Is higher education an absolute right or a mere moral obligation of the States? With this question, the webinar The right to higher education began, presented by José Antonio Quinteiro, IESALC program coordinator, within the framework of the celebration of the United Nations International Education Day.

After enouncing Ramsey Clark’s concept of law “A right is not what someone gives you; it’s what no one can take from you », Quinteiro then went on to the definition of what is understood by hard and soft law and its differences, including the quality of being legally binding, the first, and not legally binding, the second. This was done within the framework of a timeline where he highlighted the international instruments that have had an impact on higher education.

The presentation also displayed the types of law of first and second generation, although this categorization is increasingly being perceived as artificial given that, today, they are all understood as indivisible, interdependent and interrelated. In this context, Quinteiro stressed that it is crucial for UNESCO that the right to education be properly integrated into all its levels and dimensions, from initial education to higher education.

For more details access the transmission, available on IESALC YouTube Channel.

This webinar is the first of a series scheduled within the framework of the celebration of International Education Day 2020. The next editions will feature the participation of UNESCO Chairs on higher education at an international level with the aim of disseminating their institutions’ experiences and contributions towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

Programming of webinars UNESCO Chairs
-January 30 / Sylvie Didou
Non-university and technological higher education: diversification and innovation in Latin America and the Caribbean
Time: 12:00 EST

-February 6 / Axel Didriksson
UNESCO Chair University and regional integration. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (National Autonomous University of Mexico) – Mexico

-February 13 / Norberto Fernández Lamarra
UNESCO Chair Education and future in Latin America and the Caribbean. Universidad Tres de Febrero (Tres de Febrero University) – Argentina

-February 20 / Carlos Eduardo García
UNESCO Chair Ethics and Society in Higher Education. Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (Private Technical University of Loja) – Ecuador

-March 19 / Daniel Mato
UNESCO Chair Higher Education and Indigenous and Afro-descendant Peoples in Latin America. Universidad Tres de Febrero (Tres de Febrero University) – Argentina

-March 26 / Rajesh Tandon (Webinar conducted in English)
UNESCO Chair in Community Based Research and Social Responsibility in Higher Education, University of Victoria (UVic) and the Society for Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA)