What is the Human Right to Education?
Every woman, man, youth and child has the human right to education, training and information, and to other fundamental human rights dependent upon realization of the human right to education. Equality of access to all levels of education is crucial to empowering women and girls to participate in economic, social and political life of their societies. Education unlocks a woman¹s potential, and is accompanied by improvements in health, nutrition, and well-being of women and their families. Despite widespread agreement that all people have the fundamental human right to education, 100 million children, at least 60% of them girls, do not have access to primary education. 960 million adults in the world are illiterate, and more than two-thirds of them are women. Women and girls continue to face discrimination at all levels of education, a fact which poses tremendous obstacles to their advancement.The Human Rights at Issue
Human rights relating to education are set out in basic human rights treaties and include:- The human right to free and compulsory elementary education and to readily available forms of secondary and higher education.
- The human right to freedom from discrimination based on sex or any other status in all areas and levels of education, including
- access to scholarships and fellowships, and to equal access to career development, continuing education and vocational training.
- The human right to information about health, nutrition, reproduction and family planning.
The human right to education is inextricably linked to other fundamental human rights -- rights that are universal, indivisible, interconnected and interdependent including:
- The human right to equality between men and women and to equal partnership in the family and society. Realization of this human rights depends on eliminating gender-based stereotypes in education which deny women opportunities for full and equal partnership.
- The human right to work and receive wages that contribute to an adequate standard of living.
- The human right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief.
- The human right to an adequate standard of living.
- The human right to participate in shaping decisions and policies affecting one's community, at the local, national and international levels.
