Question

how the right to education is a challenge

Answer 1

“Education is the best thing in life,” said a 12-year-old girl in Jeb Jannine, Lebanon. And yet, a large number of Syrian refugee children are not in school, despite efforts by governments and UN agencies.

During interviews and focus group discussions in Lebanon, 66 per cent of the 80 children asked about education said they were not attending school. If the situation does not improve dramatically, Syria risks ending up with an under-educated generation.

Against this backdrop, UNICEF has been leading the development of a strategy entitled ‘No Lost Generation.’ The strategy aims to improve children’s access to quality education and strengthen the protective environment for children. It also seeks to expand national capacity and access to education and protection for host communities, both inside Syria and in neighbouring countries, by bridging humanitarian and development responses. Recognizing the stress on the public school systems, the strategy also aims to significantly expand formal education in non-traditional settings, as well as non-formal education.

Answer 2

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.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.Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children. Every other day we see children working at highway restaurants, in people’s homes, on the roads, in tea stalls, car garages and workshops. To pick these children up and put them in school is hardly as easy as it sounds. The government must make every effort to become self-sufficient by using the education cess and other taxes to effectively implement the RTE Act. It must not always beg from the private sector.