Saturday 11 May 2024
Islamabad (Urdu Point. UN Urdu. May 11, 2024) The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to education, Farida Shaheed, has warned that the violent suppression of the recent student protests in the United States will undermine intellectual freedom and democratic principles in educational institutions. But the restriction is indicated.
They say that the strictness, arrests, detentions, police violence, surveillance and disciplinary measures and sanctions against the students who are exercising their right to peaceful assembly and expression are very worrying.
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Farida Shaheed has said this in her statement after completing her visit to America.
They say that unfair treatment of pro-Palestinian protesters on the basis of political views raises serious concerns.
He called on the US government to reaffirm its commitment to freedom of expression by ensuring unfettered access to diverse ideas and perspectives for all students.
A threat to academic freedom
The Special Rapporteur has also expressed concern over the 307 policies and laws related to academic language barriers to be introduced in the United States after January 2021.
They say that these policies, in the form of book bans and curriculum bans, have stifled free speech and silenced marginalized voices.
Underfunding the education system in the United States has led to other fundamental problems, including teacher shortages and mental health support for students.
Inequality in the provision of financial resources has been exacerbated by an over-reliance on property taxes, which has disadvantaged poor and low-income areas.
The Special Rapporteur says that there is a need to find ways of equitable distribution of financial resources in rich and poor districts and to end the cycle of deprivation and discrimination.
He has urged the federal government to take decisive steps to eliminate inequality in financial resources given to the education sector.
Need for improvement in educational environment
The Special Rapporteur has asked the US federal and state authorities to recognize education as a human right and ensure equal access to it for all, regardless of students' background, identity, income, place of residence and other private circumstances.
He says that the presence of police in schools is having a negative impact on students belonging to minority communities and poor students.
It is important to remove the police from educational institutions and deploy qualified counselors and social workers to create a safe and supportive learning environment.
Experts and special informants
Impartial experts or special rapporteurs are appointed under special procedures of the UN Human Rights Council who are not part of the UN staff and do not receive compensation for their work.
