International Day of Education 2023

Copyright: CBM

Are Our Education Programmes CRPD-Compliant?

Sakib, a 12-year-old boy had hearing loss which went undiagnosed until he faced trouble at his local school. His parents thought it would be better to put him in a boarding school far from his community. With no support from the new school, he faced a hard time fitting in, and consequently, he had to drop out. His local school, despite being a regular school unequipped to employ inclusive practices, agreed to enroll him again.

CBM Nepal’s community based inclusive development programme took Sakib to be diagnosed, provided him with a hearing aid and ran activities on disability-inclusive practices in his community. Now, Sakib is the oldest student in his school, due to his schooling being paused for some time. Despite this, inclusive practices have ensured he is just as happy as his schoolmates. 

“This time, he is not only back to his old school, but also back to his own community. His hearing aid has changed his lifestyle. Earlier, he often used to sit alone, quietly. He is more active now…He is good at writing and does his homework diligently. He also participates with his friends in sports and activities. We make sure nobody bullies him here.”  - Krishna Kumar Tajpuria, Sakib’s teacher, speaks about his educational journey   

Today, we present this story against the backdrop of International Day of Education, which is being celebrated globally. Unicef reports children with disabilities comprise 240 million of world population, half of whom have never attended school. Lack of education forces them to live in the margins of their communities and categorises them as vulnerable. Education does not provide for them despite it being their most fundamental right.   

This clearly indicates that we are not doing what the global communities promised: to realise the most basic rights of all children. Celebrating this day is a hollow reminder to our seemingly advanced, inclusive society that we are discussing Agenda 2030 and SDGs goals while existing educational practices leave millions behind.  

Inclusive education is not only for those who are excluded. It is for all. Education offers children and adults a ladder out of poverty and a path to a better future. But millions of children and youth are still out of school. Factors like climate change and conflict disproportionately affect the most marginalised and further exacerbates social inequalities. Inclusive education has the potential to safeguard our future generations and their livelihoods.    

“… To be honest, we don’t have a suitable infrastructure for Sakib here. We give him general lessons, treat him like others. We are also not trained in inclusive education. However, we do our best to accommodate him.”  - Krishna Kumar Tajpuria

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights calls for free and compulsory elementary education. The  Convention on the Rights of the Child goes further to lay down that countries shall make higher education accessible to all. The human rights puzzle still had a few elements missing.

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) echoes the state’s obligations. CRPD reminds our governments all over the world that appropriate legal instruments must be in place to replace old exclusionary laws and practices, ensuring that schools – both formal and informal, are obliged welcome everyone in the communities.  

Education is key to sustainable development. SDGs Goal 4 aims to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all” by 2030. This indeed is the reiteration of the CRPD’s Article 24: education including lifelong education for all persons with disabilities, reinforcing the collective mandate of the states making the commitment even stronger. Without inclusive and quality education, countries will not succeed in achieving gender and disability equality and breaking the cycle of poverty that is leaving millions of children, youth and adults behind. 

The United Nations General Assembly has marked the 24th of January as International Day of Education, in celebration of the role of education for peace and development. Transforming Education Summit 2022 underscored the lack of equity, inclusion, quality and relevance as a crisis in education - destroying the future of children worldwide. The question at hand is, do our governments design education programmes as per CRPD commitments? Are the policymakers, education planners, national and international actors and agencies we engage with doing their most to design and resource the right kind of education programmes? Are the educational policies and practices we relate to aimed at promoting social inclusion and equality? 

When everyone is supported equally, the education system becomes transformed for all. These changes uplift students like Sakib – who experienced an exclusionary education system – ensuring that they reach their full potential to thrive and grow. Embracing comprehensive and sustainable practices will lead to positive changes in our lacking educational practices – helping our societies to change forever.