Q&A on RESULTS' New Report Card on Global Education

RESULTS is thrilled to announce the launch of a brand new website for the Right to Education Index (RTEI), an exciting project that recently completed its pilot year. Associate Director for Global Education Tony Baker explains why RTEI has the potential to revolutionize the way we measure progress on the right to education.

What is the Right to Education Index?

RTEI is essentially a global report card that aims to ensure that all people, no matter where they live, are able to enjoy their right to a quality education. RTEI works with research institutions, governments, and education advocates to measure progress on the right to education in countries all over the world. Designed to help advocates hold their governments accountable, the intention is for the findings of RTEI to be used to drive national-level advocacy campaigns.

Why did RESULTS Educational Fund decide to launch this project?

Nearly 70 years after the right to education was first enshrined by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 121 million children still don’t have access to basic education. And for those who do manage to get into school, the quality of education tends to be very low. In total, nearly 40 percent of children of primary school age (250 million kids) are failing to learn the basics. This has to change.

As an advocacy organization with partners and affiliates around the world, RESULTS is able to bridge the gap between researchers, human rights experts, governments, and advocates. With a proven history of robust, evidenced-based grassroots campaigning, RESULTS has the unique strengths needed for RTEI to lead to lasting change.

Why is RTEI important?

RTEI has the potential to revolutionize how citizens and governments monitor and uphold basic human rights. RTEI can drive public and political dialogues on the right to education and strengthen grassroots campaigns. This will lead to more children around the world accessing quality education, which will help to break the cycle of poverty.

What’s next for RTEI?

We just launched our new website, and 82 civil society organizations from 40 countries applied to participate in the Right to Education Index (RTEI) in 2016. We’ve selected 15 organizations that span the globe! Participating countries include: Australia, Canada, Chile, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Honduras, Indonesia, Nigeria, Palestine, Philippines, South Korea, Tanzania, United Kingdom, United States, and Zimbabwe. It’s going to be an exciting and very busy year for us.

For more information about RTEI, please visit www.rtei.org