A new treaty will not get every child into school overnight, but treaties can be powerful catalysts for change. Free education helps break cycles of poverty, reduce inequality, and empower girls.


At the United Nations, governments are considering a new treaty guaranteeing all children the right to free education. So far, 60 countries have pledged support, but Canada has not, writes Jo Becker.Pexels photograph by Pavel Danilyuk
I was in Liberia in January and met a mother who supports her four children making concrete blocks. But her earnings are not enough to pay the registration fees charged by public schools. One daughter has already dropped out, and her seven-year-old son has never set foot in a classroom.
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