PCHR Denounces Israel’s Systematic Violation of Palestinian Children’s Right to Education

Students from Dar al-Fadila primary school, near Rafah (Gaza Strip), attend lesson in tents set up near the destroyed building, January 2009. Photo:PCHR

In a New Report PCHR Denounces Israel’s Systematic Violation of Palestinian Children’s Right to Education.

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) releases today a new report titled “Education Denied: Israel’s Systematic Violation of Palestinian Children’s Right to Education” which was prepared for the July 2011 High-Level Segment of UN-ECOSOC in Geneva, Switzerland.

PCHR will attend this session, which will review the implementation of the education-related Millennium Development Goals (MDG) of the United Nations Development Agenda.

The right to education constitutes one of the most fundamental human rights and it is central to the progressive economic, social and cultural development and growth of society.

The international community has pledged to achieve universal primary schooling by 2015.

Specifically, with respect to the development agenda, the 2000 Dakar Framework for Action highlighted that “quality is at the heart of education”, noting that “a quality education is one that satisfies basic learning needs”.

Thus, PCHR notes that education, as a human right and a development goal, must be built upon quality and universal accessibility.

In the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), the achievement of the MDG on education – as with all MDGs – is currently proving unattainable as a result of illegal policies enacted as part of Israel’s longstanding occupation.

By denying Palestinian children full access to high-quality primary education, Israel, the Occupying Power, is failing to comply with its binding obligations under international law.

PCHR asks that the international community take all appropriate measures to end Israel’s repeated violations of international law which inhibit basic human rights, including education, and development goals in the oPt.

The full report is available here.