15 - UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Sustainable Development Goals

Summary

One of the most important rights ensured by the United Nations’ 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child is the right of all children to education, which is addressed in Articles 28 and 29. The United Nations’ 2015 Sustainable Development Goals, specifically Goal 4 (SDG4), calls for universal inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning by 2030. In this chapter, we examine children’s rights to education and the responsibility of adults and society to ensure child rights within educational settings, as articulated in the Convention and SDGs. We also address how the Convention and SDG4 can be used to guide schools and educators in establishing policies, structures, and practices that ensure the promotion and protection of child rights within educational settings. Further, we examine the role of schools and educators in teaching children about their rights, for example, through integration into school policies and curriculum. We propose that efforts to ensure child rights to and within education be directed at the child, providers (e.g., caregivers, teachers), school system, community, and policymakers. We conclude with an illustrative story from a child’s perspective.