After the 2016 failed coup attack in Turkey, the Turkish government accused Fethullah Gülen and Gülen’s “Hizmet” movement as the masterminds of the failed coup attack. Then, many teachers, professors, government officials, prosecutors, army members, police officers and human rights activists were detained, persecuted, and oppressed for their alleged link to the Hizmet movement. But what is the Hizmet Movement? Who is Fethullah Gülen? In addition, why is the current Turkish regime accusing Gülen of plotting the failed coup attack in 2016?
Broken Chalk is a non-profit organisation that fights against all types of discrimination, particularly human rights violations in education. As a fast-growing organisation, Broken Chalk strives to remove existing barriers in the educational sphere worldwide, collaborating with communities and organisations that share a similar mission and becoming a leading organisation that sustainably addresses human rights violations.
As part of Broken Chalk’s mission to defend human rights in the field of education, the “Broken Chalk Talks” program, launched on Monday, is a mini-seminar series for a 3-week period, whereby Dr Ismail M. Sezgin gives a lecture. As the Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Center for Hizmet Studies and research assistant at Regent’s Park College, his purposes with this initiative are to educate people about Fethullah Gülen – a Turkish Islamic scholar who self-exiled in the USA since 1999 -, about Hizmet Movement, and on the oppression of Hizmet Movement members, for many of them have been detained and stripped away from their jobs and positions.
In the first week of the seminar, Dr Ismail briefly introduced Fethullah Gülen’s life and activism since an early age, the atmosphere in Turkey during the 1990s, and how he was forced to emigrate to the United States to protect himself from his potential assassination. Dr Ismail provided a brief history of the Hizmet movement and its activism and dedication to human rights and charity works to improve marginalised people’s education, health, and living conditions. For the next two weeks, the seminar will discuss the Hizmet Movement and the ‘AKP’ – the current ruling party in Turkey and explain the reason for the AKP’s accusations towards Gulen and the Hizmet Movement on the grounds of ‘terrorism’. He will additionally dive into the reason for the Hizmet Movement’s support for AKP and Erdogan from 2002 until 2013, why the Hizmet movement stopped supporting the AKP, as well as the persecution of the Hizmet Movement in Turkey after the failed coup attack in 2016.
Broken Chalk proudly presents the fourth edition of “Education Monitor: Around the Globe” between 1st and 15th May 2023. Broken Chalk aims with this letter to increase public awareness of Educational problems, challenges, and violations in the scope of the world. This newsletter is unique. This is a weekly newsletter in which we attempt to monitor and convey educational news from around the world in a concise manner. This monitor will be published biweekly with the effort of our young and enthusiastic team.
You can contribute to our work if you like. If you witness any violations in the scope of education, you can write the comment part of this post. Broken Chalk will try to address the issue in its next monitor edition.
To Download it as pdf : EducationMonitor: Around the Globe Week_15_16_2023
Broken Chalk Platform, in March 2019, was founded by a group of educators abroad who experienced and have been experiencing severe human rights violations in Turkey and had to ask for asylum currently in several countries.
These education volunteers also suffered greatly and started their new lives in their new countries without human rights violations. They gained respect just because they were considered human beings in those countries. However, they left one part of their minds and hearts in their homeland. They assigned themselves a new duty, and the human rights violations they left behind had to be announced to the World. A group of education volunteers who came together for this purpose started their activities under the Broken Chalk platform’s umbrella. However, the Broken Chalk platform was not enough to serve their aims. Therefore, they completed their official establishment as a Human Rights Foundation in October 2020.
Broken Chalk is now much more than a platform, and we have reviewed and enlarged our vision and mission within this framework. Violations of rights would be the first in our agenda in the field of Education all over the World. At the point we reached today, Broken Chalk opened its door to all individuals from all across the globe, from all professions, and to all individuals who say or can say ‘I also want to stand against violations of human rights in Education for our future and whole humanity, where our generations grow up together.’
Education is essential because it can help us eliminate the evils from society, introduce, and increase the good. We want to draw the public’s and stakeholders’ attention to the fact that Education is in danger in several different parts of the World. The attacks are wide-reaching, from the bombing of schools to the murder of students and teachers. Raping and sexual violence, arbitrary arrests, and forced recruitment also occurred, instigated by armed groups. Attacks on Education harm the students and teachers but also affect the communities in the short and long term.
We invite all individuals who want to stop human rights violations in Education to become Volunteers at Broken Chalk.
Education is a fundamental human right. It allows people to ensure their survival, enhance their skills and grow their passion. Unfortunately, not everyone has an equal chance of accessing educational facilities. There is a noticeable discrepancy between the educational rights of women and men. Despite the existence of the Convention against Discrimination in Education, ratified by 109 states and recognized by international law, empirical evidence illustrates that boys are more likely to be enrolled in schools. The convention states, amongst other things, that primary school should be free and compulsory and secondary education in different forms accessible to all. Furthermore, it emphasizes the importance of prohibiting gender inequality. Unfortunately, girls suffer from systematic setbacks, whether we talk about being discouraged from choosing careers in stereotypically masculine domains such as STEM, or issues such as child marriage. UNESCO tries to promote this through various projects and movements. One of its latest releases is Her Atlas, an interactive meant to spread awareness on access to education for girls in various states of the world. It is part of the strategy for Gender Equality in and through Education, and it has as its primary goal monitoring and increasing public understanding of the hardships women face in various countries.
Her Atlas is a database of all countries in the world. It follows 12 indicators based on which each state receives a score. While some parts might seem technical, anyone can understand the main points. You can either download the databases on an Excel sheet or pick a specific state you are interested in and you will see graphs on the item of interest. With a very easy to get around interface, it can be a great tool for academics and curious minds alike. Some of you might wonder: “Why should I care about Her atlas?”. The answer to this question is relatively complex. If you work in the field of human rights, having a place where all the needed information on the status of access to education for girls is centralized is particularly convenient. If your work does not require the use of such knowledge, this tool remains relevant. Despite education being a central part of our development, girls are deprived throughout the world of it. Taking a look at Her Atlas can give any individual a better comprehension of the state of the world and dismantle urban myths, such as the fact that our world reached complete gender equality. The reality is that girls and women are a vulnerable category, facing discrimination due to an inherently patriarchal society, that has preconceived ideas about girls embedded.
Her Atlas analyses 12 indicators to rate states on a scale from 1 to 5. They are all relevant for offering a relatively comprehensive analysis of the inclusion of girls and women in education. [i]The rest of this article will briefly summarize these indicators.
Party to UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in Education
This convention is relevant since it is the first legally binding international document related to the right to education. All signatories have the obligation under international law to respect the provisions of it.
Party to UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against women
Unlike the previous convention, the UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women primarily offers recommendations to signatory countries, instead of imposing implementation. However, it is considered one of the most comprehensive documents on the topic, summarizing the fundamental principles of overcoming discriminatory practices against women.
Constitution enshrines the right to education for all girls and women
Besides international documents, constitutional rights play a crucial role in ensuring that girls have proper access to education. The constitution is the fundamental law of every state, meaning that the existence of protective measures for girls contributes to the proliferation of further such legislation.
Legislation enshrines the right to education for all girls and women
Through legislation, the Constitution is implemented at the practical level. This indicator ensures that the data collected in Her Atlas includes the real-life implementation of the indicators.
The legal framework guarantees compulsory education (9+ years)
Compulsory education ensures that everyone regardless of gender, social status, ethnicity, race, or sexual orientation can complete their studies. Therefore, such an implementation decreases the chances of discrimination against girls and women when trying to attend school.
The legal framework guarantees free education (12+ years)
Free education ensures that school does not become a luxury that only a few can attend. If given the option, impoverished families might be inclined to choose to educate the boys, leaving the girls at home. If classes are free and compulsory, families would be encouraged and more willing to send their girls to school.
The legal framework guarantees free and compulsory pre-primary education
Pre-primary education could play a role in the future development of children. Ensuring that every girl can attend would relatively level the playing field between boys and girls, giving them the same preparation from their early beginnings.
The legal framework guarantees equal access to post-secondary education
Post-secondary education, whether vocational or academic, increases the chances of employment of an individual. Unfortunately, especially in developing countries, a gap is identified between the number of women and men attending post-secondary schools.
The legislation sets the minimum age of marriage for girls at 18 years
Child marriage is one of the biggest threats to a girl’s education and development. This discriminatory practice usually leads to girls dropping out of school to raise children. Prohibiting child marriage can decrease the percentage of girls forced to put a stop to their educational preparation.
The minimum age of employment is aligned with the end of compulsory education
The minimum employment age ensures children are not forced into choosing to work instead of finishing their studies. This happens primarily in impoverished areas, where children become a means of supporting the family. Girls are particularly vulnerable to child labor, given the embedded idea that a girl`s education is not as worthy of an investment as the education of a boy.
The legal framework protects from violence within educational institutions
Violence affects children regardless of gender, but it is used as a form of gender discrimination. It is paramount to ensure a safe environment for children for proper development.
The legal framework protects the right to education of pregnant and parenting girls
Pregnancy and raising a child are one of the causes of school drop-out among girls and women. Offering specific rights to people in such instances, the chances of finishing their education increases.
As seen previously, Her Atlas analyses various factors in its database. Regardless of your profession, it is worth checking out the website. It could answer some questions about the state of women`s rights and maybe even give a broader perspective on how countries situate themselves in the fight for gender equality.
Cape Verde is an insular country located approximately 500 km off the African west coast. This archipelago, formed by 10 main islands and several smaller ones, is home to approximately 550,000 people, of which more than one-fifth are children between the ages of 6 and 14 and therefore obligated to attend school for a minimum of nine years, according to the Education Law of Cape Verde.
After Cape Verde gained independence from Portugal in 1975, the country set out to establish an educational system that would better serve Cape Verdeans. The early years were marked by significant challenges as the legacy of colonialism left the nation with limited means and structure to create access to universal education.
During the 80s and 90s, regular reforms were undertaken by the government to gradually improve the functioning of the education system and the quality of services provided to its people.
One of the most significant developments has been expanding access to education, particularly at the primary and secondary levels. Today, more than 80% of the population is literate, and most children in Cape Verde attend school, bringing the country close to achieving the Millennium Development Goals concerning universal basic education.
However, an in-depth analysis of the educational system reveals that there are still significant challenges to overcome, such as disparities in the quality of education experience between central and more rural areas, lack of qualified personnel for specialized and crucial areas like sciences and technologies and a defaulted articulation between the curricular program and the needs of the national economy.
The kindergarten graduation in Santiago island. Photo by Duncan CV
Insularity as a barrier to standardize education across the country.
Although, in general, there’s a relatively even distribution of population across the nation, Santiago is home to nearly 35% of its total population and, therefore, the most populous island.
Despite the decentralization policies implemented in the last years to empower local governments and address the unique needs of their communities, historically, there has been criticism about the unequal distribution of resources and investment funnelled to Praia (the country’s capital) and other regions.
Alongside other spheres of the national economy like trading, commerce, medical care and other specialized services, the quality of education experienced in the capital and urban centres is different to what is the reality in more remote areas of the country. Schools in Praia tend to have better resources and infrastructures, more qualified teachers, and higher educational standards. In contrast, some schools in remote areas often lack essential resources like textbooks, electricity, and running water.
While there is a significant concentration of schools in urban areas, students in rural regions and less central islands like Brava, Santo Antao, and Sao Nicolau see themselves forced to travel further distances to attend school but unable to rely on a public transportation system to cover regular allocation. Because many families cannot afford the transportation cost, in this scenario, the distance to schools can be a significant barrier for children to access and complete their education. For many communities in the more interior regions of these islands, roads and infrastructures are debilitated. During the rainy season, travelling can be dangerous, leaving them temporarily isolated and students unable to travel safely to school.
The inequality in the level of education experienced across different regions of the cape-Verdean territory can have a considerable impact on the academic prospect and life opportunities of the youngsters. If those living in remote locations have limited access to quality education and training, their ability to secure employment in areas that require higher qualifications is being hindered and limits the extension of their contribution to the country’s development.
Neglected, with fewer resources and qualified teachers, schools in rural areas experience higher dropout rates, and illiteracy rates are twice more elevated than observed in the capital.
One way to balance the plate and pave a path towards a more standardized education across the country could be by redirecting social funds. Social action and funding are crucial to universal access to education in Cape Verde. Still, the internal sectoral analysis revealed that the education system consumes most of this resource with personnel and social support in primary education. Distribution of these funds that prioritized more impoverished groups could be a way to close the existing gap.
The modernization of the curricular programversus the needs ofthe economy
Since 2017, cape-verdean schools embraced a new curricular matrix to adapt to the country’s and the world’s modern challenges.
In an interview for a national newspaper, the cape-verdean National Director of Education detailed that the reform was designed to approximate the ones followed by foreign and modern countries so that cape-verdean students can respond to the challenges of the country but also prepare them to be capable of integrating foreign markets. Although around 40% of the population lives in rural areas, food production has a low weight in the country’s GDP (4.9% in 2020), which sentences the country to bare crushing importation rates to sustain its internal food necessities. On the other hand, significant but more labour areas of the national economy like agriculture, fisheries, and livestock are poorly supported by the curricular program leaving those who live from it stuck with precious but outdated knowledge and techniques passed down through generations.
In resemblance to what is currently being made around tourism, tailoring the national program to provide students with the knowledge on how to leverage technology to enhance local food production, improve the quality and quantity of livestock and expand their resources to take better advantage of their vast and rich maritime territory, Cape-Verd stands an excellent chance to enhance productivity, sustainability, and efficiency in the food production reducing its reliance on imported goods and bring primary products at a more accessible price to its people.
In the context of scarce natural resources and recurrent cyclical periods of drought, Cape-verd could resort to education to empower the next generation of farmers, fishermen, and agricultural professionals with skills to employ cutting-edge technologies like precision agriculture, aquaculture systems, and intelligent livestock management practices. Modernizing their curricular programs centred on the needs of the internal economy and forming qualified people with skills to suppress those needs can ultimately lead Cape-Verd to achieve self-sufficiency and security at all levels.
Teachers – The vehicle to modernization
In Cape Verde, one of the challenges faced by the educational system is the limited number of teachers with qualifications and specialization. Although this “lack” constitutes a more significant issue in rural areas, it’s a problem that touches the whole educational system, particularly in specialized areas such as science and technology. Although there has been considerable growth in the percentage of active teachers with higher education due to governmental programs, this number still needs to be increased across the primary and secondary levels of education, which can hinder their ability to effectively teach subjects requiring specialized knowledge and expertise. Areas like science and technology play crucial roles in today’s rapidly evolving world, and students need competent and knowledgeable teachers to guide them in these fields. Furthermore, as the ultimate facilitator of implementing curricular reforms, the teacher must be able to follow and absorb information to educate the students properly.
Continuous training for teachers and access to the latest research and pedagogical approaches empowers teachers to provide accurate and up-to-date information, cultivating an intellectually stimulating environment that nurtures students’ curiosity and prepares them to thrive in an ever-evolving world. Ultimately, investing in teachers’ professional growth and development is an investment in the quality of education and students’ future success.
To address this challenge, efforts should be made to enhance teacher training programs, provide professional development opportunities, and encourage teachers to specialize in specific subjects. By investing in the professional development of teachers and promoting specialization, Cape Verde can improve the quality of education in science and technology, equipping students with the necessary skills for a rapidly advancing future.
Turkish President Erdoğan has been targeting followers of the Gülen movement since the corruption investigations of December 2013. According to data from January 2023, around 520 children under six are in prison with their mothers in Turkey. Around 14.000 women are in Turkish prisons; children accompany 470. The facilities and conditions in which these babies and children live are deplorable. No child should have to go through that.
After the aftermath of a coup attempt in July 2016, thousands of women were unlawfully jailed in Turkish prisons. The number of children accompanying their mothers in prison skyrocketed in Turkey after the coup attempt. Children and their mothers are being illegally held in prisons in poor conditions. The actual problem is not the conditions of the prisons, but the problem is that the babies are in prison. Prisons are not a place for babies and small children to grow up. These are the most fundamental years for children to grow up and enjoy life. Being held in prison and not exposed to real life can lead to traumas in later life. Children should be free and explore the world, not be stored in a place lacking the facilities to host these babies and children.
Turkey’s penal code states that mothers with children younger than six months should have their prison sentences suspended. This rule, however, doesn’t apply when individuals are convicted of having links to a terrorist organization. Many of these women are often being accused of being “FETO” members, which, most of the time, are baseless accusations. If the father is at home, the children are still forced to grow up in prison instead of with the child’s father.
Inmates are suffering from freezing temperatures, foul drinking water and poor treatment. The adverse effects were even worse during the Covid Pandemic, which lowered the already low prison standards. The research by the Rights of Life Association (published in September 2021) made several recommendations, including deferred sentences for women who have a child younger than six-years-old and access to gynecologists for pregnant women and pediatricians for infants and children constantly.
These babies and children have done nothing wrong and should not be punished for something their parents might have done. Children should not have to grow up behind bars.
Children are being cut off from the outside world and cannot participate in social and cultural activities. That harms physical and mental well-being and will cause problems connecting with society later in life. Turkey should consider how this impacts the child’s and the parent’s lives.
On March 28, 2023, the police arrested Thanalop “Yok” Phalanchai, a 15-year-old student activist, for allegedly defaming the monarchy. Yok is detained in pretrial custody at the Justice Ministry’s Ban Pranee Juvenile Vocational Training Center for Girls in Nakhon Pathom province, west of Bangkok. She is facing up to 15 years in prison.
Yok is accused of violating article 112 of Thailand’s criminal code -defaming and insulting the monarchy- during a demonstration in October 2022 in front of the Bangkok City Hall.
Photo by @Leticia Cox
Why does Thailand have this law?
The monarch has an exalted status in Thai society. The late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died in October 2016, was accorded an almost divine reverence, sometimes treated as god-like.
Adulyadej’s son, King Maha Vajiralongkorn, does not relish the same popularity and has reigned since his father’s death, exercising limited rule since December 2016. He is the head of state, assisted in his duties by the Privy Council of Thailand, but still holds a sacred status in the country.
Today, Thailand is a constitutional monarchy with a democratic form of government. The monarch reigns but does not rule.
In May 2014, the military – greatly royalist- overthrew the civilian government. Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has highlighted that the lese-majeste law is needed to protect the royals.
In November 2020, Prime Minister Prayut instructed authorities to use all laws against democracy protesters, bringing back lèse-majesté prosecution under Article 112 of the penal code after a three-year pause.
According to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, at least 1,895 individuals have been subject to various criminal charges for their involvement in rallies since 2020. Among these individuals, at least 237 have been charged with lèse-majesté for actions at pro-democracy demonstrations or comments on social media, including 18 children.
In addition, making critical or offensive comments about the monarchy is a serious criminal offence under the Computer-Related Crime Act. 2560. Authorities have since charged some political activists with treason under Article 116 of the penal code.
Judicial interpretation of lèse-majesté offences seems to vary according to interpretations by different courts, making convictions arbitrary and sometimes going beyond what is stipulated in the law. In September 2022, the Bangkok South Criminal Court sentenced Jatuporn Sae-Ung to three years on lèse-majesté charges for wearing a Thai national dress at a democracy protest in a context that authorities claimed was done to mock Queen Suthida.
Democratic Labor Organization Asking the government to help bail political prisoners. Photo by Prachatai
Holding Yok charged with lèse-majesté in pretrial detention violates her rights under international human rights law.
Under Article 2.2 of the Convention on the Human Rights of the Child, State Parties shall take all appropriate measures to ensure a child -every human under 18 years of age- is protected against all punishments based on their express opinion.
In addition, The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which Thailand has ratified, also encourages bail for criminal suspects. Article 9 states: “It shall not be the general rule that persons awaiting trial shall be detained in custody, but release may be subject to guarantees to appear for trial.”
Those whose charges have not been dropped should be tried without undue delay.
“The Thai government should permit peaceful expression of political views, including questions about the monarchy,” said the director of Human Rights Watch. “Thai authorities should engage with United Nations specialists and others about amending the lèse-majesté law to comply with international human rights standards.”
Yok’s case is not an isolated incident. In 2020, a 16-year-old boy was criminally charged under the same law after he was accused of dressing similarly to King Maha Vajiralongkorn and displaying offensive words on his body.
In January 2021, the Bangkok Criminal Court sentenced a 65-year-old former civil servant to a jail term of 43 years and six months—the country’s harshest ever sentence for insulting the monarchy.
On June 2022, three Thai influencers were arrested for insulting the royal family in a video campaign posted on TikTok.
On March 2023, a man was sentenced to three years imprisonment for selling calendars via a Facebook page that the authorities considered violating the lèse-majesté law. The calendar featured cartoon illustrations of a yellow duck, symbolising Thailand’s protest movement.
Thailand’s lese-majeste law, which prohibits any offence against the dignity of the monarchy, is among the most draconian in the world.
Amnesty International’s recent report “We Are Reclaiming Our Future” reported how children in Thailand face a wide range of severe repercussions for participating in mass demonstrations, including illegalising their activities and intimidation by the police.
The report calls for the Thai authorities to withdraw all charges against peaceful child protesters, end all forms of intimidation and surveillance and amend laws to deny children’s right to protest to ensure they align with international human rights law and standards.
Thai lèse-majesté law
— A Constitutional Court decision in 2012. Section 112 of Thai Criminal Code currently reads as follows: “Whoever defames, insults or threatens the King, the Queen, the Heir-apparent or the Regent, shall be punished with imprisonment of three to fifteen years.”
**Lèse-majesté or lese-majesty is an offence against the dignity of a ruling head of state or the state itself. The English name for this crime is a borrowing from the French, where it means “a crime against The Crown.”
Libya is a North African country with a turbulent history of political instability and armed conflicts. Education is a fundamental pillar of any nation’s development, and overcoming these challenges is crucial for fostering a brighter future for Libya’s citizens.
To understand the current state of education in Libya, it is essential to consider its historical context. During the rule of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, the education system primarily focused on ideological indoctrination rather than academic excellence. This approach neglected critical thinking and innovation, resulting in an education system that failed to equip students with the necessary skills for personal and professional growth.
Historical Context of Libya’s Education System
Under Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s rule, the curriculum promoted the regime’s propaganda and political agenda, neglecting critical thinking, innovation, and academic rigour. As a result, students lacked the necessary skills to thrive in a rapidly changing world and contribute to the nation’s development.
Impact of Political Instability and Armed Conflicts
The political instability and armed conflicts that ensued after the Arab Spring in 2011 severely impacted Libya’s education system. Educational institutions became targets of violence, leading to damaged infrastructure and disrupted learning environments. Many schools and universities were forced to close, and students and teachers were displaced. Consequently, educational progress was hindered, resulting in high dropout rates and limited access to education, particularly for vulnerable populations.
Inadequate Infrastructure and Resources
Decades of neglect and underinvestment have left Libya’s educational infrastructure in dire conditions. Many schools lack sufficient classrooms, face overcrowding, and lack basic amenities like electricity, water, and sanitation facilities. Dilapidated buildings and insufficient resources create an unsuitable learning environment for students. Furthermore, there is a shortage of educational resources, including textbooks, teaching materials, and modern technology, limiting students’ access to quality education.
Teacher Shortage
Libya’s ongoing turmoil and economic challenges have triggered a significant brain drain, with highly educated professionals and skilled teachers leaving the country in search of better opportunities and security. This exodus has resulted in a severe shortage of qualified teachers, with many classrooms staffed by inexperienced or underqualified individuals. The lack of well-trained and experienced educators compromises the quality of education and impedes the development of students’ intellectual capacities.
Gender Inequality in Education
Gender inequality remains a persistent challenge in Libya’s education system. Although efforts have been made to promote gender parity, cultural and societal norms continue to pose obstacles. Girls face multiple barriers to accessing education, including early marriage, gender-based violence, and conservative attitudes towards women’s education. Many families prioritize boys’ education over girls’, perpetuating gender disparities. Addressing these challenges requires targeted interventions, such as awareness campaigns, community engagement, and policies that promote and protect girls’ right to education. Empowering girls through education enhances their prospects and contributes to societal development and gender equality.
Challenges faced by Children with Disability in Libya
Disabled children in Libya face significant challenges in accessing quality education and experiencing inclusive learning environments. This section will explore the educational challenges specific to disabled children in Libya and discuss potential strategies to address these issues.
Limited Access to Inclusive Education:
One of the primary challenges for disabled children in Libya is the limited access to inclusive education. Many schools lack the necessary infrastructure, resources, and trained personnel to accommodate students with disabilities. As a result, disabled children often face barriers to entry, preventing them from accessing education on an equal basis with their non-disabled peers.
Discrimination and Stigma:
Discrimination and stigma against disabled individuals persist in Libyan society, leading to exclusion and marginalization. Negative attitudes and misconceptions about disabilities contribute to a lack of acceptance and understanding within educational settings. Disabled children may face social barriers, prejudice, and bullying, further hindering their educational experiences and well-being.
Inadequate Teacher Training:
The lack of specialized training for teachers to cater to the diverse needs of disabled students is a significant challenge. Teachers often lack the knowledge and skills to adapt teaching methodologies, provide appropriate accommodations, and employ assistive technologies to facilitate inclusive learning. Consequently, disabled children may not receive the individualized support and reasonable adjustments necessary for their educational success.
Limited Availability of Support Services:
Support services, such as speech therapy, occupational therapy, and psychological support, are limited in Libya. Disabled children require these services to enhance their communication skills, motor development, and emotional well-being. The scarcity of these services hampers the holistic development of disabled students and impedes their educational progress.
Inaccessible Physical Infrastructure:
Many educational institutions in Libya lack accessible physical infrastructure, making it difficult for disabled children to navigate school premises independently. The absence of ramps, elevators, accessible toilets, and sensory-friendly classrooms creates barriers to mobility, participation, and overall engagement in the learning process.
Limited Availability of Assistive Technologies:
The availability of assistive technologies, such as hearing aids, Braille devices, and screen readers, is limited in Libya. These technologies are crucial in enabling disabled children to access information, communicate effectively, and participate fully in educational activities. The lack of access to these technologies significantly hinders the educational opportunities of disabled students.
Inadequate Policy Framework:
The absence of a comprehensive policy framework addressing the educational needs of disabled children contributes to the challenges they face. Clear policies and guidelines are essential to ensure inclusive education, promote anti-discrimination measures, allocate resources, and enforce accountability at all levels of the education system.
Educational workshop. Photo by Saleh Deryag
Strategies to Address the Challenges:
Curriculum Reforms and Quality Assurance
Revitalizing the curriculum is vital for modernizing Libya’s education system and equipping students with the skills needed for the 21st century. Curriculum reforms should emphasize practical and vocational training, fostering creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, and digital literacy. Updating the curriculum to align with global educational standards and labour market demands can enhance students’ employability and entrepreneurial skills. Additionally, establishing a robust quality assurance framework to monitor and evaluate educational institutions will ensure that students receive a high standard of education. Regular assessments, teacher training, and accreditation mechanisms can promote accountability and quality in the education system.
Promoting Access to Education
Expanding access to education is crucial for addressing disparities in educational opportunities. Particular attention should be given to marginalized and remote areas with limited access to quality education. Investing in developing educational infrastructure in these regions, including schools, libraries, and educational centres, is essential. Additionally, providing financial assistance, scholarships, and grants to students from disadvantaged backgrounds can help mitigate financial barriers that hinder access to education. Promoting inclusive policies that ensure access for children with disabilities and those from displaced or refugee backgrounds is also crucial in fostering a more equitable education system.
Strengthening Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET)
Promoting technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is essential for equipping students with practical skills aligned with the job market’s needs. Collaboration between educational institutions, private sector industries, and government entities can help design and implement relevant TVET programs. Providing students with opportunities for internships, apprenticeships, and hands-on training can bridge the gap between education and employment. Moreover, promoting entrepreneurship and innovation within the TVET framework can foster economic growth and self-employment opportunities.
Enhancing Teacher Training and Professional Development
Addressing the teacher shortage and improving the quality of education requires a focus on teacher training and professional development. Providing pre-service and in-service training programs can enhance teachers’ pedagogical skills, content knowledge, and classroom management abilities. Additionally, mentoring programs, peer-to-peer learning, and continuous professional development opportunities can support teachers’ growth and keep them updated with modern teaching methodologies and technology. Recognizing and incentivizing the teaching profession through competitive salaries and career advancement opportunities can also attract and retain qualified educators.
Addressing Socio-Economic Disparities in Education
Socio-economic disparities significantly impact access to quality education in Libya. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds face numerous challenges, including poverty, limited resources, and lack of educational support. To address these disparities, targeted interventions are necessary, including implementing inclusive education policies, providing comprehensive support services, offering school feeding programs, and investing in early childhood education. Collaboration with local communities, NGOs, and international organizations can contribute to creating a more equitable educational landscape.
Leveraging Technology for Educational Advancement
Integrating technology in education can overcome geographical barriers, enhance learning outcomes, and provide access to various educational resources. Investing in digital infrastructure, such as internet connectivity and computer labs, can enable the integration of e-learning initiatives through digital tools and platforms in classrooms.
Developing Inclusive Education Policies: Libya should develop and implement inclusive education policies that emphasize the rights of disabled children to access quality education on an equal basis with their peers. These policies should promote inclusive practices, reasonable accommodations, and the integration of disabled students into mainstream schools.
Providing Teacher Training and Professional Development: Invest in specialized training programs to enhance teachers’ knowledge and skills in catering to the needs of disabled students. Training should focus on inclusive teaching methodologies, assessment techniques, and assistive technologies.
Improving Infrastructure and Accessibility: Upgrade existing educational facilities to ensure accessibility for disabled children. This includes providing ramps, elevators, accessible toilets, and sensory-friendly learning spaces. New constructions should follow universal design principles to ensure inclusivity from the outset.
Strengthening Support Services: Increase the availability of support services such as speech therapy, occupational therapy, and psychological support within educational institutions. This includes training and employing specialists to provide individualized support to disabled students.
Promoting Awareness and Sensitization:
Conduct awareness campaigns to challenge societal stereotypes, reduce discrimination, and promote inclusivity. These campaigns can target schools, communities, and the media, raising awareness about the rights and abilities of disabled children and fostering a more inclusive mindset.
Enhancing Collaboration and Partnerships:
Promote collaboration between government bodies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and disability rights organizations to address the educational challenges faced by disabled children. This collaboration can help in resource mobilization, sharing best practices, and advocating for the rights of disabled children within the education sector.
Integrating Assistive Technologies:
Invest in the procurement and distribution of assistive technologies to enable disabled children to access educational materials and participate fully in learning activities. Collaborate with technology providers and organizations to ensure assistive devices and software availability and affordability.
Monitoring and Evaluation:
Establish mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating the progress of inclusive education initiatives for disabled children. Regular assessments can help identify gaps, measure the effectiveness of interventions, and inform policy development and implementation.
International Support and Cooperation:
Seek international support and cooperation to address the educational challenges faced by disabled children in Libya. Collaborate with international organizations and donor agencies to access funding, expertise, and resources for implementing inclusive education programs.
Conclusion:
Addressing the educational challenges faced by both the non-disabled and disabled children in Libya requires a comprehensive approach that encompasses policy reforms, teacher training, infrastructure improvements, support services, awareness campaigns, and collaboration among stakeholders. Efforts towards inclusive education not only benefit disabled children but also contribute to the overall development and inclusivity of Libyan society as a whole. By prioritizing inclusive education and fostering an enabling environment, Libya can ensure disabled children have equal opportunities to access quality education, realize their potential, and actively participate in society.
References
Elzawi, A., & Fadel, K. (2020). Challenges facing education in Libya: An analysis of the educational system during and after the revolution. Journal of Education and Practice, 11(6), 1-9.
UNICEF. (2019). Education in Libya: Situation analysis and strategic framework. Retrieved from https://www.unicef.org/libya/reports/education-libya-situation-analysis-and-strategic-framework
Alaedeen, E. (2017). Education for children with disabilities in Libya: Policy, legislation, and challenges. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 21(4), 392-404.
Mundy, K., & Sharpe, A. (2016). Education and state-building in Libya: Between restoration and revolution. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 46(6), 868-891.
European Union External Action. (2019). Education in Libya. Retrieved from https://eeas.europa.eu/sites/default/files/education_in_libya_final.pdf
Abdelsalam, R., & Keshavarz, M. (2021). Educational development in post-revolution Libya: A critical analysis of challenges and prospects. Journal of Education and Training Studies, 9(2), 11-26.
Save the Children. (2018). Barriers to education for children in Libya. Retrieved from https://www.savethechildren.org.uk/content/dam/gb/reports/emergency-education/barriers-to-education-in-libya.pdf
Human Rights Watch. (2019). Libya: Armed groups target civilians. Retrieved from https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/09/17/libya-armed-groups-target-civilians
United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). (2017). UNSMIL Human Rights Report on Civilian Casualties – January to June 2017. Retrieved from https://unsmil.unmissions.org/sites/default/files/human_rights_report_on_civilian_casualties_january-june_2017_-_en.pdf
Disability Rights International (DRI). (2018). Making education a reality for children with disabilities in Libya. Retrieved from https://www.disabilityrightsintl.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DRI-Report-Libya-FINAL.pdf
UNESCO. (2019). Education for people with disabilities in the Arab region: A regional overview. Retrieved from https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000370379
Human Rights Watch. (2016). Education barriers for children with disabilities in Lebanon. Retrieved from https://www.hrw.org/report/2016/11/15/i-just-want-be-able-learn/barriers-education-children-disabilities-lebanon
World Health Organization (WHO). (2020). Assistive technology. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/assistive-technology
United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). (2006). Retrieved from https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities.html
The World Trade Organization (WTO) reports that Bangladesh holds the position of the world’s second-largest exporter of ready-made garments, contributing to around 6.4% of global garment exports in 2020. However, this economic success comes at a grave cost, as children aged 5-17 are often exploited and illegally employed in the Bangladeshi garment industry. This unethical practice not only deprives them of education but also limits their future opportunities. Without access to basic education, these children are forced into low-paying jobs in factories, lacking the chance to acquire skills that could lead to better-paying employment in the future. As a result, they become trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty and low-wage work, perpetuating the cycle of child labor. The absence of quality education deprives these children of their potential and severely diminishes their chances of breaking free from illegal and physically demanding labor.
As conscious consumers, it is imperative that we consider the entire supply chain of the garments we purchase, including the production side, and acknowledge the potential consequences of our buying decisions. We must inquire whether a t-shirt has been ethically produced and whether child labor was involved in any stage of its manufacturing. Reflecting on these questions could contribute to providing hundreds of children in Bangladesh with an opportunity to access quality education and break free from the shackles of poverty.
The purpose of this article is to increase awareness about the issue of unequal educational attainment in Bangladesh, which is exacerbated by the prevalence of child labor and inadequate government policies aimed at eradicating child labor.
Brief history of poverty in Bangladesh
After gaining independence in 1971, Bangladesh faced a significant challenge with 80% of its population living below the poverty line. However, over the years, the government has made poverty alleviation a key priority in its development strategy. As a result, the poverty rate has decreased from 80% to 24.3%, which still means that approximately 35 million people in Bangladesh are living below the poverty line (UNESCO, 2009).
The government’s efforts to tackle poverty have been supported by sustained economic growth, driven in part by sound macroeconomic policies and an increase in exports of readymade garments. As a result, the overall poverty rate has declined from 13.47% in 2016 to 10.44% in 2022 (Dhaka Tribune, 2022).
Despite these achievements, recent trends suggest a slowing down in the rate of poverty reduction in Bangladesh. Moreover, the impact of poverty alleviation measures has been uneven between rural and urban areas, as the country undergoes rapid urbanization. This indicates that while progress has been made in reducing poverty, challenges remain in ensuring equitable poverty reduction across different regions of the country.
Although Bangladesh has experienced rapid economic growth and is considered one of the fastest growing countries, income inequality remains a significant and pressing issue. In fact, income inequality in Bangladesh has reached unprecedented levels not seen since 1972. Despite the growth of the readymade garments export industry, the benefits of this economic sector have not been evenly distributed, leading to a low ranking of 133rd out of 189 countries in the Human Development Index.
One stark indicator of income inequality is the contrasting income shares between the bottom 40% of the population and the richest 10%. The income share of the bottom 40% is merely 21%, while the richest 10% enjoy a significantly higher share of 27%, illustrating a sharp disparity in wealth distribution (World Bank, 2023). These disparities in income distribution highlight the urgent need for addressing income inequality in Bangladesh, as it poses challenges to achieving inclusive and equitable development. Efforts to tackle this issue require a comprehensive approach that considers factors such as economic policies, social welfare programs, and targeted interventions to ensure that the benefits of economic growth are shared more widely among all segments of the population.
Child labor in Bangladesh
The inherent inequality and income disparities within Bangladesh have a clear impact on the educational attainment of children across the country. Child labor is unfortunately prevalent in many parts of Bangladesh, especially in rural areas where poverty rates are high and access to education is limited. Districts such as Chittagong, Rajshahi, and Sylhet have particularly high incidences of child labor, as they are located in the rural outskirts of Bangladesh, highlighting the aforementioned intra-country inequality.
The poverty resulting from this inequality has dire consequences for Bangladeshi children, who are forced to engage in illegal employment to combat poverty. Approximately three out of every five children are employed in the agricultural sector, while 14.7% work in the industrial sector, and the remaining 23.3% work in services (Global People Strategist, 2021). Although the government of Bangladesh ratified the International Labor Organization Convention in early 2022, which clearly stipulates the minimum age for employment in Article 138, children in Bangladesh continue to be subjected to the worst forms of child labor, including commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor in activities such as drying of fish and brick production.
A troubling aspect is that the Bangladesh Labor Act does not apply to the informal sector, where the majority of child labor in Bangladesh takes place. Reports of violence against child workers in various sectors, including domestic work, have been documented. In 2018, over 400,000 children worked in domestic work in Bangladesh, with girls often being abused by their employers. Additionally, reports indicate that from January to November 2012, 28 children were subjected to torture while working as housemaids (Global People Strategist, 2021).
These children are compelled to join the workforce in both formal and informal sectors out of sheer survival necessity to provide for their families, and are unlikely to return to their studies. A UNICEF report revealed that children under the age of 14 who have dropped out of school for work are laboring an average of 64 hours per week. Putting this number into perspective, European labor laws limit working hours to 48 hours per week, including overtime (UNICEF, 2021).
The issue of educational attainment in Bangladesh exhibits significant inequality, which is attributed to both structural inequalities in the country and weaknesses in the governance of the education sector.
School participation rates also highlight disparities, with 10% of children of official primary school age being out of school. Among primary school-aged children in Bangladesh, the greatest disparity is observed between the poorest and the richest children, which can be linked to the broader inequality between households in the country. This disparity is supported by a 2019 UNICEF report that indicates completion rates for upper secondary school are 50% for the wealthiest children but only 12% for the poorest (UNICEF, 2019).
The Bangladeshi government has attempted to address education inequality at the primary level through a conditional cash transfer program targeted at poor children, which covers 40% of rural students. However, this program leaves a substantial proportion of poor children uncovered, despite their high levels of poverty. This initiative has resulted in a rapid increase in primary school enrollment, with 7.8 million children receiving stipends of $1 each.
Nevertheless, due to biased decision-making that favors the non-poor, the government’s
recurrent spending on education is disproportionately allocated, with 68% of total government spending directed towards the non-poor, despite this group representing only 50% of the primary school-aged population (World Bank, 2018). These statistics highlight that while there may be governmental intentions to improve educational attainment in Bangladesh, the reality presents a different picture, with rural children facing continued disadvantages in terms of national educational governance.
Conclusion
In short, quality education is essential for the eradication of poverty giving children the chance at a better life. Helping children turn away from child labor, requires the emphasis on the reduction on family poverty. Only quality educational attainment will become available for every child regardless of their socio-economic background can the future generation of Bangladesh flourish under the governments aid program. The primary purpose of the government of Bangladesh should be to protect children from the detrimental effect of child labor and ensuring their quality education.
The first solution to mitigate unequal quality educational attainment, is to make governmental policies broader thus ensuring financial inclusion of the marginalized. Adopting appropriate macroeconomic policy which priorities education equality. More transparency in the allocation of educational resources will force the government of Bangladesh to take on a more utilitarian perspective. This new allocation of resources will allow for more interest in soft infrastructure such as the recruitment of adequate number of teachers at schools.
An additional approach to address the issue would be for the government of Bangladesh to effectively promote awareness about the significance of quality education. This awareness campaign should not only target urban areas, but also prioritize rural areas where poverty rates are particularly high.
Furthermore, as a prerequisite to raising awareness, the Bangladeshi government should focus on providing the necessary infrastructure that enables people to access education information. This entails addressing the root causes of poverty in the country to create an environment where children are not forced into labor and can instead avail themselves of educational opportunities and experience a normal childhood.
Ensuring that every child has the opportunity for quality education and a safe upbringing is of utmost importance.
Hosen, Aoulad, S.M. Mujahidul Islam, and Sogir Khandoker. 2010. “Child Labor and Child Education in Bangladesh: Issues, Consequences and Involvements.” International Business Research Issues 3, no. 2: 1-8.
As a second-year undergraduate student at Leiden University, pursuing a Bachelor's degree in International Studies with a specialisation in Europe, I am excited about the opportunity to apply my academic knowledge and skills to practical research work in the field of human rights.
Education is a fundamental right for all humans around the globe. Regardless of one’s economic or social status, they should be able to have access to Education. Even though this seems obvious and like common knowledge, it is not the reality for many Malians. Nevertheless, the government has and is making significant efforts to cab illiteracy. For instance, the government split primary education into two cycles which allowed Malian students to take examinations to gain admission to secondary, tertiary, or higher education. However, Mali has still been facing a security crisis for several years now, which has severely compromised access to education for thousands of school-age children, particularly in the north.
Threats against schools and destruction of school infrastructure and equipment led to a shortage of teachers in affected areas and a breakdown in the pedagogical support system due to massive population displacements[i].
School children in a classroom in Gao, Mali – Photo by UN/Marco Dormino
Conflicts and insecurity
The country is increasingly recording serious human rights and international humanitarian law violations. Violent attacks by armed groups now affect civilians throughout most of the country.
Threats from armed groups remain the main factor behind the closure of 1,700 schools in Mali today[ii]. Over the past two years, the country has been among the three African countries whose schools are most attacked, along with Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA).
In addition to insecurity, emergency education in conflict zones is severely underfunded. Since the beginning of the year 2022, 1 in 10 schools in Mali has remained closed due to a lack of infrastructure and school equipment. Mali’s national budget cannot cover the needs and education is one of the least funded sectors in the humanitarian response, accounting for only 2 percent of funds received in 2022.
For schools in conflict areas that are struggling to stay open, having funding to build and rehabilitate school infrastructure is vital. According to the Norwegian Refugee council article about the insecurity in Mali, “In some schools in the region, a single classroom can often accommodate up to 300 children due to a lack of infrastructure,” said Ibrahim Ag Bijangoum, Acting Director of the Ménaka Education Academy. It is impossible for school-going pupils and students to have a taste for learning in such a condition.
Household poverty
Access to and completion of schooling is inequitable, with girls and children from the poorest families at highest risk of school dropout: According to UNICEF in 2020, only 73.8 percent of girls are enrolled in primary basic education, compared with 85.8 percent of boys. By the time they reach secondary education, the proportion of girls enrolled is only 15 percent, compared with 21 percent of boys.[iii]
Among children that do attend school in Mali, the absence of qualified teachers, textbooks, and low-quality school environments all adversely affect learning outcomes: most students in fifth grade in Mali are not able to master basic mathematics and reading skills.
A classroom full of students engage in class and look toward the teacher while seated at their desks Credit: GPE/Michelle Mesen
Impact of Covid-19
The school closures and the loss of household income, particularly in rural areas, restricted access to education for school-aged children. Many students abandoned school permanently due to their parent’s loss of income. Girls did not reintegrate back into schools and were exposed to early marriage and pregnancies. According to the world bank, in Bamako August 2021, a senior poverty economist at the World Bank and co-author of the report, who adds that school-aged children today are likely to experience lower lifetime income due to the pandemic[iv].
Water, sanitation, and hygiene
Access to safe and sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene protects children against common water-borne diseases such as diarrhea and reduces stunting, which affects more than 26% of children in Mali.
According to UNICEF in 2015, in Mali, only about one-half of schools have an improved water point, and less than 20% of schools have functional, separate toilets for boys and girls. In addition, more than one million people in Mali still practice open defecation, which has a direct impact on the health and safety of communities. While 80% of Mali’s population now has access to improved sources of drinking water, this number drops significantly in rural areas, where it is only 70%[v]. Displacement in conflict-affected areas of Mali has further limited the access of families on the move to clean water and sanitation.
Conclusion
In conclusion, despite the challenges facing the education system in Mali, the government of Mali and other organizations have been working hard to improve education. UNICEF in Mali and other partners have been working in communities, schools, and health centers to improve access to clean water, hygiene, and sanitation in all areas of children’s lives.
According to European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations, the EU has provided more than €472 million in humanitarian aid in Mali since the beginning of the crisis in 2012. It is currently a leading donor of assistance in the country[vi].
[i]Global Partnership for Education. (2021). Education in Mali. Retrieved from: https://www.globalpartnership.org/where-we-work/mali.
[ii]Norwegiann Refugee Council. (2022). Mali: Insecurity and lack of funding force over half a million children out of school. Retrieved from: https://www.nrc.no/news/2022/june/mali-insecurity-and-lack-of-funding-force-over-half-a-million-children-out-of-school/[iii] UNICEF (2020). Harnessing children’s potential through quality education for every child. Retrieved from:https://www.unicef.org/mali/en/education
[iii] UNICEF (2020). Harnessing children’s potential through quality education for every child. Retrieved from:https://www.unicef.org/mali/en/education
[iv]The World Bank. (2021). Mali: Understand COVID-19’s impacts for better actions. Retrieved from: https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2021/08/11/mali-understand-covid-19-s-impacts-for-better-actions
[v]UNICEF. (2023) Water, sanitation, and hygiene: Improving children’s lives through clean water and clean environments. Retrieved from: https://www.unicef.org/mali/en/water-sanitation-and-hygiene
[vi]European Commission. (2023). European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations: Mali. Retrieved from: https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/where/africa/mali_en
Students, teachers, and experts all agree that the education system in Chile needs some deep changes for it to maintain its relevance and traditional position at the top of the region. Some of the pressing challenges include existing segregation, differentiated quality, and high levels of indebtedness, all of which were heightened and highlighted by the pandemic and its effects. But the how and where should be addressed to remain at the center of the heated debates about the topic in the past years.
Some context and background
To understand some of the reasons behind the current challenges and demands, a look into the past proves to be helpful. Back in the 1980s, the Chilean education system underwent a major transformation. To change the regressive and unequal access to education, as well as to promote the creation of more schools and universities to assess the high demand and increase in the number of students, the government redistributed its investments in the area.
The project also included the involvement of the private sector, which would assure better coverage in the entire country, and would offer students and their families more options to choose from. With this approach, private education institutions increased across the country, allowing the wealthiest members of society to access higher-quality education. Despite the original idea of increasing coverage, this privatization of the system proved to deepen the social and economic divides in the country, as education was now “understood as a private investment by the family of the young person”, according to Ruben Covarrubias, former president of the Universidad Mayor in Chile.
Since the economic possibilities of the general population were still a big restriction for some capable students with low income, the estate created a credit system that aimed to assure every Chilean had access to education regardless of their economic situation. Ever since, the system has also increased the number of scholarships and payment agreements, allowing students and recently graduated professionals to pay back their loans in accordance with their income levels.
These profound changes in the system gave Chile a privileged position in the Latin American context. Two decades after the implementation Professor Jose Joaquin Brunner, UNESCO expert in comparative studies of education, acknowledged that “The Chilean population has 11.6 years of schooling, against 9.4 in the rest of Latin America; 28.6 % of people complete at least one year of tertiary education compared to 15.8% in the rest of the region. Among young adults between the ages of 25 and 34, Chile can boast that 41% are professionals, compared with 39% in OECD countries, to which we belong, and less than 20% in Latin America (UNESCO).” And, comparatively speaking, Chile was one of the countries with the highest spending on education relative to the GDP, going above the OECD average.
But the situation for students and families in the country was not as picture-perfect as the numbers showed. In 2011, a student movement emerged with the purpose of taking the demand for a free and high-quality education to the center of the national agenda. The movement’s demands focused on effectively addressing the unequal access and poor quality of education in the country, as well as the indebtedness that lower- and middle-class families were forced into to access higher education.
Protests were constant in the following years, a time when the students’ movement gained strength and organization. In 2014, for instance, a group of its leaders, all under the age of 30, secured spots in Congress, creating a coalition that pushed for some of the most relevant reforms in the area. And last year, in March, one of the leaders of the movement, Gabriel Boric, was elected president of the country. He has promised to keep discussions on reforms to the system among the priorities of his government’s agenda.
Colegio Municipal Marcela Paz, La Florida, Santiago de Chile. Photo by UNESCO/Carolina Jerez
Segregation: two realities that do not meet
When asked about the main challenges that Chilean education faces, experts like Álvaro González Torres, a researcher at the Universidad Católica Silva Henríquez, point out at the general social context in the country, where strong demands for “justice, liberties and rights” are still being discussed and demanded. One of those, education, is at the heart of the protests for equality in Chilean’s recent history, including the Constitutional reform that is underway.
“It is not because we have a critical situation, compared to other countries in the South American region; the problem in Chile is beyond educational attainment”. Instead, Mr. González explains, the problem is rooted in the design of a system following a neoliberal approach: “The privatization of public education has been a major obstacle, as well as the flourishing of a cultural environment that strengthens values that are dangerous for democracy: individualism and excessive competitiveness”.
As he describes, the stronger involvement of private capital and the business mindset behind educational institutions has resulted in a segregated system. So, while in the country the coverage of primary and secondary education reaches almost 90% of the corresponding population, once inside the system differences are stark. “Students coming from lower income groups are concentrated in institutions with lower quality, while those students from the wealthiest groups can access better quality education and, in the end, have almost direct access to power”, as Álvaro González describes.
The Research Center for the Socio-educational Transformation, which Mr. González directs, points out that this segregation leads to a reinforcement of “cycles of social and opportunities inequality”, which has also been sustained by a “systemic deficiency”, where resources are not equally distributed amongst the institutions across the country. “Overall, there is an education for the rich and another education for the poor”, Mr. González concludes.
The lingering ghosts of the pandemic
This differentiated reality was made more evident during the pandemic when a large section of the population faced issues with the lack of access to technological tools and internet connectivity, proper spaces, and/or parental accompaniment, not only in rural areas but even in urban centers. Chile was one of the countries in the world where schools were closed the longest, and the effects of these measures have also been seen in the mental and physical health of the students and teachers.
The immediate reaction from the government and the institutions has been focused on promoting a return to schools, reverting the dropout rates, and increasing evaluation processes to measure basic abilities in reading, writing, and math. “For a long time in Chile, we have implemented standardized tests to measure quality of the education, and schools focused their energy on preparing students for these tests. But the pandemic put a halt on these evaluations, and schools and institutions realized that there were other abilities and areas that needed more attention”. As Álvaro González explains, the emotional and psychosocial well-being of students is now a critical point for the design and development of education reforms for the future.
Students protest with a hunger strike. Photo by Hans Peters.
Education for the new century
Students took the streets with an additional demand: the curriculums need to be updated to address the challenges and requirements of the current times. Their claims, as described by the leaders of the students´ movement, criticize the disconnection between the education system and the workplaces of the 21st Century, where they are demanded new abilities that the traditional schooling system falls short of offering.
“A current approach is that of nuclearization of curriculums, where elements like a gender perspective, citizens competencies, critical thinking, or skills for the 21st Century are included ins a transversal way. However, we have seen that not all teachers and educators have the capacities or confidence to take this to their classrooms. We have inherited a system of evaluation of teachers that hinders their innovation since the students’ results reflect on their own evaluation”, Álvaro González explains.
Some reforms, yet not enough
The current government, which has been in power for just over a year, has tried to implement a series of reforms to address both the demands already described and the challenges that came with the pandemic. However, some of these reforms have been a source of controversy.
For instance, as Mr. González explains, a system for admissions, aided by an algorithm, has been introduced to randomly assign students to schools, increasing diversity in the institutions. However, criticism from both ends of the political spectrum has not been absent, and in practice, institutions are failing to provide enough tools to successfully integrate students with lacking or deficient academic backgrounds.
Nonetheless, “The Chilean situation is not as pronounced as in other countries”, says Mr. González, who acknowledges that in the past decade, access to higher education by students in rural areas has increased at the highest rate in the continent. And, in an effort to provide contextualized education for these communities, institutions have developed specialized programs overviewed by the National Ministry of Education to secure their quality.
There are also efforts from both the public and private sectors to improve the conditions of access and permanence of indigenous communities in the country. “These past years we have seen affirmative actions that acknowledge diversity in the students. For instance, there are adapted curricula, particularly a program of intercultural and bilingual education for these communities”, but what Mr. González describes has not proven to be enough. Intercultural approaches also demand the acknowledgment of traditional knowledge as valid. And this is currently an element of debate in the constitutional process in the country, where new ideas about the future of Chile are put on the table.
References
Interview with Álvaro González Torres, director of the “Centro de investigación para la transformación socieducativa” from the Universidad Católica Silva Henríquez in Chile. Conducted by Joan Vilalta Flo.
DeLevie-Orey, R. (2014). Chile’s education system is the best in Latin America – so why is it being overhauled? Atlantic Council. https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/content-series/latamsource/chile-best-education-system/
Educación, C. (2020, March 2). Estos son 5 desafíos de la educación chilena en la era digital | Educación 2020. Educación 2020 | Educación 2020 Trabaja Para Asegurar Una Educación De Calidad, Equitativa E Inclusiva Para Los Niños, Niñas Y Jóvenes En Chile, a Través Del Impulso De Políticas Públicas Y La Transformación Desde La Sala De Clases. https://www.educacion2020.cl/noticias/estos-son-5-desafios-de-la-educacion-chilena-en-la-era-digital/
Los desafíos de la educación en el siglo XXI. (n.d.). https://www.educarchile.cl/los-desafios-de-la-educacion-en-el-siglo-xxi
Ministerio de Educación. (2015, November 6). Ministerio De Educación. https://www.mineduc.cl/
Montes, R., Montes, R., & Torres, J. (2022, January 22). La generación de la protesta chilena entra en La Moneda por la puerta grande. El País. https://elpais.com/internacional/2022-01-22/la-generacion-estudiantil-chilena-entra-en-la-moneda-por-la-puerta-grande.html
Salazar, P. (2022). Siete desafíos en materia educacional que deberá enfrentar el nuevo gobierno. Pontificia Universidad Católica De Chile. https://www.uc.cl/noticias/siete-desafios-en-materia-educacional-que-debera-enfrentar-el-nuevo-gobierno/
Staff, R. (2014, May 8). Miles de estudiantes marchan en Chile para presionar a Bachelet por reformas. S. https://www.reuters.com/article/latinoamerica-chile-estudiantes-idLTASIEA4704I20140508
Stuardo, G. M. (2021). Entre la emergencia y la transformación: ideas para recuperar la política educacional en Chile. CIPER Chile. https://www.ciperchile.cl/2021/01/04/entre-la-emergencia-y-la-transformacion-ideas-para-recuperar-la-politica-educacional-en-chile/
Suarez, P. S. (2023). El sistema escolar chileno. Educación En Chile. https://elplande2020.cl/el-sistema-escolar-chileno/
There is a lot that is good about Chilean higher education. (n.d.). University World News. https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20131127210704421
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