The Islamic Republic of Iran and children’s right to education: acceptability & adaptability

Abstract

Iran, as a United Nations member state, has made moral and legal commitments to conform to international human rights standards, including the 1966 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which address the right to education. This article reviews Iran’s commitments to children’s educational rights, drawing on the 4-A scheme developed by the former Special Rapporteur of the UN High Commission for Human Rights on Education, Katarina Tomaševski, whereby education should be available, accessible, acceptable, and adaptable. It examines the State’s obligation to ensure education is acceptable and adaptable. It identifies a number of legal and political reasons why children are unable to claim their educational rights. It calls for substantial educational and societal reform and the prioritisation of the child’s best interests, over those of the State.