Basic Education – A Human Right

Our focus in this service-learning experience is support for adults who are striving to attain basic education. As adopted in 1948 by the United Nations General Assembly, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights are “common standards of achievement for all peoples and all nations.” As presented in the figure below, Article 26 of the declaration focuses on education, and states, “Everyone has the right to education.”

Basic Education – A Global Need

Unfortunately, even with compulsory education in many countries, this right remains unrealized for millions of people. In June 2013, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Institute for Statistics reported the global adult literacy rate for those age 15 and older was 84%. In absolute numbers, this means that 774 million adults over the age of 15 lack basic literacy skills, including the ability to read and write.

Basic Education – A U.S. Need

In the U.S., compulsory school attendance laws vary by state, but the age of required school attendance ranges from 5 to 18. Unfortunately, millions of adults in the U.S. over the age of 18 have not attained a high school diploma. According to 2014 U.S. Census Bureau data, nearly 30 million adults (12% of the U.S. population over the age of 18) are without a high school credential.

To put this figure into perspective, nearly 50 million children were enrolled in public elementary and secondary schools in 2014 according to U.S. Department of Education data. Therefore, if all adults in the U.S. who had not reached high school equivalency entered the public school system, enrollment would increase by 60%.

Basic Education – U.S. Need by Grade Level

The 2014 U.S. Census Bureau data offers detailed insight regarding the educational attainment levels of adults age 18 and over who have not completed high school. The table below summarizes the highest level of educational attainment for these nearly 30 million adults, which emphasizes the need for adult basic education at all grade levels.

Not surprisingly, the 2014 U.S. Census Bureau data also indicated that educational attainment is related to employment. For adults 25 years and older, the reported unemployment rate in 2014 was 5.8% for those who left high school between 9-11th grades versus 4.2% for those who stopped their formal education after completing high school.