The Right to Quality Education for all

Education, in order to promote dignity for every person, has always been of the utmost importance to

the Society of Jesus.

Inspired by the Ignatian Magis, Jesuits and thousands of collaborators have offered quality education to society’s

most disadvantaged around the world.

From the beginning…

Nowadays, there are still many groups of people deprived from the right to education, and a great number of those who attend to school don’t have

access to it with the required quality.

That is why, various Jesuit organizations have joined together to work for the changes that enable a better

education for everyone around the world.

The right to education is denied to millions of people around the world. 58 million children (6-11 yrs) y 63 million adolescents (12-15 años) dont have access to school, or have abandoned their studies.

751 million young people over 15 and adults in the world can neither read nor write, and two thirds of them are women.

Young people and adults have the least opportunity to exercise their legitimate right to the education that they didn't receive as children,

which they need for their own self development.

A look at the world*

*NOTE: It is interesting to set some examples of the actual realities where the presentation is showed. Here is one example: A look at the world (II) Latin American and The Caribbean.

3,8 million children in primary age and 2,8 million adolescents in the three first years of secondary school have no access to school or they have quitted.

People living without the right to education are denied the opportunity to live with dignity, and are denied the possibility to overcome the poverty in

which they live.

The people who are most affected are the most vulnerable parts of society: rural communities, indigenous people, girls, women, refugees, the

elderly.

The violation of the right to education

A look at the world…

Poor quality education due to low paid teachers,

dilapidated infrastructure, irrelevant teaching content,

inefficient administrative systems etc. leads to many people lacking the minimum skills needed to survive in a

globalized world.

The right to a quality education

A look at the world…

Lack of education perpetuates hereditary poverty. Poor quality education hurts not only individuals, but entire sections of society and classes.The best springboard for human development, personal dignity and political and economic participation in the poorest nations is high quality education for the whole population.

The dignity of the excluded

DIGNITYHUMAN DEVELOPMENTECONOMIC AND POLITICAL PARTICIPATION

EDUCATION =

We declare ourselves in solidarity with those who have been deprived form the right to

education.The approval of the Society of Jesus makes no mention of education, but the first Jesuits soon realized how important education was to their mission. Right now there are nearly 3 million students in the Society's different institutions worldwide.

All of our educative communities must understand and believe that they are responsible not only for their own center, but also they are a small part of our entire educative system, national and global, and they are responsible for defending the right to quality education for all.

Our Mission

Self- aware people co- responsible with the world acknowledging the dignity of the other and autocritical attitude.

Competent people capable of learning to learn and build new and useful knowledge for the society progress.

Commited people, who understand politics and economy as means to serve human dignity and who take over public affairs with responsability.

Compassive people, who acknowledge and stand by the weak and the excluded.

We promote an education “for the others” that builds…

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 states that Education is an inalienable right of every human

being. But it is not just a right…

We are not content with a simple proclamation of this right. We are committed to work to make this right a true

reality throughout all populations and societies.

Education is a Human Right

Co-responsibility

Public Responsibilit

y

STATEFAMILYSOCIET

Y

Education is the right which allows people to access other human rights and enjoy basic

human freedoms

Recognition is not enough

• AVAILABILITY- The existence of sufficient and well provisioned educational institution.

• ACCESSIBILITY- Free and full access to education, without discrimination.

• ADAPTABILITY- The ability of educational institutions to be responsive to the educational community

• ACCEPTABILITY- The appropriateness and relevance of education, in compliance with human rights standards.

• ACCOUNTABILITY- the government, as the principal guarantor of the right to education, should be accountable to the citizenry for guaranteeing this right.

Meaning, values and quality

Every educative system must be provided for every person and must be life long lasting, under no

discrimination due to age, race, caste, social status, language, culture, religion or gender.

We aspire to an education connected to every country transformation process, training population who

become able to achieve its self- improvement with its creativity, capacities, values and productivity. A type of

education that develops the citizen sense, based on personal freedom, critical thinking, solidarity and social

and ecological responsability.

Factors for achieving quality education for all people

Public Policies

Education to transform

populations and society

Family, State and Society in synergy

Educational Centre

Education as a Human Right and a Public

Good

Educational priority and Financing

Educators

Public Policies

The right to education for all needs to be campaigned for so that governments will implement policies to systematically change the way we deal with those most excluded from education.

We seek to replicate successful programs, measures and policies by studying them and monitoring the after effects of their education.

Public Policies

Transform population and society

Family, State and Society

Educational Centre

Public Good

Educational priority and Financing

Educators

Transform Populations and Society

Widespread levels of education can evolve our societies to achieve their full potential economically, politically and socially.

We must build societies that are democratic, just, diverse and inclusive, which involves providing education which gives all women and men the skills they need to build societies.

A radical transformation of education alone allows poor people to become active agents of social transformation

Public Policies

Transform population and society

Family, State and Society

Educational Centre

Public Good

Educational priority and Financing

Educators

Family, State and

Society

Families, society and the state working together to provide an education is key to establishing a system for the right to education for all

Education is a basic human right so all states should assume responsibility for it, and families and society should demand the realization of this right.

Families and society in general must simultaneously collaborate with the state to educate, they must share this responsibility to provide quality education for all.

Public Policies

Transform population and society

Family, State and

Society

Educational Centre

Public Good

Educational priority and Financing

Educators

The educational

centre

The educational center is often the heart of the educational system, so it goes without saying that it must be selected, maintained and cared for to high standards.

Well trained teaching staff, expert directors and diligent administration systems are essential for coordinating a healthy classroom, or educational center.

Public Policies

Transform population and society

Family, State and Society

Educational Centre

Public Good

Educational priority and Financing

Educators

Public Good

Education is a human right and a public good to which not all humans have access. Excluding those who cannot afford this ‘public good’ when it is provided privately is a form of discrimination, and the state must take responsibility for them.

We believe that any attempts to privatize education in a way which closes off access to education for people and communities are initiatives that suppress the right to education. Privatized education initiatives should act responsibly to ensure that they are complying with the human right to quality education.

Public Policies

Transform population and society

Family, State and Society

Educational Centre

Public Good

Educational priority and Financing

Educators

Financing

Financing for education must cover three basic objectives;1. quality basic education through schooling of all children and adolescents from early childhood to at least the end of secondary school 2. literacy training for the adult population3. professionalization and hiring of teachers

Financing should not be distributed either quantitatively or qualitatively, but provided to ALL, without discrimination.

Public Policies

Transform population and society

Family, State and Society

Educational Centre

Public Good

Educational priority and Financing

Educators

Educators

Low salaries and social esteem directed towards teachers are key drivers of the failures in our society's educational system. The key to a good education is the availability of well prepared educators who are vocationally motivated, decently remunerated, and conscious of their social worth.

Teachers must not only be proficient in an educational capacity, this is understood to be the bare minimum of their responsibilities, they also must be capable of planning education specific to their center, understanding social factors, spreading a participative and community atmosphere, and developing the students and their own social and ethical awareness.

Educators must spend the finances they receive to carry out their jobs efficiently, ensuring that the money is used to maximum efficiency in all its destinations.

Public Policies

Transform population and society

Family, State and Society

Educational Centre

Public Good

Educational priority and Financing

Educators

GIAN

We are a group of Jesuit organizations working to improve education under the leadership of the Social

Justice and Ecology Secretariat (SJES).

With our collective influence, resources and global potential, we believe that we can make positive impact upon cultural and political changes which are needed to

achieve a quality education for all.

“Global Ignatian Advocacy Network”

Reflections Guide

What parts of the text caused you to feel hopeful, inspired… and which parts of the text make you feel sentiments of desolation worry or dissatisfaction?

In your Province/zone/speciality, what is the Society doing to defend and promote the right to education with a special focus upon excluded people?

What do you think should be the main priorities of the Society in the 21st century concerning the promotion of the right to education, based upon the criteria of the most impact, the most need and the most universal good?

How can the Society take advantage of the diversity of its work in order to act as a true apostolic body in the defence and promotion of the right to education for people who have been deprived from it?

How do you think that your Province/zone/speciality can collaborate and towards the right to education for everyone?

Reflections Guide (II)

Your contribution is very important for those who form this Network. Please, we ask you kindly to send us your reflections to info@edujesuit.org and if you want to learn more about the Education Network don’t hesitate to visit www.edujesuit.org