Jan 24, Kathmandu - Today is International Education Day. This day has been celebrated every year on January 24 since 2019 at the call of the United Nations.

Since education is a human right, a public good and a public responsibility, it is the basis for peace, inclusive development and a sustainable future, and therefore this day is being celebrated with various programs in different countries of the world with a focus on its promotion.

The right to education is guaranteed in Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Declaration provides that basic education should be free and compulsory.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted in 1989, has also expanded this further and emphasized that higher education should be accessible to all.

In September 2015, when adopting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the international community recognized the important role of education in achieving all 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

In particular, Sustainable Development Goal-4 aims to promote lifelong learning opportunities by ensuring inclusive, equitable and quality education for all by 2030.

According to UNESCO, 250 million children and adolescents around the world are currently out of school and 763 million adults are illiterate.