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Education is a Human Right, Says UNICEF
By Andrea Shettle, MSW | June 2, 2008
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has released a report on a human rights based approach to making education accessible to all children, entitled A Human Rights-Based Approach to Education for All: A framework for the realization of children’s right to education and rights within education (PDF format, 812 Kb).
The report discusses current thinking and practice on human rights based approaches in the education sector. It presents key issues and challenges in rights-based approaches and provides a framework for developing policies and programs at the school, local, national, or international levels. It is targeted particularly at governments, civil society organizations, United Nations and bilateral agencies, and other development partners.
This report touches briefly on issues affecting disabled children in education throughout. A search for the word "disabilities" finds multiple short references in the text. For example, there is a mention of such issues as the fact that the birth of some children–but particularly disabled children–may not be registered in some countries, making it more difficult to accurately estimate the need for schooling. And the report asserts that attention must be paid to the communication needs of children with sensory impairments (Braille for blind students; sign language for deaf students).
The report can be downloaded in PDF format (812 Kb) at: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0015/001548/154861E.pdf A somewhat longer version of this article was first posted at the We Can Do blog on disability and international development. It is re-posted here with permission of author.
Topics: Human Rights -- General |
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