Shel Silverstein - Early Bird

 

How everyone's point of view differs. :)

Rights to Education... Are They Being Respected?

Education... Have we taken it for granted? It seems so, as in most countries it is natural for children to attend preschool and go on to elementary school, middle school, high school, and then college. We normally do not consider it a privilege to receive continuing education. However, recent news concerning the violation of education rights for girls in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Africa tell us it is not the case in some parts of the world.

Despite the Millenium Development Goal promise to secure universal education for girls by the end of 2015, progress has been postponed due to lack of funding. What's more, people fighting for universal girls' education have been discouraged, often violently. Supporters have been threatened, assaulted, bombed, and murdered during this struggle - principals were murdered, and schools that had announced their will to enroll girls were blown up with grenades.

As an effort to resolve this critical issue, the United Nations and the World Bank have stepped up, discussing with these countries what they need to promote girls' education.

(Original Article: "Girls Who Risk Their Lives For Education,"

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/09/opinion/global/girls-who-risk-their-lives-for-education.html?_r=0)

Related Legal Information: Right to Education

Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 26

1. Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.

2. Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.

3. Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.

(Reference: United Nations, http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/)

International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, Article 13

1. The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone to education. They agree that education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and the sense of its dignity, and shall strengthen the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. They further agree that education shall enable all persons to participate effectively in a free society, promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations and all racial, ethnic or religious groups, and further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.

2. The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize that, with a view to achieving the full realization of this right: 
(a) Primary education shall be compulsory and available free to all; 
(b) Secondary education in its different forms, including technical and vocational secondary education, shall be made generally available and accessible to all by every appropriate means, and in particular by the progressive introduction of free education; 
(c) Higher education shall be made equally accessible to all, on the basis of capacity, by every appropriate means, and in particular by the progressive introduction of free education; 
(d) Fundamental education shall be encouraged or intensified as far as possible for those persons who have not received or completed the whole period of their primary education; 
(e) The development of a system of schools at all levels shall be actively pursued, an adequate fellowship system shall be established, and the material conditions of teaching staff shall be continuously improved.

(Reference: United Nations Human Rights, http://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/CESCR.aspx)

*Compulsory Education: pre-school, nursery education
*Secondary Education: middle school, high school, preparatory school, vocational school
*Higher Education: college, university, institute of technology, academy

(Reference: Wikipedia)

However, with ongoing discrimination in the field of education, international organizations have made continuous efforts to advocate universal education for all. Some of the more prominent movements are:

Convention Against Discrimination in Education
A multilateral treaty adopted by UNESCO in 1960, this convention had its goal in resisting all types of discrimination such as segregation, lack of funding, and unfair policies in administration.

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women
An international treaty adopted in 1979 by the United Nations General Assembly, this convention is also known as an international bill of rights for women, focusing on gender equality.

Katarina Tomasevski, former UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education, developed the 4 As framework in her term. This is not necessarily the standard followed in all nations, but it is a general idea given on the fulfillment of education.

1) Availability – that education is free and government-funded and that there is adequate infrastructure and trained teachers able to support education delivery.

2) Accessibility – that the system is non- discriminatory and accessible to all, and that positive steps are taken to include the most marginalized.

3) Acceptability – that the content of education is relevant, non-discriminatory and culturally appropriate, and of quality; that the school itself is safe and teachers are professional.

4) Adaptability – that education can evolve with the changing needs of society and contribute to challenging inequalities, such as gender discrimination, and that it can be adapted locally to suit specific contexts.

(Reference: "Right to Education Project," http://www.right-to-education.org/)

Reading Journal - "Norwegian Wood" #2

All I knew about the well was its frightening depth. It was deep beyond measuring, and crammed full of darkness, as if all the world’s darkness had been boiled down to their ultimate density.

“It’s really, really deep,” said Naoko, choosing her words with care. “But no one knows where it is,” she continued. “The one thing I know for sure is that it’s around here somewhere.”

This “field well” seems to be what continuously haunts Toru and Naoko. They just cannot let go of the thought that they might fall into it someday without knowing it, although they’re not even sure if this “field well” even exists. The mere idea of unconsciously stepping in to the well and facing the tragic “end” holds the two back from moving forward.

Naoko loves Toru, and she knows he does too; nonetheless, fear keeps her from initiating a new relationship with him. Upon the death of Kizuki, who was her boyfriend and best friend for a long time, she suddenly disappears into thin air, without giving Toru a single clue about her whereabouts. When they meet again two years later, Naoko and Toru start spending time together like the good old days, but once they become intimate on her birthday, she again leaves without warning. For several months, she doesn’t reply to any of Toru’s letters, only to later inform him of her being in a mental hospital. She seems to be all bright and recovering, which relieves Toru and encourages him to wait until she is ready, but she just cannot manage to escape from her “dark days”, as in the end she suffocates herself to death.

Also, in Toru’s case, fear keeps him from admitting his love for Midori. Looking around to find Midori at his class History of Drama, worrying when she does not show up, waiting for her phone calls… He obviously cares about her, but he doesn’t take a further step because he can’t figure out his situation. Toru has trouble defining his relationship with Naoko, which leads on to a similar confusion between him and Midori. The fundamental cause for this issue appears to be his worrying about stepping into the “field well.” The image that Naoko gave him a while ago follows him around, reminding him that the deeper a relationship becomes, the nearer he gets to the well. Even when he realizes through his conversation with Reiko that his true partner is Midori and calls her to at last clarify his mind, however, the thought of the “field well” once again tortures him, messing with his head and apparently getting him lost: “Again and Again, I called out for Midori from the dead center of this place that was no place.”

“Things like that must actually happen.”

“They do, every once in a while. Maybe once in two or three years. Somebody disappears all of a sudden, and they just can’t find him. So then the people around here say, ‘Oh, he fell in the field well.’”

It sure did “actually happen,” but more often than expected. It happened to Naoko after Kizuki’s death and to Toru following Naoko’s death. Both of them got lost with a close one’s death. Midori “disappeared” for a while as well, with her dad’s passing away, but she was able to come back to reality after she took her time. She gradually came back to her usual self, and could fold that dark period away, labeling it a trip “South to Nara and North to Aomori.” It’s a different story for Naoko and Toru though. They two are in this vicious cycle where they lose a dear one, disappear, make efforts to go on and meet new people, and just as they’re about to go a step further, they are reminded of the “field well” that might be somewhere close by, representing another “end.” So Naoko firmly locked herself up, never recovering and eventually committing suicide. As for Toru, he did come back to his usual self, but only physically; he had no idea where he was.

“Field well.” It’s what let pass so many great relationships, opportunities, and possibly true love for Naoko and Toru.