Human Rights

EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO GO TO SCHOOL

Lisa Larbi

Human Rights:

Everyone Has The Right To

GO TO SCHOOL!
Lisa Larbi

Human Rights

EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO GO TO SCHOOL

Lisa Larbi

Going to School in Rural China

Going to School via Boat in Mali

TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. TABLE OF CONTENTS PART I INTRODUCTION PART II RESEARCH
A. B. C. D. Education and Human Rights Cause & Effect Advantages and Setbacks Under the Magnifying Glass 1. Major Topics a. Health i Early Childhood Care ii Nutrition iii Disabilities iv HIV/AIDS b. Womens Rights c. The Importance of Literacy d. Beyond A Primary Education e. Teachers f. Fixed Realities i Poverty and Child Labor ii Discrimination iii Governments and Conflicts g. A Quality Education h. Calculating the Costs E. More Facts & Stats F. Testimonies and Opinions

A Boy doing his Homework in Freetown, Sierra Leone

II.

PART III REACHING GOALS

A. B. C. D. E. F. Why do problems still exist? Hopes and Goals Alleviating the Problem People Taking Action The UNs Progress Conclusion More Pictures Acknowledgements Bibliography

III.

PART IV REFERENCES
A. B. C.

Human Rights

EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO GO TO SCHOOL

Lisa Larbi

PART I INTRODUCTION
Education is a necessity to life and a major catalyst for human development. Even so, these two definitions of education are usually ignored and replaced by the literal definition of education: the acquisition of knowledge. Despite these differences in definition, having an education revolves around one key factor; it is best obtained by going to school. Education can be very useful to people around the world. It can change otherwise decided fates, alter peoples view of the world, and enrich the quality of life for millions. Education can develop our world in so many ways. Unfortunately, the reality that faces us today is that millions of people still do not have a proper education. Education is a fundamental and human right which everyone deserves. Knowledge is power, and everyone has the right to access the potential power within them which knowledge provides. Everyone should be aware that they have the right to go to school, expand their capabilities, and discover themselves as individuals. This report contains a wide span of information concerning education and the right to go to school. In it, you will find that it shall do the following: Focus on education as a human right and the things it can do Discuss the causes and effects of problems in world education Describe several problems in world education today Consider the different factors, topics, and aspects that affect education Discuss why lack of education is still a problem today Suggest possible solutions towards improving education Inform readers on current actions being made towards satisfying education as a human right

Education is the great engine of personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctorthat a child of farmworkers can become the president of a great nation. It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another
Long Walk3 Freedom: to The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela (1994, p.144)

Human Rights

EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO GO TO SCHOOL

Lisa Larbi

PART II RESEARCH
EDUCATION AND HUMAN RIGHTS
Human rights are so basic, that the people lucky enough to have them take them for granted. Sadly, the fact is that not everyone has their basic needs met; and nearly one-third of the worlds population can testify to their lack of human rights. More than fifty years has passed since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was announced and people are still being discriminated against, facing hard-labor jobs, enduring torture, and dying preventable deaths, all because they are unable to protect their rights. Education is a basic human right, but what is its purpose and why is it considered a human right? These two questions are very important ones and can help us understand the need for education better. To answer the first question, education does not have a sole purpose; it can do a variety of things, including making responsible citizens, ensuring economic success, and developing individual talents. In order to answer the second question, we must go back to the United Nations UDHR. Starting in 1947 and ending in 1948, the UDHR took two years to write. After a long drafting process, the 30 human rights were announced on December 10th, 1948 in New York. For this report, I would like to highlight Article 26, the right to an education.

Article 26 of the UNs Universal Declaration of Human Rights

1. Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit. 2. Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace. 3. Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.
Source: Universal Declaration of Human Rights Adopted and Proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United Nations on the Tenth Day of December 1948, Final Authorized Text. New York, United Nations, 1950.

Reading Article 26, it seems that education is a human right for one main reason. As well as being a right itself, it is an enabling right which is necessary for the application of all the other human rights and it is closely linked to the rest of them and it allows everyone to have equal chances in life. It is important that everyone learns to protect our rights. If they dont, then world shall remain an unsafe and unfair place, where not everyone can enjoy their right to a good life. The UDHR is still in place today, but only several human rights are widely enforced and many more are violated. The right to an education is extremely important, but like most human rights, it is violated and providing it is not seen as a high priority issue among governments. Hopefully, through this report, more can be learnt about education, and why it is one of the most important human rights.

Human Rights

EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO GO TO SCHOOL

Lisa Larbi

CAUSES & EFFECTS

People dont attend school and receive the best education possible for various reasons, and this can have a range of effects on their lives. Below are some general causes and effects (some of which will be seen further in the report) that should be kept in mind.

Cause
Poverty Family

The Usual Case

People have no money to attend schools even when they are available In poorer families, some people cannot attend school because they have to work or care for others In richer families, some people are pressured to continue the family business instead of pursuing an education (of their choice). There is discrimination and prejudice everywhere: In many countries, women are not allowed to go to school and are kept at home instead. People of different races and ethnicities are often not given a quality education. Some people see it impossible to get an education, and so decided on their own not to attend school. People going to school in more developed countries; often dropout of school for various reasons. For some people, schools are unavailable, and even if they were, they are usually not of good quality. This can be for several reasons, including money, governmental problems, conflicts, and more things.

Effects
No matter the cause, the effect that a lack of education is always the same. These effects always make a profound difference in the quality of life in peoples lives and around the world. No knowledge to feed the mind Unemployment Poverty/lower standard of living Limited life opportunities Lack of intellectual and societal development Illiteracy Vulnerability and exploitation High risk for disorder and conflict

Inequalities

Personal Choice

Shortages of schools, teachers, & resources

ADVANTAGES AND SETBACKS

Education is vital right that can change our world in many ways. Below is a list of some of the things education can and hopefully will do. Education can: Grant, protect, and promote human rights Empower people and strengthen nations Change otherwise decided fates Put a stop to exploitation Enrich the quality of life Liberate the enslaved Create life opportunities Combat the worlds greatest problems Lift people out of poverty Promote world peace and cooperation Stop discrimination of all forms Expand and develop individual capabilities Make skillful and well-informed citizens Ensure a better the future Despite these advantages to education, the right to it continues to face many setbacks. Yes, great progress has been made; however, millions of people still dont have a basic education. Even with the effort countries have put in to achieve the MDGs, it is unlikely that the world will be able to reach its target. The progress being made implies that 56 million children will still be out-of-school by 2015. To make matters worse, dropout rates remain high around the world and millions of students are dropping out without having learnt basic skills. Many donors have also
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Human Rights

EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO GO TO SCHOOL

Lisa Larbi

failed to stick to their pledges; consequently, education systems are under-resourced, have little teachers and crowded classrooms. Poverty, social and cultural barriers, and resource shortages have become some of the largest obstacles to education, but the most significant setback seems to be that for many countries, education is not seen as a priority. Why is education facing these setbacks? In the next section of this report, we will consider some of the many factors that are preventing education for all.

UNDER THE MAGNIFYING GLASS

In this section, the report will dismantle education into different parts and examine each aspect separately and relate them back to education.

MAJOR TOPICS 1. HEALTH

Many things can affect the type of education someone may receive. The next 8 topics are important factors that will help you understand education as a human right. Though it may not seem relevant, health is largely related to education and learning.

Early childhood care

In order to have a secure structure, you need a good foundation; this same idea can be applied to education. Early childhood care sets a foundation for school and a life full of opportunities. Knowing this, it makes sense that everyone should, at the very least, have a primary education. Caring for children from the very beginning will improve education everywhere. To fix problems in the building that is education, you have to start at what is holding everything in place. Early childhood care is important, and should be a step taken towards providing education for everyone.

Nutrition

Nutrition, like early childhood care, sets a foundation for learning. Malnutrition, however, is damages the bodies and minds of around 178 million children every year. Malnutrition and other deficiency diseases have a large, irreversible effect on childrens learning
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Human Rights

EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO GO TO SCHOOL

Lisa Larbi

capabilities. They also widen the inequalities in education and reduce the overall impact that schools (of any quality) have on children. Nutrition is very important, especially in the early years; it can determine future learning performance.

Disabilities

Physical and mental disabilities affect learning capabilities, and. It is a known fact that many schools dont have the resources to teach a disabled person. Resources are one reason that the disabled are left behind, but there is also discrimination. In many developing countries, disabled people are often excluded from their societies and not permitted to attend school. Helping the disabled is another thing that must be covered in order for there to be education for all.

HIV/AIDS

2. WOMENS RIGHTS

HIV/AIDS is a global health crisis which has profound and wide-spread consequences on education. In 2008, it was recorded that more than 2 million children below the age of 15 were living with HIV; most of them had contracted the virus from easily avoidable forms of transmission. The majority of these children are from Sub-Saharan Africa, and without proper treatment, 90% of them would die before they even reached the age to go to school. The children who survive are still affected; most of them would suffer from HIV related problems which lower their ability to learn. HIV/AIDS threatens lives, ends future educational prospects, and keeps children out of school. Transmission must be prevented so that children will be able to live long enough to attend school.

In almost every aspect of life, women have always To be educated means I will been disadvantaged. Women everywhere, not only be able to help myself, particularly in countries like Chad, Saudi Arabia, but also my family, my country, Pakistan, and Yemen, continually suffer from gender and my people. gaps. In many societies and cultures, the education of Meda, school girl in Ethiopia. girls is thought to be of less value than that of boys; and so, alongside the poor, women are the least likely to ever be educated. Today, the number of out-of-school girls has decreased significantly from the amount it was in the 1990s. However, women still make up two-thirds of the worlds illiterate adults and millions of girls are out of school. It is important that girls and women are educated; there is evidence supporting the advantages of educating a woman. Evidence shows that a child born to a literate woman is 50% more likely to survive past the age of 5. It also shows that an educated woman is more likely to put their children in school because they are aware of its advantages. Like anyone else, women and girls have the right to go to school, no matter their culture, religion, or other life situations. Educating women and girls gives them a voice, and encourages them to stand up for themselves, take part in their community, and better their lives. Promoting gender equality, especially in education, will better the world.

A mother walking her daughter to school in Yemen

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Human Rights

EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO GO TO SCHOOL

Lisa Larbi

3. THE IMPORTANCE OF LITERACY

The importance of literacy was first noticed in the late 1950s; and today, in the 21st century, being illiterate is seen as a disability and a sign of a lack education. The ability to read, write, and speak properly is extremely helpful, it allows people to learn, communicate, and understand better. Without it, people are left disadvantaged; illiteracy lowers a persons social and economic prospects, as well as damages a persons self-esteem. However, in spite of the UNs hopes, the world is far off track, and will mostly likely be unable to reach EFAs target of improving adult literacy by 50%. Literacy is yet another factor that must be looked into if everyone is going to have the right to an education.

4. BEYOND A PRIMARY EDUCATION

When the UDHR was declared it focused on the importance of a primary education and put the idea of higher education aside. Since then, the pursuit for universal primary education has become the UNs first educational priority. Goals and targets have been set to only basic education, but what about learning beyond primary levels? What about people who are past the fundamental stage? The idea which these two questions present has been overshadowed by the concept of basic education for all. It is understandable that basic education is at the center of attention. It makes sense that you start with the basics and then continue from there. The only problem is that the lack of attention has led to an even larger problem. Millions of adolescents and adults never transitioned to a secondary education or even completed their primary education. This is a large problem. What will happen to the children who are now receiving primary education once they grow up? The adults around them didnt receive a full education so why should they? In order for everyone to have their right to
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Human Rights

EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO GO TO SCHOOL

Lisa Larbi

5. TEACHERS

education we must consider people of all ages and levels. After a primary education people must be given the option to continue their education to the level they desire. Though it is pretty obvious they are necessary for learning, teachers come second to school buildings on the priority list. Teachers are the single most important education resource in any country. A trained and well-motivated teacher is necessary for effective learning in any classroom. Unfortunately, in many countries, there are shortages of such teachers, and it continues to be a barrier stopping education for everyone. Teaching is a fulfilling job; however it requires plenty of work for a low salary. Education For All (EFA) has managed to estimate primary school teacher requirements needed to reach universal primary education by 2015. Their Estimations: 1.9 million more teachers are needed to achieve universal education In addition to increasing recruitment, governments have to recruit and train 8.4 million more primary teachers to replace those expected to retire or leave their posts before 2015 In total, 10.3 million teachers will be needed by 2015

6. FIXED REALITIES

There are some things in life that people cant change. People do not choose the circumstances in which they are born, yet their life situation can greatly influence their educational achievement. This section looks at the fixed realities and how they must be addressed in order to equalizing educational opportunities.

poverty and child labor

Poverty and child labor are closely linked and are the largest factors keeping children out of school. For the poorest households, schooling competes with other basic needs, such as health care and food. Millions of children are denied their human right to education for the simple reason that their parents cannot afford to keep them in school. In many countries, parents have a large part of their income to put their children into school. Fees not only include charges to pay teacher salaries, but other expenses including the payments for uniforms and textbooks. Even if education might be available, poor people are unable to afford one, so they are left behind. Poverty often makes education unaffordable and pushes children out of classrooms and into employment. Some work because their parents cannot afford to send them to school, while others work as the sole breadwinner in their families. Not all child laborers stay out of school, however, most attempt to combine school and work, which ends up damaging their quality of education.

discrimination

Discrimination is probably largest unnoticed factor to affect education. In many circumstances, the most severe education disadvantages which students face can be traced back to discrimination. Whether racism, sexism, or favoritism, all forms of discrimination have the ability to affect anyone, anywhere and their education. Minority groups, females, the disabled, and the poor are main victims of discrimination and usually, receive lowest standards of education. These students are paid less attention to by their teachers and assaulted by fellow students. They are left in the shadows which results in them falling behind, and many are given the impression that they dont belong and should leave; and in most cases, victims cant handle the hostility and they do. The victims of discrimination who choose to stay spend their time trying to grab their teachers attention and protect themselves, instead of focusing on their studies.
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Human Rights

EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO GO TO SCHOOL

Lisa Larbi

Discrimination can hinder a students education and must be recognized as a big problem.

governments and conflicts

7. A QUALITY EDUCATION

For numerous governments, education is not a top priority. Understandably, vast funding is used on high-priority matters such as the economy, military and natural resources. Though these things receive more than enough funding, governments are slow to spend just a little more for lower-priority things like funding their education systems. Governments decide what is right for their citizens; sometimes that can mean new benefits for the people, and other times it can mean conflict. Civilians rarely join a conflict willingly, in most cases it is their government which gets the country Conflict and Displacement Challenges involved, and all cases, civilians are the ones who Education in Afghanistan suffer the most. The people living in areas of conflict, along with people living in slums and rural areas, are of the most disadvantaged when it comes to education. They are poor and vulnerable, and usually have the most to gain from an education, yet they live in areas with the most limited access to basic services such as education. Conflict, like poverty, makes getting an education extremely difficult. In nearly all conflicts: families are forced to flee their homes and resettle in areas where education is unavailable children (and child soldiers) suffer from psychological trauma, ending any hopes of returning to school education is targeted as a symbol of government authority, resulting in schools being destroyed, and students and teachers being murdered, kidnapped, and raped the government is either weak or corrupt, and so, is often unable or unwilling to provide basic services, including education

Full enrolment is only one part to the right to an education; in order to fulfill everyones birthright, the quality of the education being receive must also be brought to mind. If education is offered somewhere, it does not mean that we should immediately assume that the people are receiving a quality education; many countries are failing to meet expectations. Most attention is given towards getting people into school, but we forget to think about what is happening in the schools. Millions of students leave primary school every year unable to properly read a sentence; these people are both unprepared to enter secondary school or enter job markets. Providing the basic right to an education is important, but what is the point when you dont really learn anything? In our fast-developing-world, success in life is becoming increasingly dependent on skills learnt and developed at school. Everyone has the right to get an education, but they also have the right to a quality education. The more education is spread around the world, the lower standards for schools, particular in poor and developing countries, is going to go. Poor quality education is endangering millions of peoples futures, in order to prevent future hardships, the standards of education everywhere has to make significant progress.

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Human Rights

EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO GO TO SCHOOL

Lisa Larbi

8. CALCULATING THE COSTS

Education does not come cheap, but it is still necessary. Schools, teachers, and resources, other things cost a lot of money. In 2007, EFA estimated that basic education worldwide would cost about $36 billion. Today, expenses exceed what they were back then, but even so, funding is still low. Pledges made have not been kept, and the lack of financial aid has resulted in unequal educational opportunities and under resourced schools. Current spending on basic education is about $12 billion a year, and is more than three times A Classroom in Malawi crowded and under-resourced below what it should be! Countries are falling short of aid and lack room to provide education to their citizens due to the lack of finances. If the world is ever to provide the right to an education for everyone, then commitments have to be kept and education has to be made a priority in national budgets

MORE FACTS & STATS

Here are some more facts and statistics on certain topics discussed earlier in the report.
Note: Keep in mind that in some cases official records and the reality differ.

WOMENS RIGHTS Around 54% of children out of school are girls In sub-Saharan Africa, almost 12 million girls may never enroll In Yemen, girls enrolment is lowest in the poorest and rural areas; most of them are forbidden by their family or get married early, and so nearly 80% of girls out of school will never enroll In Sudan only 2% of the girls attend school because of the civil war In Nigeria, poor Hausa girls face some of the worlds most severe education deprivation. About 97% of 17- to 22-year-olds have fewer than two years of education and just 12% of primary school age Hausa girls attend primary school. In Chad, Ethiopia, and Mali, women are 1.5 times more likely to be illiterate than men In Algeria and Yemen, illiteracy rates for women exceed twice the rates for men In 2008, an estimated 1.8 million children lives in Sub-Saharan Africa lives could have been saved their mothers had at least secondary education THE IMPORTANCE OF LITERACY India the worlds largest illiterate population Adult literacy rates have risen 13% since 1990 Literacy remains among the most neglected of all education goals, with about 759 million adults lacking literacy skills today The world is far off track for the 2015 target of a 50% improvement in adult literacy; 710 million adults will still lack basic literacy skills in 2015. In developing countries, illiteracy can affect up from one to 3 out of 4 adults Rich countries also have a significant amount of illiteracy, specifically in among migrants and the poor. Many adults lack the functional literacy skills they need to apply for jobs, read newspapers or understand documents that affect their lives. In 2007 it was announced that: In the US, 14% of the population lacks the literacy skills to perform simple, everyday tasks like understanding newspaper articles and instruction manuals, and around 12% lack the literacy skills needed to fill out a job application or understand labels on food and drugs In UK, 1.7 million people (aged 16-65) perform below the level expected of 7 year olds on the national curriculum test, and 5.1 million perform below the level expected of 11 year olds.
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Human Rights

EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO GO TO SCHOOL

Lisa Larbi

POVERTY AND CHILD LABOR Child labor can range from young girls collecting water and firewood with their mothers, young boys tending cattle and engaging in paid work, and involvement in more invisible, extreme, or dangerous forms of work such as sex slavery. The worst forms of child labor are a direct reason why children are not in school. Children can be seen every day scavenging for rubbish in Manila, working on building sites in New Delhi or selling newspapers at traffic junctions in Haiti in order to earn some money. Evidence from Latin America indicates that combining work with schooling is detrimental to educational achievement In Delhis slums, only a third of children surveyed had a birth certificate, which is mandatory for admission to government schools DISCRIMINATION In the United States, the graduation rate for white students is 84%, but falls to 65% for AfricanAmerican Students About 221 million school age children speak languages at home that are not recognized in schools or official settings The Maori (indigenous Australians) perform consistently below the student average In Pakistan, primary school attendance is marked by gender, regional and wealth inequalities GOVERNMENTS AND CONFLICTS During the civil war in Sierra Leone that started in 1991, over 15,000 children are estimated to have been forced to serve in military groups. After the end of the conflict in 2002, schooling was seen as a way for the former soldiers to recover their lost childhood. However, schools were not equipped to provide the psychosocial support necessary to enable them to readjust to normal life In 2005, it was estimated that 1 million Afghan refugee children were out-of-school An estimated 42 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide at the end of 2008 In Afghanistan, 670 schools were closed in early 2009 because of security threats, depriving 170000 children of education. In 2009, it was reported that in the past five years, 99 teachers have been reported killed and 296 schools have been firebombed CALCULATING THE COSTS In Sierra Leone, uniforms double the cost associated with school fees Education is proven to be one of the best financial investments to make In Ethiopia and Guatemala, children were in class and learning for only a third of the time schools were officially open

TESTIMONIES AND OPINIONS

3 LIVES
Three Children Not Going to School

Malina, 12, lives in a rural area of Rattanak Kiri, Cambodia. She is a member of a minority ethnic group and so, has never been to school. Lucy, 12, lives in the slum of Kibera in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. When she was 8, she enrolled in primary school, but in the second grade she dropped out. She wants to go back to school but has to take care of her brother, and her mother cannot afford the fees, uniforms and books. Victor, 14, lives on the streets of Manila, Philippines and makes a living by selling newspapers at road junctions. He went to primary school for four years, but left before completing it and has no prospect of returning.

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Human Rights

EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO GO TO SCHOOL

Lisa Larbi

EDUCATION IN AMERICA

An American Woman Tells Her Opinion

We're in the 21st century, the US has the largest economy, and we're supposedly one of the most developed nations. But our education is next-to-last out of a list of 30 developed countries. We also fund our education the least. The US doesn't care to fund education anymoreinstead we pay trillion dollars worth of Bush cuts, and trillions dollars worth of a war, but the government won't even pass a bill to increase education funding by 10 billion dollars.

THE CHILDREN OF GAZA

A BBC Story (Edited) Reports the Situation in Gaza Around the world millions of children are not getting a proper education because of poverty or war. Children in Gaza are having their learning schooling repeatedly interrupted by the conflict. It is early morning in northern Gaza and the streets are filled with children on their way to school. Most carry backpacks almost as big as themselves and all are dressed in crisply-ironed uniforms. It is quite a strange sight as they walk past piles of rubble and devastationleftovers from the conflict. In the Elyen family home, nine-year-old Huda is worried she will be late for school. The Elyens live in a flimsy, one-bedroom shack. Their house was destroyed and one of their cousins killed in a recent airstrike. Amer, their father, is worried about the winter. He tells me he cannot afford a proper roof because he has been out of work for 3 years due to the conflict and weak economy. Even so, Amer says he hopes his children will finish their schooling, regardless of poverty or violence. He had to leave school as a young boy to help support his brothers and sisters. He firmly believes that education can open doors to a better life. Sadly for many of Gaza's schoolchildren, hopes are not optimistic; they know that no matter how educated they are, opportunities are scarce and escaping Gaza for a better life elsewhere is almost impossible. Schools are repeatedly interrupted by conflict; Huda Elyens primary school had been bombed not too long ago. We are innocent, why do they do this to us? We have a right to go to school, like they do" says Mahmoud, a student at Hudas school. Like all other children in Gaza, Mahmoud wants a good education. However, they are unable to get one due to the continuous interruptions caused by the conflict. Teachers in Gaza say living in a war zone affects children's performance at school. Halla Abya, an English teacher, says many of her students have trouble concentrating; she describes them as psychologically and socially destroyed as many of them have lost parents, lost their homes, have been displaced, and witnessed violent and bloody scenes that could change anyone.

PARENTS SPEAK OUT

What 3 Parents Think About Education

Do we buy food or enroll our child in school? India I have spent days without having a full meal but never let [my son] think about leaving school. Bangladesh When my child is in school I have to pay for his uniforms, so money is given out while it is not coming inschool is very costly. Nigeria

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Human Rights

EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO GO TO SCHOOL

Lisa Larbi

PART III OPINIONS

WHY DO PROBLEMS STILL EXIST?
There is no one reason as to why problems in education still exist. People have different reasons for not going to school and getting an education. In Under the Magnifying Glass, we looked at health, womens rights, teachers, poverty, conflicts, and costs as being some of the numerous reasons. In Cause & Effect, family, inequalities, personal choice, governments, and shortages were seen as other reasons.

HOPES AND GOALS

Everyone has their own hopes and dreams; one of mine involves universal education. Personally, I hope that someday the global of education will rise significantly, and quality education will be available everywhere. It would be great if everyone has the chance to learn; it would be only fair that everyone has allowed equal opportunities to an education without any discrimination. I hope that the UN will be able to achieve their second MDG of achieving a universal primary education. Ensuring that, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling by 2015, will be a remarkable achievement; and even if they dont reach it in four years, I hope that one day they do reach their goal.

ALLEVIATING THE PROBLEM

Providing education for all is not a simple task; there may not be a direct solution, but there are many ways in which the problem can be decreased. Below are several things both individuals and groups alike can do to help spread education everywhere. POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS Gather volunteers to be teachers or teacher assistants in regions with teacher shortages Offer scholarships to special secondary students so that they many further their education Encourage non-governmental organizations to get involved in local situations Supervise a home school using laptops to attend school online Make education affordable by eliminating large amounts of school fees Ensure accessibility of schools by rallying groups to help construct them Make school systems more flexible by starting a mobile school that tours around rural areas Develop an inclusive learning environment by addressing discrimination and offering equal opportunities for all students Support intercultural and bilingual education systems to help minority differences Recruit and send skilled teachers to work in areas they are needed Build affordable schools in close proximity to residential areas Donate school supplies to areas in need Provide a second chance to out-of-school children and adolescents by urging them to re-enter and encouraging schools to be more flexible and offer re-entry Encourage more people, especially from disadvantaged areas, to become teachers Create good school feeding programs to provide nutritional and educational benefits
CONSIDER THIS: Poor parents, like all parents, also consider the quality of the education available. In some countries, the elimination of official fees has led to deterioration in quality, with surges in enrolment increasing class sizes and straining the school infrastructure. IS THE ELIMINATION OF SCHOOL FEES STILL A GOOD IDEA?

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EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO GO TO SCHOOL

Lisa Larbi

PEOPLE TAKING ACTION

Around the world, people are taking action to provide education and improve literacy. Non-governmental organizations like The Syria Trust for Development chaired by the First Lady, Asma Al-Assad, has started the FIRDOS program. The program works in 6 Syrian provinces, including Aleppo, Homs, and Idleb, and runs a Mobile Library and Information Center and Scholarship Program. The Syrian Trust for Development also uses micro-finance to empower women in Latakia. Greg Mortensons popular book, Three Cups of Tea (2006) spread the awareness of the education situation in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Over the years, he helped build schools one penny at a time, and continues to do so with donations to his NGO, Pennies for Peace.

THE UNS PROGRESS

The library in the village Charlotte Norman started for CAS is an excellent example to how individuals can make a difference too.

The United Nations leads the pursuit for all human rights, including the right to education. In 1990, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) launched the Education For All (EFA) movement with the goals to: 1. Enhance educational quality 2. Expand early childhood care and education 3. Provide free and compulsory education of good quality by 2015 4. Promote the acquisition of life-skills by adolescents and youth 5. Increase adult literacy rates by 50% by 2015 6. Eliminate gender disparities in education by 2005 and achieve gender equity by 2015 In 2000, the UN announced its 8 Millennium Development Goals to be achieved in 2015. Universal education is the second of the MDGs, after the end to extreme poverty and hunger. Thanks to cooperation around the world, the UN has already succeeded in getting 33 million children into school. The UN is making slow, but definite progress: The abolition of school fees in Burundi, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Malawi, Nepal and Tanzania has led to a surge in enrolment in a number of countries Investments in Ghana and Nepal have led to schools within close proximity of students, new teaching recruits to meet teacher demands, classrooms, and teaching materials Egypt is promoting education for girls by providing a free education to girl friendly schools; and Mongolia has introduced mobile schools or tent schools) to reach children in distant areas.

CONCLUSION
Whether you consider health, womens rights, literacy, age, teachers, poverty, discrimination, conflicts, quality, or cost, it all ends with the same thing: education is an important human right! We need it to improve our lives, grant other human rights, combat the worlds problems, empower people, and enlighten minds. After writing this report I can conclude that achieving education for all, like the other human rights, has no simple, straightforward answer and is extremely complicated to provide. Even so, I am glad that people all around the world are doing their best to alleviate the problem, it is our responsibility as global citizens to think of ways to alleviate global issues like lack of education. I have also learnt that education is best received in
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Human Rights

EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO GO TO SCHOOL

Lisa Larbi

school because the environment you in affects the way you learn; you need inclusive, welcoming learning environment that encourages you to put in an effort for your education. But the importance of education is not just practical: a well-educated, enlightened and active mind, able to wander freely and widely, is one of the joys and rewards of human existence.

PART IV REFERENCES
MORE PICTURES

Keeping Malnutrition in Check in Ethiopia

Continuing Education in Lebanon

Charlotte Reading to the Village Kids

Girls Face the Largest Educational Disadvantages in India

Making Room for the Disabled in Nicaragua

Outdoor Learning in Uganda

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

A large amount of the information gathered for this report was taken from two other reports, the 2000 UNESCO World Education Report and the 2010 EFA Global Monitoring Report. Because I used so much from these reports, I thought it would be right to acknowledge them in my own report, because they helped me tremendously. I found information, facts, photos, graphs, testimonies, and quotes in the reports and they helped make my report what it is.
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Human Rights

EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO GO TO SCHOOL

Lisa Larbi

BIBLIOGRAPHY
WEB PAGES 1. Education: a global problem. What problems in education do you see in your country?. (2010, August 10). Retrieved from http://www.globalcitizencorps.org/groups/issueeducation/13146 2. Education . (2010, December 6). Retrieved from http://www.globaleducation.edna.edu.au/globaled/go/cache/offonce/pid/27;jsessionid=DB E581A9325880C39DFCF859180C38C8 3. Human rights. (2010, November 1). Retrieved from http://www.globaleducation.edna.edu.au/globaled/go/cache/offonce/pid/180;jsessionid=D BE581A9325880C39DFCF859180C38C8 4. Q&A: 'education must reach the marginalized'. (25, February 2011). Retrieved from http://www.globalissues.org/news/2011/02/25/8660 5. Defining the right to education. (2008). Retrieved from http://www.right-toeducation.org/node/233 6. Education. (2011). Retrieved from http://issues.tigweb.org/education 7. Literacy. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.angelfire.com/planet/worldoneglobe/Lack%20Of%20Education.htm 8. Hungry to learn across the world. (13, October 2009). Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8303532.stm 9. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml 10. Breck, J. (2005, January 27). Right to go to school, or right to learn. Retrieved from http://www.goldenswamp.com/2005/01/27/right-to-go-to-school-or-right-to-learn/ 11. Right to education. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.hrea.org/index.php?doc_id=402 12. Education. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://issues.tigweb.org/education 13. Goal 2: achieve universal primary education . (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/leading-the-internationalagenda/education-for-all/education-and-the-mdgs/goal-2/ 14. Eight reasons why education is important to achieve the MDGs. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/leading-the-internationalagenda/education-for-all/education-and-the-mdgs/eight-reasons-to-achieve-the-mdgs/ 15. The right to education. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/leading-the-internationalagenda/right-to-education/ 16. EFA Global Monitoring Report. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/leading-the-internationalagenda/efareport/reports/2010-marginalization/ PDF DOCUMENTS 17. Goal 2: achieve universal primary education. (2010). (Fact Sheet), Retrieved from http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/pdf/MDG_FS_2_EN.pdf 18. UNESCO Publishing. (2010). The right to education (2000 World Education Report), Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/education/information/wer/PDFeng/wholewer.PDF 19. Oxford University Press. (2010). Reaching the marginalized (2010 EFA Global Monitoring Report), Retrieved from http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0018/001866/186606E.pdf
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