More Schooling

APEED & The Right to Education

Article 13 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights recognises “the right of everyone to education” and agrees “that education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and the sense of its dignity”. To read Article 13 in full, please scroll to the bottom of this page.

More Schooling, in it’s capacity as supporters of APEED Benin, aim to assist the students of the organisation to claim their right to education by gaining full access to the education system. The Human Rights framework lists parents, legal guardians and the State as primary duty-bearers in fulfilling the rights of children and young adults. Unfortunately, these duty-bearers are not always able to fulfil their roles due to a variety of circumstances. The State, in this case, the Government of Benin does provide educational services. However, due to budgetary restrictions it is forced to charge compulsory fees for all secondary school children. These levees total between $30-33 AUD (£15-16.50 GBP) per year.

School fees are ordinarily paid by the other duty bearers in the Human Rights system - parents or legal guardians. In the case of the students of APEED, the students have unfortunately encountered tragedy in their lives, meaning they are left with only one or no parents. The flow on effect is that students often have to work to support their families or that their families do not have enough income to keep them in school. If they are living with a Guardian, this person has often taken on an extra member in their family at great personal cost. This has left a gap in the human rights framework that APEED seeks to fill.

Despite difficult personal circumstances, the students of APEED are not sitting idly by. They have worked for five years to claim their right to education, against all the odds.

The Human Rights Framework

If you are interested in learning more about the Human Rights framework and particularly how it is applied in Benin, go to the links section for some connections to Human Rights organisations around the world.

Article 13 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

1. The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone to education. They agree that education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and the sense of its dignity, and shall strengthen the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. They further agree that education shall enable all persons to participate effectively in a free society, promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations and all racial, ethnic or religious groups, and further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.

2. The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize that, with a view to achieving the full realization of this right:

(a) Primary education shall be compulsory and available free to all;

(b) Secondary education in its different forms, including technical and vocational secondary education, shall be made generally available and accessible to all by every appropriate means, and in particular by the progressive introduction of free education;

(c) Higher education shall be made equally accessible to all, on the basis of capacity, by every appropriate means, and in particular by the progressive introduction of free education;

(d) Fundamental education shall be encouraged or intensified as far as possible for those persons who have not received or completed the whole period of their primary education;

(e) The development of a system of schools at all levels shall be actively pursued, an adequate fellowship system shall be established, and the material conditions of teaching staff shall be continuously improved.

3. The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to have respect for the liberty of parents and, when applicable, legal guardians to choose for their children schools, other than those established by the public authorities, which conform to such minimum educational standards as may be laid down or approved by the State and to ensure the religious and moral education of their children in conformity with their own convictions.

4. No part of this article shall be construed so as to interfere with the liberty of individuals and bodies to establish and direct educational institutions, subject always to the observance of the principles set forth in paragraph I of this article and to the requirement that the education given in such institutions shall conform to such minimum standards as may be laid down by the State.