This guide presents ideas and methodologies to put a human rights-based approach to education in practice. It focuses on six strategic areas that are central to (and provide a framework for) a HRBA to education including: understanding and securing the right to education working with excluded groups; financing education; promoting citizen participation in education securing rights in education; advancing a full "Education for All" agenda. Each section begins with a brief overview of key issues to be considered and then discusses a range of activities which could be developed within a scheme of work. Short practical examples are given, from a wide range of countries. The majority of the activities focus on work at the local level, but national and international links are also discussed. Within each section two or three areas are analysed in more detail.

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Le bureau de la CVPD Kinshasa s’est donné pour mission la défense et la promotion des droits économique socio culturel parmi lesquels le droit à l’éducation. Ce rapport présente les résultats du suivi de la mise en oeuvre du droit à l'éducation dans la province éducationnelle de Kin-Ouest. Il porte sur les aspects des Infrastructures, Formation des élèves et Recyclage des enseignants, l’Accessibilité par les enfants à l’école, la Participation à la gestion de l’école par les élèves et la Rémunération des enseignants. Apres cinq mois d’enquête, la CVPD a relevé beaucoup de violation de droits à l’éducation scolaire sur le plan de la gratuité de l’enseignement primaire, sur le plan de l’accessibilité à l’école pour les enfants pauvres et sur le plan de l’obligation de l’Etat qui ne fournit aucun effort pour rendre cette formation primaire élémentaire gratuite. La CVPD a aussi remarqué que les enseignants sont sous payés (parfois 12000 Fc soit presque 13$ américain) et que le monnayage de tous les services à l’école est devenu normal. La prédation est aussi relevée dans les chefs des promoteurs des écoles privées, les gestionnaires des écoles de l’Etat et les inspecteurs sensés contrôler le bon fonctionnement de ces écoles. Les infrastructures comme les bâtiments contenants les salles de classe sont vétustes dans la plus part des cas, que ce soit dans les écoles publiques ou privées. Les bibliothèques n’existent plus, l’espace de recréation existe pour les écoles publiques de l’Etat, écoles catholiques et protestantes et non dans les écoles privées où souvent l’école est dans l’enceinte où se trouvent d’autres locateurs. La CVPD salue l’initiative du gouvernement et l'encourage dans son initiative de construction de mille écoles sur toute l’étendue de la république. A Kinshasa, cela a amélioré tant soit peu l’accessibilité et le confort des élèves dans ces écoles nouvellement construites. La CVPD a aussi constaté et remarqué pendant ses enquêtes une augmentation des élèves filles dans toutes les écoles visitées. La moyenne par école est presque arrivée à 65% des filles contre 35% des garçons.

These Guidelines were developed to assist countries wishing to assess the compatibility of their national education laws and policies with international standards. The booklet aims to provide guidance on national education legal and policy frameworks.

Co-operation between UNESCO’s Committee on Conventions and Recommendations (CR) and The United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) on the objectives for monitoring and promoting the Right to Education. 

The Right to Education Index (RTEI) is a global index built out of the international right to education framework to monitor national progress towards its fulfillment. It reveals key areas in need of improvement, offers country-to-country comparisons, and tracks progress over time. Ultimately, RTEI seeks to:

  • Strengthen the expertise and capacity of civil society and education advocates.
  • Increase public and political support for realizing the right to education.
  • Hold governments and institutions accountable for their commitments to the right to education.
  • Uphold the right to education for every child and adult everywhere.

The RTEI has been piloted in five countries (Chile, Nigeria, the Philippines, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe). The Right to Education Index Pilot Report discusses overall findings of the 2015 pilot, comparative issues across Governance and the 4 As (Availability, Accessibility, Acceptability, and Adaptability), select transversal themes such as teachers, private education, and costs of education, and country-specific findings and recommendations from RTEI country partners.

Like all human rights, the right to education imposes three levels of obligations on States parties: the obligations to respect, protect and fulfi ll. In turn, the obligation to fulfi ll incorporates both an obligation to facilitate and an obligation to provide. It is incumbent upon States to incorporate into domestic legal order their obligations under conventions and treaties established by the United Nations and UNESCO and to give effect to these in national policies and programmes. In order to achieve Education For All, it is imperative to intensify UNESCO’s normative action and monitor more effectively the right to education.

Ceci est le document nº2 des 3 documents conçus pour présenter le récent travail de recherche et de plaidoyer mené par l’Initiative mondiale pour les droits économiques, sociaux et culturels, en partenariat avec les organisations de la société civile dans 7 pays du monde, ainsi que l’Initiative sur la privatisation de la recherche dans l’éducation et le Right to Education Project. Le travail examine de façon critique les effets de la privatisation de l’éducation en utilisant des mécanismes des droits de l’homme. Les documents sont conçus pour servir d’introduction à ce travail et l’Initiative mondiale pour les droits économiques, sociaux et culturels peut apporter d’autres ressources, des informations et une aide à quiconque souhaiterait s’engager dans cette étude. 

Accéder au document n°1: Privatisation de l’éducation et droits de l’homme : méthodologie pratique pour faire face aux effets négatifs de l’implication d’acteurs privés sur le droit à l’éducation

Accéder au document n°3: Études de cas sur les rapports parallèles pour faire face à la privatisation de l’éducation

ENGLISH

This guide, issued by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), focuses on how civil society can follow up on recommendations of United Nations (UN) human rights mechanisms and mandates or bodies.

The Education at a Glance OECD Indicators report provides in depth analysis, across a range of indicators, of the state of education in all 35 OECD countries, as well as in a selection of partner countries. The full report is available to view below, and each individual section can also be downloaded as a PDF, here.

While many authorities can tolerate some traditional campaigning methods, it is usually harder to ignore the law. As part of broader campaigns, the law can be a powerful tool for achieving the changes that children need. Legal advocacy is now being used systematically in a few countries – leading to strong outcomes for children – and it has great potential for wider use.

There are many occasions for legal advocacy. International law sets out the principles and standards that states are obliged to meet but frequently do not, and so their domestic law violates children’s rights. Often, a state meets a standard in domestic legislation but its policy fails to implement the law. Sometimes, it is unclear what a law means in practice, or the meaning is clear but no one knows whether it is being implemented. These various gaps between international legal standards, domestic law and state policy (or corporate policy) present potential opportunities for legal advocacy.

There are also many avenues for legal advocacy. It is a broad term, not limited to taking rights violators to court. Many small-scale legal activities can enhance traditional campaigning, such as reporting on the implementation of a law, or raising awareness of what the law says. Sometimes, simply documenting and publicising the gaps between law and practice is enough to persuade decision-makers to act. But only sometimes. Towards the other end of the spectrum is work that demands more time and resources, including taking a government or corporation to court in order to bring broader social change. A successful case might improve the legal standards that apply to children, or lead to a major policy change of long-term benefit to children.

This introductory guide offers a brief overview of avenues for legal advocacy. It also offers guidance on how to explore your options, and how to promote legal advocacy work with other children’s rights advocates.

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