International and Regional Instruments

This document compiles practical examples related to indigenous people’s right to education, extracted from reports submitted by Member States within the framework of the Ninth Consultation on the implementation of the 1960 Convention and Recommendation against Discrimination in Education. It is intended to serve as a practical tool for both information sharing and advocacy. Section one presents the international legal framework protecting the right to education for indigenous peoples.

Recently, teachers have faced further unprecedented challenges as they seek to find ways of ensuring quality education for all their students within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Whilst the nature of these challenges varies depending on the location, a common concern is with those students who are known to be vulnerable to marginalization or exclusion, such as those from the poorest households, refugees and those in conflict situations, ethnic and linguistic minorities and indigenous backgrounds, and children with disabilities.

Since 1989, the region has been trying to overcome this heavy legacy and shift towards a rights-based approach to education, often with the support of international organizations. Laws and policies have embraced a broader concept of inclusion. Teacher education and professional development programmes are being revised or restructured. Yet progress is uneven. Many changes are happening on paper, while deep-held beliefs and actual practices remain little altered.

The compendium is structured around the  following four subthemes and the  overarching  questions  of  how  education  systems  can  integrate  AI  to  support  the  learning  and  well-being  of   diverse   populations   and   how   this   integration   can   lead   to   better   social   outcomes,   inclusive   and   equitable   q