ‘low-fee’ private schools, which are fuelling inequality, creating segregation and undermining the right to education.
The report finds that the UK’s policies in support of private education through its development aid are problematic and that the country could be violating its extra-territorial obligations under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in two regards:
- Firstly, the UK’s support for for-profit, fee-charging private schools that do not reach the poorest is questioned in light of the UK’s obligations to fulfil the right to education, including the right to free quality education without discrimination;
- Secondly, the UK’s responsibility is questioned in particular in relation to its own impact assessments that have been conducted on its policies of providing support to private schools and which have concluded that projects supporting private education providers are less likely to target the most marginalised, and that more research needs to be carried out on the impact of private schools in developing countries on, among other elements, the efficiency of “low-fee” private schools.
For the past 18 months, a number of international, national and local organisations have been working together to research and assess the effects of the growth of private education from a human rights perspective in 8 countries. This work, led by the Global Initiative on Economic Social and Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR) in Partnership with the Privatisation in Education Research Initiative (PERI) and the Right to Education Initiative (RTE), has produced an effective methodology that civil society can use to tackle privatisation in their countries.
This work has been conducted in Morocco, Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, Brazil, Chile and Nepal. In the UK, organisations have examined the impact of development aid to support to private education in developing countries.
This strategy has been very successful in producing statements and recommendations from key UN human rights bodies. The work has also contributed to reports by the Special Rapporteur on the right to education to the UN General Assembly and the Human Rights Council on the impact of private actors on the right to education. Advocacy at the international level has fuelled national advocacy and dialogue with governments, private actors and other stakeholders on this issue.
There is a unique opportunity for civil society to tackle complex issues of privatisation in education by using this framework. The methodology can easily be replicated by your coalition, even if you have no experience using human rights mechanisms. This 3-part series explains this work in more detail and how your coalition can get involved. The documents are designed as an introduction.
Part 2 on How to use Human Rights Mechanisms is available, here.
Part 3 Case-Studies on Parallel Reporting to Tackle Privatisiation in Education is available, here.
For the past 18 months, a number of international, national and local organisations have been working together to research and assess the effects of the growth of private education from a human rights perspective in 8 countries. This work, led by the Global Initiative on Economic Social and Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR) in Partnership with the Privatisation in Education Research Initiative (PERI) and the Right to Education Initiative (RTE), has produced an effective methodology that civil society can use to tackle privatisation in their countries.
This work has been conducted in Morocco, Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, Brazil, Chile and Nepal. In the UK, organisations have examined the impact of development aid to support to private education in developing countries.
This strategy has been very successful in producing statements and recommendations from key UN human rights bodies. The work has also contributed to reports by the Special Rapporteur on the right to education to the UN General Assembly and the Human Rights Council on the impact of private actors on the right to education. Advocacy at the international level has fuelled national advocacy and dialogue with governments, private actors and other stakeholders on this issue.
There is a unique opportunity for civil society to tackle complex issues of privatisation in education by using this framework. The methodology can easily be replicated by your coalition, even if you have no experience using human rights mechanisms. This 3-part series explains this work in more detail and how your coalition can get involved. The documents are designed as an introduction.
Part 1 on Private Actors in Education & Human Rights: A Practical Methodology to Tackle the Negative Effects of Privatisation in Education on the Right to Education is available, here.
Part 3 Case-Studies on Parallel Reporting to Tackle Privatisation in Education is available, here.
For the past 18 months, a number of international, national and local organisations have been working together to research and assess the effects of the growth of private education from a human rights perspective in 8 countries. This work, led by the Global Initiative on Economic Social and Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR) in Partnership with the Privatisation in Education Research Initiative (PERI) and the Right to Education Initiative (RTE), has produced an effective methodology that civil society can use to tackle privatisation in their countries.
This work has been conducted in Morocco, Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, Brazil, Chile and Nepal. In the UK, organisations have examined the impact of development aid to support to private education in developing countries.
This strategy has been very successful in producing statements and recommendations from key UN human rights bodies. The work has also contributed to reports by the Special Rapporteur on the right to education to the UN General Assembly and the Human Rights Council on the impact of private actors on the right to education. Advocacy at the international level has fuelled national advocacy and dialogue with governments, private actors and other stakeholders on this issue.
There is a unique opportunity for civil society to tackle complex issues of privatisation in education by using this framework. The methodology can easily be replicated by your coalition, even if you have no experience using human rights mechanisms. This 3-part series explains this work in more detail and how your coalition can get involved. The documents are designed as an introduction.
Part 1 on Private Actors in Education & Human Rights: A Practical Methodology to Tackle the Negative Effects of Privatisation in Education on the Right to Education is available, here.
Part 2 on How to Use Human Rights Mechanisms is available, here.
This two-days training module seeks to uncover how the right to education may be impacted by privatisation and explores methods for challenging privatisation that negatively impacts education rights. This document serves as the facilitator’s main module notes and should be used with the presentation slides. It contains a session-by-session breakdown of activities, including presentations, discussion questions, and group exercises. At the end of this session participants will have gained an awareness of:
- Develop an understanding of the right to education
- Become familiar with the key State obligations concerning the right to education that may be affected by privatisation
- Gain an understanding of education privatisation, including the forms and processes that may impact the right to education
- Practically apply the right to education to scenarios and consider the implications
- Explore strategies for applying a human rights based approach to education privatisation
On 12 June 2014, during the June Session of the Human Rights Council, the Portuguese Mission, together with Privatisation in Education Research Initiative (PERI) and the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR), convened a side-event on privatisation and its impact on the right to education at Palais des Nations in Geneva. In this podcast, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education gives closing remarks.
On 12 June 2014, during the June Session of the Human Rights Council, the Portuguese Mission, together with Privatisation in Education Research Initiative (PERI) and the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR), convened a side-event on privatisation and its impact on the right to education at Palais des Nations in Geneva. The UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education, Kishore Singh, opened the discussion, reminding the State’s obligations to protect, respect and fulfil the right to education and expressing his concern as regards the growth of privatisation in education, which increases inequalities and discriminations.
This country factsheet on Sierra Leone is intended to assist practitioners identify the key national laws and policies relevant to the right to education; analyse their strengths and weaknesses; and detect the gaps between laws and policies, and practice; in order to use the empirical data collected to help define a human rights-based advocacy strategy.
It provides an overview of the obligations of the government to realise the right to education: the instruments (laws, policies, and budget) and mechanisms (commissions, courts, etc) that exist in the country to implement the right to education, and recommendations made by various national and international stakeholders (UN Agencies, NGOs…).