Importance of Education to promote, protect Children's Rights- Lankan Envoy Azeez

A series of measures to promote Education in Sri Lanka has resulted in remarkable social indicators in recent years, such as high enrolment rates in education, reduction of school dropouts and universal primary education reaching 99.7% (2014), said Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, A.L.A. Azeez, this week

Speaking at the 2019 Social Forum of the Human Rights Council - multi stakeholder meeting, which brought together Government representatives, intergovernmental organisations, civil society and the academia in Geneva, Mr Azeez highlighted the importance of Education in the promotion and protection of the Rights of children and youth.

"Empowering children and youth through access to quality Education, and ensuring that no child is left behind, is key to achieving sustainable development goals," stressed Ambassador Azeez.

He added that, in order to ensure the special education needs of children with disabilities, 714 schools provide special education through designated units in government schools for disabled children, and a special scheme of university admissions for persons with disabilities also exist.

“While only 66% of countries have achieved gender parity in primary education, Sri Lanka has made progress in achieving gender equality at all levels of education. The ratio of girls to boys’ enrolment has increased at all levels and has reached the target of 100% in secondary schools," he said.

He said that, in the 15 State universities and 5 institutes attached to them, which provide free education to undergraduate students, females constitute 60.3% of the student population. Female students are a majority in most streams, according to the University enrolment figures of 2015- Arts 76.7%, Education 85.2%, Law 50.9%, Management & Commerce 55.1%, Science 58.5%, Agriculture 61.9%, Medicine 55.8%, Dental Surgery 63.5%, Veterinary Medicine 64.4%, Architecture 51.7% and Indigenous Medicine 76.6%, totalling 64% of women in these courses.

The right to universal and equal access to education at all levels has also been upheld consistently by the Judiciary of Sri Lanka, in a number of cases pertaining to school and university admissions.

“These rulings derived their strength and logic from Article 12 providing for the right to equality and Article 27 referring to the complete eradication of illiteracy and the assurance to all persons of the right to universal and equal access to Education at all levels,”, he said.

“By raising the minimum age of education from 14 to 16 and the minimum age of employment from 14 to 16, as per the ‘National Policy on Elimination of Child Labour in Sri Lanka’, the right to education is re-enforced. Further reforms, including a mandatory 13 years of education, are also being designed, intended to ensure that all children attend school ranging from the primary to secondary levels of education, thereby leaving no room for their exploitation in the social or cultural domains, or for labour,” he added.