States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in order to ensure to them equal rights with men in the field of education and in particular to ensure, on a basis of equality of men and women: (f) The reduction of female student drop-out rates and the organization of programmes for girls and women who have left school prematurely;

To discourage the demand that fosters all forms of exploitation of persons, especially women and children, that leads to trafficking, each Party shall adopt or strengthen legislative, administrative, educational, social, cultural or other measures including: d. preventive measures, including educational programmes for boys and girls during their schooling, which stress the unacceptable nature of discrimination based on sex, and its disastrous consequences, the importance of gender equality and the dignity and integrity of every human being.

1. States Parties acknowledge the need to eliminate discrimination against girls and young women according to obligations stipulated in various international, regional and national human rights conventions and instruments designed to protect and promote women's rights. In this regard, they shall: e) Guarantee equal access to and completion of vocational, secondary and higher education in order to effectively address the existing imbalance between young men and women in certain professions;

1. States Parties acknowledge the need to eliminate discrimination against girls and young women according to obligations stipulated in various international, regional and national human rights conventions and instruments designed to protect and promote women's rights. In this regard, they shall: k) Introduce special legislation and programmes of action that make available opportunities to girls and young women including access to education as a prerequisite and a priority for rapid social and economic development;

3. The education of young people shall be directed to: f) The development of life skills to function effectively in society and include issues such as HIV/AIDS, reproductive health, substance abuse prevention and cultural practices that are harmful to the health of young girls and women as part of the education curricula;

1. States Parties acknowledge the need to eliminate discrimination against girls and young women according to obligations stipulated in various international, regional and national human rights conventions and instruments designed to protect and promote women's rights. In this regard, they shall: d) Guarantee universal and equal access to and completion of a minimum of nine years of formal education;

With a view to ensuring the effective exercise of the right to vocational training, the Parties undertake: 2. to provide or promote a system of apprenticeship and other systematic arrangements for training young boys and girls in their various employments;

1. States Parties acknowledge the need to eliminate discrimination against girls and young women according to obligations stipulated in various international, regional and national human rights conventions and instruments designed to protect and promote women's rights. In this regard, they shall: f) Ensure that education material and teaching practices are gender sensitive and encourage girls and young women to undertake studies in the sciences;

4. States Parties shall take all appropriate measures with a view to achieving full realisation of this right and shall, in particular: l) Introduce scholarship and bursary programmes to encourage entry into post-primary school education and into higher education outstanding youth from disadvantaged communities, especially young girls;

2. States Parties shall take specific positive action to: c) promote the enrolment and retention of girls in schools and other training institutions and the organisation of programmes for women who leave school prematurely.

State Parties shall endeavour to provide free and compulsory basic education to all, especially girls, rural inhabitants, minorities, people with disabilities and other marginalized social groups.

4. States Parties shall take all appropriate measures with a view to achieving full realisation of this right and shall, in particular: h) Ensure, where applicable, that girls and young women who become pregnant or married before completing their education shall have the opportunity to continue their education;

1. States Parties acknowledge the need to eliminate discrimination against girls and young women according to obligations stipulated in various international, regional and national human rights conventions and instruments designed to protect and promote women's rights. In this regard, they shall: g) Provide educational systems that do not impede girls and young women, including married and/or pregnant young women, from attending;

1. States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to: c) protect women, especially the girl-child from all forms of abuse, including sexual harassment in schools and other educational institutions and provide for sanctions against the perpetrators of such practices;

In relation to assessing progression from primary to secondary education, the Special Rapporteur recommends that: States comply fully with their core obligation of providing free, compulsory primary education of good quality to every child, boys and girls alike. Completion of good quality primary education should be a predominant concern in the national assessment of basic education, with no automatic progression from primary to secondary education. This can only be verified through assessments prior to progression to secondary education, with recognized qualification" at the end of primary education cycle. Public authorities should ensure the maintenance of quality standards throughout the cycle of basic education in a sustained manner.

[Recommends that the States parties to the Convention, taking into account their specific situations, adopt for the benefit of members of the Roma communities, inter alia, all or part of the following measures, as appropriate.] To support the inclusion in the school system of all children of Roma origin and to act to reduce drop out rates, in particular among Roma girls, and, for these purposes, to cooperate actively with Roma parents, associations and local communities.

Similarly, a universal goal related to women's empowerment should be closely linked to education as a fundamental right, with special measures in favour of women and girls in vulnerable and marginalized situations. Educating women and girls should, a priori, be viewed as a human rights imperative, rather than being undertaken solely because of potential benefits to their children or to society. States must develop "legislative developments" and adopt specific laws for women's empowerment through education within the framework of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

[Widespread concerns on quality in education call for strengthening national legal frameworks with a view to establishing and reinforcing standards for quality in education. To that end, the Special Rapporteur would like to make the following recommendations:] Focus on the right to quality education for women’s empowerment: •   States should pay particular attention to the quality of education offered to girls and women. Emphasis should be placed on giving concrete shape to the provisions laid down in the Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women;

Education has been recognized as one of the most effective ways to delay early marriage and allow for married women to make more informed choices about their health and that of their families. States should establish more schools, recruit qualified teachers (in particular female teachers) and train teachers in subjects such as gender sensitivity, HIV/AIDS and reproductive and sexual health. They should also offer economic support and incentives for girls and their families, such as fee subsidies, scholarships, school supplies, school uniform and conditional cash transfers. There should be proper monitoring and evaluation of such transfers. States should also adopt all appropriate educational measures to modify the social and cultural patterns of conduct that foster cultural practices among families that lead to servile marriage. Teachers and other educational staff should be trained to recognize vulnerable girls and react appropriately. Continuing formal education and vocational training for married girls and women should be provided.

[States parties should protect the right of rural girls and women to education, and ensure that:] High-quality education is accessible to and affordable for all rural women and girls, including those with disabilities, by improving educational infrastructures in rural areas, increasing the number of qualified teachers, including women, and ensuring that primary education is compulsory and provided free of charge and that education is provided in local languages and in a culturally appropriate manner;

[States parties should protect the right of rural girls and women to education, and ensure that:] Systematic training is provided for teaching personnel at all levels of the education system on the rights of rural girls and women and on the need to combat discriminatory sex-based and gender-based, ethnic and other stereotypes that limit the educational opportunities of rural women and girls. Curricula should be reviewed to eliminate discriminatory stereotypes about the roles and responsibilities of women and men in the family and in society;

[The Working Group recommends that States:] Provide age-appropriate, comprehensive and inclusive sexuality education based on scientific evidence and human rights, for girls and boys, as part of the mandatory school programmes. Sexuality education should give particular attention to gender equality, sexuality, relationships, gender identity, including non-conforming gender identities, and responsible parenthood and sexual behaviour to prevent early pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections;

[The Special Rapporteur puts forward the following recommendations for the promotion of equal opportunities in education on the basis of a human rights framework:] Address multiple forms of inequality and discrimination through comprehensive policies: Given the mutually reinforcing nature of different forms of discrimination and inequality in the context of education, States should address multiple forms of inequality and discrimination through comprehensive policies. Prevailing disparities in access to education – between boys and girls, and between rich and poor regions –must be given special consideration, recognizing that good policies backed by a commitment to equality can make a difference. Policy measures must respond to the need for making learning accessible for the most marginalized and vulnerable;

[The Committees recommend that the States parties to the Conventions:] Provide universal, free and compulsory primary education that is girl friendly, including in remote and rural areas, consider making secondary education mandatory while also providing economic incentives for pregnant girls and adolescent mothers to complete secondary school and establish non-discriminatory return policies;

States parties should adopt measures to promote gender equality in the ICT sector and improve the access of rural women and girls to ICT, as well as develop or expand initiatives to increase their ICT skills, for example, through the development of village-based or community-based knowledge centres. States parties should also explore public awareness-raising and training through mobile phone technology, which has the potential to reach rural women and girls.

[The Committees recommend that the States parties to the Conventions:] Provide universal, free and compulsory primary education that is girl friendly, including in remote and rural areas, consider making secondary education mandatory while also providing economic incentives for pregnant girls and adolescent mothers to complete secondary school and establish non-discriminatory return policies;

[The Working Group recommends that States:] Ensure equality for girls in the quality of education at all levels, including breaking down gender stereotypes in school curricula, teacher training programmes, textbooks and teaching materials; and encourage girls' engagement in non-traditional vocational skill areas and academic disciplines, such as mathematics, science and technology;

[On the basis of the foregoing remarks, the Special Rapporteur considers that:] The right to sexual education is particularly important to women's and girls' empowerment and to ensuring that they enjoy their human rights. It is therefore one of the best tools for dealing with the consequences of the system of patriarchal domination by changing social and cultural patterns of behaviour that affect men and women and tend to perpetuate discrimination and violence against women.

Children in detention should be provided throughout the day with a full programme of education, sport, vocational training, recreation and other purposeful out-of-cell activities. This includes physical exercise for at least two hours every day in the open air, and preferably for a considerably longer time. Girls should under no circumstances receive less care, protection, assistance and training, including equal access to sport and recreation.

The right to education is not enjoyed equally by all; millions of girls, boys, women and men of African descent suffer disproportionately from unequal access to quality education. Failure to ensure equal access to education robs people of their opportunity to reach their full human potential and to contribute to the development of their own communities and society at large.