How Other Countries Word the Right to Education

In the U.S., education is not a right guaranteed by the Constitution, believe it or not.  Most other countries to whom we compare ourselves–an many we don’t–do explicitly protect children’s write to learn.  Check out this longer read by the United Nations called Implementing the Right to Education to see how other nations go about putting educational rights on paper and following through.  Here’s a taste from the opening:

At a strategic time for political commitments, and following the Incheon Declaration adopted at the World Education Forum, the 2030 Development Agenda and the Education 2030 Framework for action, we need to put into operation a strong vision for an education of the future that is rooted in the principles of equity and inclusion. We need an education that is open to all learners and fosters their diversity as a source of wealth rather than a basis for exclusion. We need an education for all that provides the tools necessary for the next generation to build and maintain sustainable societies.

We cannot leave those 59 million children behind. Education is not a privilege or a luxury, it is a fundamental human right that must be safeguarded, promoted and monitored to prevent discrimination or violation.