UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education visits EI

During his visit on 3 February, Singh met with Education International (EI) General Secretary Fred van Leeuwen and his management team and discussed  the challenges affecting teachers and students around the world.

“We are committed to working with the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education, the UN system, and governments globally to tackle challenges affecting educators and students around the world,” said van Leeuwen, welcoming the UN Special rapporteur and thanking him for his visit.

Wide-ranging discussion

Education International’s leaders and Singh discussed the development goals (SDGs) and how to translate the SDGs into concrete policies, plans, programmes and legislation frameworks at the national level. The crucial role of teachers in implementing the SDG ‘4’ on quality education and its targets was also discussed.

They also debated the current threats to equitable education caused by privatisation and commercialisation of education. Van Leeuwen commended the UN Special Rapporteur for highlighting the threats posed by privatisation and commercialisation of education in his Report on Public-Private Partnerships and the Right to Education, which was presented to the UN General Assembly in October  last year.

Singh was presented with the EI Human Rights Policy Paperwhich highlights the need to promote and ensure the rights of refugee and migrant teachers and children the world over. The EI leadership also shared EI’s various work on human rights with the UN Special Rapporteur.

ICT concerns

All parties also had frank  reflections  on the use of information and communications technologies (ICT) in education and the threats to education represented by the abusive use of ICT, such as cyberbullying. Singh received EI’s international Protocol on the use of information and communications technology in education.