Access Denied: When Education is Prohibited

This past week, while working on a program that will be presented in the spring semester for the Lifelong Learning Society, I discovered that the denial of higher education in other countries is extremely prevalent. While I was not necessarily shocked that students are being denied education, I was taken aback by the lengths that these students will proceed to obtain a denied education and the atrocities that they endure.

The right to education has been universally recognized since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 and has since been preserved in various international conventions, national constitutions and development plans. However, while the vast majority of countries have signed up to, and approved, these rights, far fewer have integrated these rights into their national constitutions or provided the legislative and administrative frameworks to ensure that these rights are practiced. The right exists in theory but there is no way to apply this right in practice. Today, the right to education is still denied to millions around the world.

Therefore, if people have access to education they can develop the skills, capability and confidence to obtain other rights. Education gives people the ability to gain information specifying the rights that they hold, and government’s obligations. It assists people to develop the communication skills to demand these rights, the confidence to speak in an assortment of assemblies, and the ability to work with government officials and power holders. In addition, an educated adult population is imperative for strong economic development. It also sets the groundwork for better overall economic productivity, and the use of new technologies for development. 

Education can have several definitions because people can choose to become educated for many different reasons; increase knowledge, improve self-confidence, pursue a dream or educate others. It does not matter what the reason is, the main objective is that an education is to reach goals that will help people better themselves in a variety of ways. Now imagine what the world would be like without education. Are we already there?