The right to education – is it achievable in the modern age of technology in the context of pandemics and armed conflict?

Abstract

This research outlines and analyzes the implementation of the right to education in practice. The rapid development of digital technologies, especially in the area of communication, hugely affects the education system in many countries. New tools have invaded the education system, starting from preschool education institutions and ending with advanced training and learning-for-life programs. The bulk of research on advanced technology and human rights has been and remains focused on the possible threats to human rights that can be caused by new technologies, especially in the area of communication. However, this area of research must be considered from the perspective of the implementation of the right to education through distance/online learning, especially during pandemics or armed conflict. This question might be simple at first glance – all one needs to do is connect to the Internet and begin their studies. However, this is easier said than done. The right to education has been recognized as a human right in several international conventions, and is enshrined in the constitutions of many countries. Although challenges to the practical implementation of the abovementioned right for different age groups, they mostly affected children and young people. This is true in both Ukraine and other parts of the world where armed conflicts are still ongoing. Due to these events, distance/online learning became widespread around the world in an instant. At the same time, this triggered the creation or significant improvement of preexisting learning platforms and the application programs designed for distance/online studies. This fostered the adoption of new technologies in the relatively conservative area of education, especially at the primary and secondary levels. The most significant challenge for Ukraine’s social policy is and will remain the implementation of the right to education. The Internet is in private hands in many countries, and states have very few instruments with which to force the private sector, especially Internet service providers, to change their business-oriented models into those serving the public good. Thus, how should a country’s government act when its citizens cannot afford Internet services and cannot obtain computers, including software and applications needed for learning? The latter may include Microsoft Office (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, or One Note), Zoom, and Webex applications used for teleconferencing, telecommuting, etc. This creates an additional obligation for the state: to ensure free and rapid access to the Internet with software suitable for distance/online learning. The right to access the Internet is moving towards obtaining a status alongside other fundamental rights. This raises further questions: How are countries’ education systems to cope with this challenge? Is a state obliged to provide free internet access and equipment (hardware and software for distance/online learning) to socially vulnerable (e.g., poor or disabled) parts of society? It is one thing to publicly declare that the right to education is free and available for everyone and to enshrine it in law, but it is quite another to implement the abovementioned right into practice. the Russian Federation’s invasion of the territory of Ukraine in 2014 (and later fullscale invasion on February 24, 2022) and the COVID-19 pandemic brought more.