International Day of Education (2025)

All children on the Island  of Ireland have the right to education. This means that it is the Government’s responsibility to make sure that all children are able to access learning. This is established in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989). This is a document that sets out all the rights that children and young people are entitled to.

Education is not limited to developing children’s knowledge and technical skills but also includes the development of the young person’s “personality, talents and mental and physical abilities” (Article 28 & 29, UNCRC).  If you are a young person reading this, what kind of things would you like to see in education that could help develop a child’s personality and talents? 

 The theme of International Day of Education 2025 is “Preserving Agency in a World of Automation”.

Agency is a really important idea for children and young people. Agency for a person means having control over the things that affect your life. Article 12 of the UNCRC ensures that young people have a say over the decisions that to do with them. AI or Artificial Intelligence has begun to rise in popularity in many sectors of life, including education. The UN International Day of Education wants to make sure that AI is ethical (truthful, fair, and honest), inclusive (making sure that everyone is included), and respects human values. Education allows for individuals to maintain their agency by equipping them with skills such as teaching children and young people to think about and question information they are given. This allows young people to make up their own minds about things. This is especially important as technology begins to develop and exert influence over daily life. 
(https://www.un.org/en/observances/education-day)