The Right to Education Movements and Policies: Promises and Realities
NORRAG Special Issue 01

The Right to Education Movements and Policies: Promises and Realities

January 2018

Guest editors: Archana Mehendale, Professor, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, India; Rahul Mukhopadhyay, Visiting Faculty, Azim Premji University, Bengaluru, India.

The first edition of NORRAG Special Issue (NSI) published in January 2018, is dedicated to examining international frameworks and national policy as well as the challenges of fulfilling the right to education in practice. It highlights the global and national level experiences and perspectives on guaranteeing the right to education in accordance with international agreements, national constitutions, legislation, and policy.

As with other NORRAG activities, this issue attempts to bridge the gap between both theory and practice, and advocacy and policy in international educational development. NSI aims to generate a platform in which an informed dialogue between researchers, policy-makers, private actors and NGOs may take place. 

NSI 01, which contains 36 concise articles, is divided into six parts, each focusing on a specific theme of right to education policy and practice:

  • Part 1 discusses the normative and legal frameworks for the right to education for all; 
  • Part 2 traces the history and perspectives in diverse contexts; 
  • Part 3 highlights to challenges faced in different countries with implementing the legislation on the right to education; 
  • Part 4 exemplifies the engagement of various institutional actors representing the government, non-government and community stakeholders, in ensuring and holding the government to account; 
  • Part 5 delves into the imperative debate around private actors and privatization of schooling and its effects on guaranteeing the right to education for all; 
  • Part 6 focuses on the challenges faced by marginalized populations in various fragile contexts.

This issue has been edited by distinguished education scholars based in India—Professor Archana Mehendale of Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, and Dr. Rahul Mukhopadhyay, who is a visiting faculty at Azim Premji University, Bengaluru.  

Selected articles from this issue have been translated into:

  • Arabic by the Al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research, Ras Al Khaimah, UAE (editor: Natasha Ridge) in April 2018.
  • Chinese (Mandarin) by Institute of International and Comparative Education at Beijing Normal University (editor: Jun Teng) in June 2018
  • French by NORRAG team in July 2018 
  • Spanish by Universidad Nacional de General Sarmiento, Argentina (editor: Felicitas Acosta) in August 2018
  • Russian by Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Education in December 2018

Download the language versions to read the regional contextualisations.