Canada has built a strong foundation in education, particularly in our publicly funded primary and secondary school systems. Have we fulfilled the right to education for everyone?
As Maytree’s grantee People of Education points out, “In Canada, everyone has a right to education, but that right is currently neither adequately defined, nor equitably accessible.” Much like other social and economic rights, including the right to food or the right to income security, the realization of the right to education has lagged behind political and civil rights.
Through education, young people have the opportunity to develop their skills, abilities and character, and their capacity to participate in civic life. Education helps young people to grow into fully functioning members of our society.
Education is also a means to achieving other rights. If you have access to education, you are more likely to know your rights, and know how to advocate for yourself and for others. Education empowers people and enables us to realize our other rights.
Maytree’s work on education includes exploring what a right to education means in an advanced economy. In addition, we are interested in how education about human rights strengthens peoples’ abilities to advocate for themselves and others when their rights are violated.
Related
- People for Education: Why does Canada need a Right to Education Framework?
- Annie Kidder, Executive Director, People for Education: Re-Framing Quality Public Education as a Fundamental Human Right
