Indigenous Peoples' Right to Education

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This year’s International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is devoted to the right to education.

The right of indigenous peoples to education is protected by the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which in Article 14 states that “Indigenous peoples have the right to establish and control their educational systems and institutions providing education in their own languages, in a manner appropriate to their cultural methods of teaching and learning.” Goal 4 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development calls for ensuring equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations. In spite of these instruments, the right to education has not been fully realized for most indigenous peoples, and a critical education gap exists between indigenous peoples and the general population.

Watch our interview with Liliana Vianey Vargas Vasquez at the 15th Session of Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII15) on the importance and role of education in indigenous communities.

Learn more about the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples