UN Special Rapporteur to Visit Bangladesh to Assess Education System

At the invitation of the government, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education Farida Shaheed will visit Bangladesh on November 23. During her 12-day visit, which will continue until December 4, she will review the progress and challenges in ensuring quality, equitable, inclusive and lifelong education for all in the country’s education system.

During the visit, particular attention will be given to equal access to quality public education without discrimination and adequate financing for the education sector. She will also review good initiatives, policies and the implementation of measures currently in place in Bangladesh to ensure the right to education.

According to the United Nations, during her visit Farida Shaheed will meet with relevant government representatives, international organisations, civil society and non-governmental organisations. She will also visit public and private educational institutions and exchange views with academics, teachers, education-sector workers, students and parents. The experiences and views of different stakeholders will be important to her assessment.

As part of preparations for the visit, the UN Special Rapporteur has sought information and views from various stakeholders on the right to education in Bangladesh. Information received from students, recent graduates, parents, teachers, education-sector workers, civil society, academics and government institutions, among others, will be used in preparing for the visit.

Following her visit to Bangladesh, Farida Shaheed will prepare a comprehensive report on the country’s right to education, progress and existing challenges. The report is scheduled to be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in June 2027.

Farida Shaheed is a Pakistani national and serves as the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education. Her recent work on the right to education has also focused on considering curricula, teaching methods and assessment as important components of the right to education.