Every child has the right to education
Every child has the right to education
A child’s right to education includes the right to learn, not only from a young age but also during secondary education. Unfortunately though, for far too many children, schooling does not lead to learning and education does not lead to employment.
The educational system is broken.
The right to education is lost
Despite the fact that two-thirds of them are in school, almost 600 million children and adolescents worldwide do not have even basic numeracy and literacy skills [1]. And foundation-level skills in these areas are even further from grasp for those children who are not attending school.
Children are denied education and learning for many reasons. Poverty is one of the most difficult obstacles. Children experiencing violence or those with disabilities or neurodiversity are more likely to be excluded from school.
Even in schools, a shortage of skilled teachers, insufficient educational resources, and a lack of infrastructure makes it impossible for many children to study or learn easily.
Without a good education, children face significant obstacles in employment and earning potential later in life. They are more likely to have poor health outcomes and are less likely to engage in choices that impact them, putting their capacity to plan a better future for themselves at risk. Education is a key social and cultural right and plays an important role in promoting democracy, peace, tolerance, development and economic growth.
The right to education is lost
Our children are failing because we are failing them
So, you might think that it’s just a third-world issue. But unfortunately, it’s not.
Take a look at just one aspect: Neurodiversity explains all the different atypical ways in which individual brains can function. It covers both learning difficulties, such as dyslexia and developmental conditions, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
According to various research, between 15-20% of the population is neurodiverse, including up to 10% of people with dyslexia, 5% with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and 1-2% with autism [2].
About 1 in 6 or 17% of children aged 3-17 have variations in their brain development and are considered neurodivergent [3]. Exact numbers vary in different studies, but look at any country and you’ll find that a large number of neurodivergent children or young adults don’t attend school or go to work.
The right to education works to level inequalities
According to a recent survey by Autism Denmark, an organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life of those with the illness, more than a third of autistic (and up to 44% of neurodivergent) children in Denmark do not attend school, and of that amount, some have been absent for more than just a few years [4].
They are not at home because they do not want to study, but because the structure around the learning stops them from doing so. The system is failing to be engaging enough to capture their minds and their hearts, to inspire them to learn. While we need assessments, when it comes to grading, the metric F for fail is actually failing to meet the needs of neurodiverse learners. They are becoming even more uninspired and losing their passion for studying, leading to further worry and depression in an already difficult situation.
Covid has only exacerbated the pre-existing global learning crisis; we need to act urgently to recover learning and seize this opportunity to build education systems back better.
Most children really want to learn and get an education that will help them into employment. A more individual, flexible environment is needed.
How do we transform education for the better?
We need a more holistic approach on how to educate this special segment that holds the key to our future as the specialists we need for the further evolution of humankind, and so a new approach to learning and education is required.
One that addresses the financial limitations of education by offering DAO-based education grants so that children can learn for free. Organizations looking to recruit can opt into programmes and effectively sponsor children through educational courses.
Every child has the right to education, and online programs provide not just accessibility but a safe and contained environment that suits so many young learners.
Short course qualifications enrich knowledge and provide practical training that’s to the point and therefore leads to employment from companies that are wholly invested in candidates with the exact skills they are looking for.
Greater access to more highly specialized educators is needed and instead of being designated a teacher, students or parents can make informed decisions and choose an instructor that they can bond with to get the best outcome possible.
Short course qualifications support the right to education
We must be truly inclusive
These are all innovative ideas that make sense to help reform outdated, archaic, and ineffective systems. We need to grow students’ access to learning through technologies that are inclusive to everyone.
The system must change or society as we know it will fall apart. We include all, not just to be humanitarian, but so that the next generation stands a fighting chance of success.
The system must change for every child to have the right to education
This global education crisis means greater work is required to restore learning losses and restructure education. To do this, we cannot return to pre-pandemic practices. We need bold, innovative changes to guarantee that all education systems not just recover from the pandemic's consequences, but also progress toward a future in which all children can study and grow to their full potential, with a greater emphasis on relevant qualifications that lead to work.
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References:
[1] Education - Every child has the right to learn
[2] Neurodiversity at work: a biopsychosocial model and the impact on working adults
[3] Increase in Developmental Disabilities Among Children in the United States
[4] Failed by society: why autistic kids in Denmark aren’t going to school
