Education as a Human Right: Principles for a Universal Entitlement to Learning

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Education is widely recognized as a fundamental human right, yet the nature of the right remains unclear. Is it an entitlement to go to school, to acquire particular forms of knowledge or develop particular skills or attributes And why exactly is education so important that we might defend all people's right to it This book provides a much-needed exploration of this key contemporary issue. Highlighting limitations in the approaches of both the Education for All initiative and existing international law, the book presents a radical new vision of how the right can be understood. As well as basic education, there are discussions of higher and lifelong education, of human rights education, and of the intersection of rights-based approaches with others such Amartya Sen's 'capabilities'. The work serves as a stirring defense of the universal right to education against instrumental conceptions of learning, the inactivity of national governments and the abrogation of responsibility of the international community.

Reviews

This volume provides a very comprehensive review of the field and can therefore be seen as a major contribution to current debates on educational policy. -- Csar Guadalupe * International Review of Education *
This book explores the legal, philosophical and practical dimensions of human rights, with a specific focus on the right to education. While addressing complex questions and maintaining an informed international perspective, Tristan McCowan writes accessibly and engagingly, making this an excellent book for anyone concerned with these issues. * Michele Schweisfurth, Professor of Comparative and International Education, University of Glasgow, UK *
Human rights will be the defining feature of the 21st century and Tristan McCowan's important book provides a lucid and thoughtful account of its meaning for education. Drawing on Dewey, Freire, Sen, and others, McCowan offers a political, moral, legal, and philosophical approach to rights, contrasting It with other approaches such as human capital and capabilities. This book is a must read for educators generally, especially those concerned with education policy, progressive education, comparative and international education, and, of course, human rights. * Steven J. Klees, Professor of International Education Policy, University of Maryland, USA *
Tristan McCowan provides an excellent genealogy of current debates surrounding the right to education. By examining both the right to education and rights within education, and by coupling these analyses with diverse global examples, the author offers an extremely compelling and useful text for scholars of human rights, international and comparative education, and international development broadly. * Monisha Bajaj, Associate Professor and International and Comparative Education, Teachers College, Columbia University, UK *

Author Bio

Tristan McCowan is Senior Lecturer in Education and International Development at IOE, UCLs Faculty of Education and Society, University College London, UK.