Some aspects of ensuring the rights of children to education in case of a pandemic

Аннотация

The article discusses some topical issues of ensuring the right of children to education in a pandemic. The transition to a distance and online system of continuing general secondary, secondary special and higher education in Uzbekistan, the positive and problematic aspects of this system, the results of studying the experience of international organizations and foreign countries in this field are discussed. Key words: the right to education, the impact of the pandemic on the education system, online education, distance learning, UNICEF initiatives, a 28 Scientific research results in pandemic conditions (COVID-19) new guide to protection against the spread of COVID-19, basic literacy, digital education, digital technologies, e-diary system, TV lessons, video lessons, Internet platforms. UNESCO emphasizes that the word education includes the process of conscious learning by individuals and groups of all social life to develop their talents, abilities, and knowledge for the sake of national and international well-being, a process not limited to specific activities1. Education is one of the human rights and is necessary for the realization of other human rights. The right to education is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which mandate states to recognize the right of children to equal education. In particular, Article 282 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child focuses on the right of children to education, which requires States Parties to provide free and compulsory primary education, access to higher education based on the ability of every child, education and vocational training for all children to provide access to information and materials, to promote regular school attendance and to take measures to reduce the number of school dropouts, to protect the dignity of the child in all matters of morality, and to promote the education system in international solidarity. The special resolution "Enlightenment and Religious Tolerance" adopted at the plenary session of the UN General Assembly on December 12, 2018 was a practical manifestation of the initiative put forward by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev from the high rostrum of the UN. The head of our state said: “The main purpose of this document is to help ensure the right to education for all, to eradicate illiteracy and ignorance. This resolution is aimed at promoting tolerance and mutual respect, ensuring religious freedom, protecting the rights of believers and preventing discrimination against them.3” Indeed, the purpose, the essence of the concept of the document is very important. It fully complies with the provisions of important documents adopted within the UN. 1 UNESCO Recommendations on Education in the Spirit of International Understanding, Cooperation, Peace and Respect for Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. Article 5, section A 2 Convention on the Rights of the Child. Publication of the Children's Fund of Uzbekistan; Child rights monitoring. Textbook / Editor-in-Chief A.H. Saidov - Tashkent: National Center for Human Rights of the Republic of Uzbekistan, 2011. P.61 3 Speech by President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly (New York City, September 19, 2017). Xalq so'zi. September 20, 2017, №189 (6883). Page 1 29 Scientific research results in pandemic conditions (COVID-19) However, despite political, organizational, and legal measures, 258 million children and young people did not attend school, according to UNESCO, before the coronavirus pandemic began. At the same time, most of those who go to school are left behind. Two-thirds of the 411 million children in school lack basic reading and math skills4. The Director-General of UNESCO stated, “Education is the cornerstone of the Sustainable Development Goals: by failing in education, we are undermining the very foundations of that development5.” Indeed, one of the Sustainable Development Goals set for 2030 is to provide access to wide- scale and fair quality education, and to encourage6 everyone to acquire knowledge throughout all their lives. Indeed, the Sustainable Development Goals cannot be achieved without the realization of the rights of the child. The coronavirus pandemic has affected the education system as well as all sectors: kindergartens, schools and higher education institutions have been closed en masse. According to UNESCO, 1.7 billion students worldwide today are deprived of offline education due to the suspension of classes. The closure of universities in more than a hundred countries has forced 90 percent of the world’s students to sit at home7. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has released a report on the threats children may face in the current context. “In the face of growing global stagnation, there could be an additional hundreds of thousan