Title: What is a right to education?

Authors: Thomas Mc Donagh

Addresses: School of Law, Middlesex University London, The Burroughs, Hendon, NW4 4BT, London, UK

Abstract: This article will examine the nature and scope of a right to education and will compare and contrast international and domestic education rights provisions and will make a comparative analysis of the application and utility of such rights in the UK, Ireland, the USA, UAE and developing countries. It will argue that a right to education is a fundamental human right upon which the sustainability of any society depends. Finally, it will argue that education rights provisions alone will not of themselves be sufficient to achieve educational, social and economic sustainability and advancement without the necessary political, judicial, societal and financial support to enable such rights, in whatever form they are set down, to foster, support and direct educational provision, participation and attainment.

Keywords: right to education; sustainability; fundamental human right; enshrined rights; international education rights provisions; domestic education rights provisions; Article 42; Plessy v Ferguson; Brown v Board of Education; Grutter v Bollinger; UAE education; developing countries' education; education provision.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSSOC.2021.121621

International Journal of Sustainable Society, 2021 Vol.13 No.4, pp.302 - 316

Accepted: 20 Nov 2021
Published online: 21 Mar 2022 *

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