education

Continuing his official visit to Republic of Korea, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at two forums today highlighted the importance of youth, education and information communication technologies (ICTs) in shaping the future sustainable development agenda.

Education is not a privilege but rather a birthright that secures human rights and fights violent extremism, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today in Incheon, Republic of Korea, as he opened the World Education Forum 2015 which aims to set the roadmap for global education until 2030.

In a commencement address at Georgetown University, where he received an honorary degree today, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told graduates to choose service, be bold, listen, champion progress and act with passion and compassion.

Despite impressive progress in raising school enrolment over the past decade, one in four children and young adolescents in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are either out of school or at risk of dropping out, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

Just one third of countries have achieved all the measurable education goals set in 2000 and only half of all countries have achieved universal primary enrolment, the United Nations agency mandated with promoting learning spotlighted today, urging countries to bridge the $22 billion annual finance gap needed to achieve quality basic education for all by 2030.

The United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education, Gordon Brown, called today for “fundamental changes” to strengthen the global commitment to defending the rights of schoolgirls and boys, as he said that 2015 should be the year to end violations of children’s rights.

Mother tongue education is not only a force for quality learning, it is also essential to bolster multilingualism and respect for linguistic and cultural diversity at a time when societies are transforming quickly and many languages are under threat, the United Nations agency mandated with promoting education said today.

Free, quality basic education is a fundamental human right for all, and governments must not delegate this responsibility to the private sector, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to education urged authorities in Africa today.

A new United Nations human rights report seeking to analyse the problem of attacks against girls trying to access education found that schools in at least 70 different countries were attacked in the five years between 2009 and 2014, with many attacks specifically targeting girls, parents and teachers advocating for gender equality in education.