UNESCO warns that the global legal framework for the right to education must be urgently modernized to keep pace with a transforming world.
“If we do not update the legal framework, we will leave a large part of the population behind,” warned Borhène Chakroun, director of lifelong learning at UNESCO, in an interview with UN News.
Progress on access
A new UNESCO report, Right to education: past, present and futurenotes that progress made since the 1960 Convention against Discrimination in Education and Education 2030 Agenda was “real and measurable”.
“We have made enormous progress since the adoption of the Convention against Discrimination in Education,” said Mr. Chakroun.
In two decades, the free primary education landscape has been transformed: 82 percent of countries now offer free basic education, up from 56 percent in 2000. Completion rates have also increased, with 88 percent of children completing primary school today, up from 77 percent two decades ago.
Gender parity in schools is now close to being achieved in most regions. Higher education has experienced what UNESCO calls an explosive expansion, from 100 million students in 2000 to 264 million today. Encouragingly, this surge includes significant growth in least developed countries.
Pratham volunteer helps student read in Orissa, India
Persistent inequalities and the learning crisis
Yet behind these positive trends lie deep and stubborn disparities. “These positive results should not obscure the problems we face today,” warned Mr. Chakroun.
According to the report, 272 million children still leave school prematurely, while 762 million adults remain illiterate; two thirds are women. Learning outcomes are of particular concern: “In several low-income countries, up to 70 percent of ten-year-olds cannot read and understand a simple sentence – an alarming indicator of the quality of learning,” he said.
Poverty, shortage of qualified teachers, weak infrastructure, political instability and climate shocks are fueling this crisis.
A basketball rests in a school gymnasium that was damaged during heavy shelling in Ukraine’s Kherson region.
Climate, conflict and AI are reshaping learning
Global disruption is putting unprecedented pressure on education systems. In 2024 alone, climate-related events will disrupt the education of more than 240 million students.
UNESCO calls for strengthening systems resilience, better teacher training and the expansion of hybrid and distance learning models, drawing lessons from COVID-19 pandemic. Conflict also deprives millions of children of equitable learning opportunities, particularly those displaced across borders.
Added to this is the rapid development of artificial intelligence. “Our approach to AI must be human-centered,” Chakroun said, as UNESCO calls for strong regulation, teacher training and tools truly designed to improve learning.
Lifelong learning helps an older Georgia woman retool her skills, opening up continued earning opportunities.
Lifelong learning
Amid radical changes in labor markets, UNESCO highlights that lifelong learning is now essential, particularly for workers and older people.
“Investing in the education of adults, workers and the elderly is a necessity: without it, many risk losing their jobs, disconnecting from society and no longer being part of their community,” explained Mr. Chakroun.
Countries are already moving forward with their reforms. The French individual training account allows workers to finance the development of their skills. Singapore’s SkillsFuture program offers similar opportunities to all citizens; Australia targets low-skilled adults through foundation qualification; and Morocco has included the right to professional training in its constitution.
Publicado anteriormente en Almouwatin.
