Education right round the world

Article 28 of the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) states that every single child has the right to receive an education – no matter who they are or where they are in the world.

Though not part of domestic law, the UK government has nevertheless signed up to the UNCRC and committed to ensuring that all children receive a quality education from birth until they leave education altogether. The UNCRC contains 58 articles, 12 of which are essential to the early years sector.

The stipulations outlined by the UNCRC closely influence the practice of early years professionals – from the breadth and depth of daily learning to familial support and differentiation.

International Day of Education takes place each year; in 2025, it occurs on 24 January, with this year’s theme being ‘Learning for lasting peace’.

It isn’t an exaggeration to say that the world is in a precarious position right now. Aside from rapid climate change, there are also multiple wars – civil and proxy – as well as genocides currently ongoing, devastating the lives of everyone they touch. No group has, or will be, more affected by these conditions than the children they impact, though.

“Learning for peace must be a transformative process, enabling learners to gain essential knowledge, values, attitudes, skills, and behaviours, thereby empowering them to serve as catalysts for peace in their communities.

"The foundation of more peaceful, just, and sustainable societies is laid through education, a force that permeates every facet of our daily lives and overall prospects. In the face of escalating climate change, democratic erosion, persistent inequalities, growing discrimination, hate speech, violence, and conflict on a global scale, education emerges as a powerful tool to both address and prevent these challenges in the future. Moreover, when effectively shaped and implemented, education becomes a long-term investment with increasing returns.

An active commitment to peace is more urgent today than ever: education is central to this endeavour.”

In many instances, alongside the daily horrors experienced, children lack access to ordinary lives – including food, shelter and safety as well as a regular education. However, as stated by the UN, a solid, unbiased education is the key to achieving peace in the future and beyond. So, this International Day of Education, how can we recommit to the UNCRC’s Article 28 and ensure that quality education, both at home and afar, is the experience of every child from birth until adulthood?

One way is to be aware of what education looks like around the world, to understand both the limits and advantages, and to work in community with other educators, no matter where in the world they are.

Most urgent world crises to be aware of in 2025, as highlighted by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in December 2024:

1. Sudan

2. Occupied Palestine territory

3. Myanmar

4. Syria

5. South Sudan

6. Lebanon

7. Burkina Faso

8. Haiti

9. Mali

10. Somalia

In some parts of the world, while there’s access to education, it can be limited due to a lack of resources, poor economic conditions, illness or violence; in others, education is limited to certain groups and peoples – for example, in Afghanistan, schooling has once again become something that girls and women have no access to.

Countries across Africa have varying access to education, with the location of schools often determining how able they are to disseminate learning. In the Gambia and Senegal, for example, schools in fishing and farming villages and in growing towns possess far fewer resources than those in cities. Many village schools contain children of all ages in one classroom, with learning resources often consisting of a blackboard and chalk, songs and outdoor spaces; desks, tables and chairs aren’t a given, either. Regardless, though, the dedication to uplifting children and teenagers through education is the same.

In South Africa, an extensive network of early years settings has been set up called the Care Community. Our early years experts have joined up with this community to virtually share practice and advice surrounding a range of topics that early educators in South Africa identified as points of interest. One of the most recent topics has been 'Books – A world of possibilities'.

The July session, based around the book Giraffes Can’t Dance, explored tips and ideas to make the most of books with the 38 early years educators in attendance – not only in putting them at the heart of what we do to support children's learning and development, but also in discovering how they can bring the joy of a journey into another world.

In the future, members of the Alliance’s team of experts will be delivering further sessions and supporting the early years teams with video recordings that can be accessed when needed.

Child-friendly books detailing the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child that you can use to inform your practice and teach children about their rights:

In your day-to-day practice, one way to integrate the importance of education in your children’s learning is to teach them about what learning looks like around the world – from beach and forest schools in Australia and China to innovations in African countries that overcome limited resources (songs, rhymes, games, chalkboard drawings etc).

This month’s Book Nook has some books that look at what schooling – from early years upwards – is like around the world, providing an innovative avenue to globalise your own practice.

Learning about education around the world – both in material and cultural terms – can also help you when children with English as an additional language (EAL) join your setting! It can help them integrate effectively by considering the experiences they may or may not have had depending on their background, which helps them emotionally, and it can also help build empathy and understanding in the other children.

How do you make sure that your setting promotes education as a basic right for children? And how can you add to this in future?