Farida Shaheed Calls for Genuine Youth Participation in Education on International Day of Education 2026

The UN Special Rapporteur on the right to education Farida Shaheed has issued a strong call for governments and education stakeholders to move beyond tokenistic involvement of children and young people, insisting that education must be co-created with them as rights-holders rather than delivered to them as passive recipients.

In her official statement on the International Day of Education, Shaheed emphasized a consistent message she hears from youth worldwide: “Education cannot be something that is merely delivered to them. It must be co-created with them.” She highlighted that young people across diverse contexts feel routinely excluded from decisions about curricula, assessment, pedagogy, school governance, and policy—often offered only symbolic participation rather than structural influence.

To address this exclusion, Shaheed launched the Right to Education Youth Network (#REYN) in December 2025. REYN is a global platform connecting children and young people as rights-holders and co-creators of education systems. As of January 2026, it includes over 1,500 members from 138 countries, representing a wide range of experiences across formal, non-formal, and informal education settings. About 65% of members are university and college students, but the network also includes school-aged children under 18. Participation is voluntary and open to students at all levels.

REYN provides a space for youth to share concerns, propose solutions, and contribute directly to global discussions on the right to education. Shaheed noted that sustained engagement with REYN members and other young people has surfaced seven recurring concerns that reveal a “crisis of listening” within education systems:

• Persistent inequality in access and quality — Enrollment does not guarantee safe, dignified, or meaningful education. Disparities remain between public and private systems, urban and rural areas, and privileged versus marginalized learners.
• Outdated and disconnected curricula — Many systems prioritize memorization and standardized testing over critical thinking, creativity, and relevance to real-world challenges.
• Poverty and hidden financial barriers — “Free education” often means inadequate schooling. Hidden costs and lack of stipends push millions out or trap them in low-quality systems.
• Digital transformation deepening divides — Technology offers promise, but the digital divide, lack of accessibility for learners with disabilities, and unregulated AI use risk new forms of exclusion.
• Unsafe and undignified school environments — Gender-based exclusion, bullying, language discrimination, and marginalization of refugees and minorities remain widespread.
• Mental health, burnout, and performance anxiety — Systems that reduce learners to grades undermine well-being and the joy of learning.
• Education in conflict, displacement, and climate crises — Education is often the first service to disappear and the last to return, especially for girls.

Shaheed stressed that recognizing children and youth as co-creators does not shift responsibility away from adults. It requires creating genuine spaces for their contributions while supporting teachers as co-creators whose academic freedom, professional autonomy, and well-being are essential. Families and communities must also be active contributors, not passive observers, to build participatory ecosystems beyond classrooms.

Shaheed urged States and stakeholders to embed participation as a core component of the right to education by involving learners, teachers, and families in shaping curricula, pedagogy, assessment, governance, financing, and policy. She framed education as a public and common good that builds dignity, agency, and shared futures.

On this International Day of Education—established by the UN General Assembly in 2018—Shaheed called for moving beyond tokenism toward structural inclusion, warning that current systems fall short of ensuring the right to education for all and will not meet future needs unless participation is treated as a shared responsibility today.

Her statement aligns with SDG 4 (inclusive and equitable quality education) and echoes global youth advocacy for rights-based, relevant, and transformative education systems.