The COVID-19 pandemic greatly accelerated the use of digital technologies in education. But beyond the emergency response, there is an international trend towards exploring how artificial intelligence and data-based analytics can support learning, learning assessments, and evidence-based policy planning processes. The use of data in education is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, they offer tremendous potential to create value by improving policies and programmes, driving transparent governance and better management of education systems, teachers’ empowerment, personalized learning experiences, assessment, and certification. On the other hand, data accumulation can lead to a concentration of economic and political power, raising the possibility that data may be misused in ways that harm learners. This publication argues that a balance must be struck between the use of technology to advance educational transformation and the safeguarding of privacy and individual rights. Proper rules and protocols are needed to protect students and teachers not only in national policies but also at international level, where cooperation and collaborative efforts are also required to support policy learning, knowledge sharing and mutual understanding. UNESCO launches through this publication a clarion call to the education community not only to pay careful attention to data privacy in education, but to take the lead in these developments.
This documented was submitted to the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to education in February 2023, in response to a call for contributions for a report she is developing for the UN Human Rights Council.
Le présent rapport de la Rapporteuse spéciale sur le droit à l’éducation, Farida Shaheed, est soumis à l’occasion du vingt-cinquième anniversaire de la création du mandat relatif au droit à l’éducation. Dans son rapport, la Rapporteuse spéciale passe en revue les résultats obtenus dans le domaine du droit à l’éducation et expose la manière dont on conçoit ce droit et les obligations qui en découlent, ainsi que les questions contemporaines et nouvelles dont il convient de tenir compte pour garantir le droit à l’éducation pour tous, aujourd’hui et à l’avenir.
Este informe de la Relatora Especial sobre el derecho a la educación, Farida Shaheed, se presenta con ocasión del 25º aniversario del establecimiento del mandato sobre el derecho a la educación. En su informe, la Relatora Especial examina los logros realizados en este ámbito, cómo se entiende el derecho a la educación y las obligaciones que conlleva, así como cuestiones tanto contemporáneas como emergentes que deben tenerse en cuenta para garantizar el derecho a la educación para todos, hoy y en el futuro.
يق دم هذا التقرير الذي أعدته المقررة الخاصةة ةم الم نيم قالي لت الت يري لريدة ،ةة ةاسدي قمنا ةة ة م الذكرى السةة ةنويم الخامسةة ةم وال اةة ةرين ناةة ةاة الوحيم المت قم قالي لت الت يرة وتقدم المقررة الخاصةة ةم لت التت تيققت لت هذا المجالي وكيفيم لار الي لت الت ير واحلتزامات المترت م تقريرها ا ت ارضا لإلنجا ازت ع يهي لضةة ع عن القضةةايا الم اصةةرة والنا،ةةنم التت يت سن النجر لساا من أجف ضةةمان الي لت الت ير ل جمي ي لت الوقت الياضر ولت المستقبفة
In her first report to the Human Rights Council, 25 years after the establishment of the mandate on the right to education, the Special Rapporteur reviews achievements, particularly on how the right to education is understood today and the obligations it entails, as well as contemporary and emerging issues that need to be considered to ensure the right to education for all, today and in the future.
A/HRC/53/27
In her 2022 Report on the impact of the digitalisation of education on the right to education, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to education clarified that any introduction of digital technologies in education must be framed around the right of every person to public, free, quality education and the commitments of states in this regard both under international human rights law and Sustainable Development Goal 4. This paper affirms that state obligations under the human rights framework must be the starting point for assessing and responding to discussions related to the monitoring of children’s activities and the collection and use of their data in the field of education. Part 2 outlines the international and regional human rights legal framework that governs the relationship between technology and education, providing a baseline upon which states can verify compliance with international human rights law and useful guidance for anyone seeking to understand the impacts of existing and emerging educational products and services. Part 3 then provides a comparative analysis of the regulation of technology and education in ten countries, through an examination of current data protection, education and related legislation, for the purpose of understanding how different countries are paying attention to and addressing key human rights issues with regards to technology in education in practice.
Background paper to 2023 UNESCO GEM Report 'Technology in education: a tool on whose terms?'
Ce document de recherche et d’orientation étudie certains aspects du droit à l'éducation qui pourraient nécessiter un ancrage plus solide dans le cadre normatif international et une expansion potentielle pour le 21st siècle. L'éducation numérique, la mobilité croissante des personnes, l'évolution démographique, le changement climatique et les attentes en matière de possibilités d'apprentissage tout au long de la vie ne sont que quelques-uns des domaines qui mettent à l'épreuve les limites du cadre normatif international existant. Aboutissement d'un cycle de consultations ouvertes, de séminaires et d'événements internationaux, ainsi que de recherches, ce document présente quelques-unes des tendances émergentes, des défis et des normes qui ont été discutés.
This policy-oriented research paper investigates some of the aspects of the right to education that might require a stronger footing in the international normative framework and potential expansion for the 21st century. Digital education, increasing human mobility, changing demographics, climate change, and expectations of opportunities for learning throughout life are just a few of the areas that are testing the limits of the existing international normative framework. The culmination of a round of open consultation processes, as well as international seminars and events, and research, this paper presents some of the emerging trends, challenges, and norms that have been discussed.
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