24TH JANUARY IS THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF EDUCATION
Education is a must to bring changes and build a better future for all. In India, the right to education is one of the fundamental rights and globally education is a human right, a public good and a public responsibility. Without proper education no community or nation may progress as it’s a ladder towards success.
The irony is that about 244 million children and adolescents around the world are out of school; 617 million children and adolescents cannot read and do basic math; less than 40% of girls in sub-Saharan Africa complete lower secondary school and some four million children and youth refugees are out of school. Their right to education is being violated and it is unacceptable.
Without inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong opportunities for all, countries will not succeed in achieving gender equality and breaking the cycle of poverty that is leaving millions of children, youth and adults behind.
The right to education is enshrined in article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The declaration calls for free and compulsory elementary education. The Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted in 1989, goes further to stipulate that countries shall make higher education accessible to all. Different countries have different programmes to ensure that education is possible for all citizens.
There is no doubt that education is the key to sustainable development. While adopting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in September 2015, the international community recognized that education is essential for the success of all 17 of its goals. Sustainable Development Goal 4, in particular, aims to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all” by 2030.
On 3 December 2018, the United Nations General Assembly adopted with consensus a resolution proclaiming 24 January as International Day of Education( IDE) , in celebration of the role of education for peace and development.
The adoption of the resolution 73/25 “International Day of Education”, co-authored by Nigeria and 58 other Member States, demonstrated the unwavering political will to support transformative actions for inclusive, equitable and quality education for all.
UNESCO, as the specialized United Nations agency for education, facilitates the annual observance of the Day in close collaboration with main education actors.
António Guterres, the Secretary General of the United Nations on his message on the occasion of IDE said that “we particularly need to listen to the voices of young people themselves, and act on their pleas for qualified teachers, relevant skills and competencies training for a changing world, and equitable access to technology”.
The Secretary General called on all governments, partners and donors to prioritize education in their policies, budgets and recovery efforts. We must close the persistent gaps in financing, access and quality that lock young people out of the future they seek and deserve.
To ensure the right to education foundations must be strengthened and for this the elementary and primary schools must be well equipped so that the beginning becomes good for all. There are many challenges in developing countries and also in a country like India. We know that good schools need good school leaders but this is not very common when it comes to government schools in our region.
Leadership is essential for quality education, seen as the second most important factor influencing learning outcomes. Effective leadership occurs at various levels, including within schools and in government. In the North Eastern where there is a diversity of languages and vernacular mediums, there are more challenges. There is no comparison when we look at the performance of the government schools and privately managed schools.
There is a shortage of teachers in many government schools and delays of text book distribution in vernacular mediums. Effective leadership is needed with innovative programmes to ensure quality education to all. Apart from the government, youths may take up initiatives to ensure quality education in our society as youth make up more than half of the global population and are a powerful engine for innovation, social change and sustainable development.
As this year’s theme reminds us, we particularly need to listen to the voices of young people themselves, and act on their pleas for qualified teachers, relevant skills and competencies training for a changing world, and equitable access to technology. With participatory planning and effective actions and engaging youths we can ensure quality education and we can build inclusive, resilient and innovative education systems for all people.
(With direct inputs from UN publication and feedback may be sent to bkranjan@gmail.com)
Ranjan K Baruah,
Guwahati.