A/HRC/26/27 IV. Assessment mechanisms in basic education 30. Student-based assessment of educational attainments has a direct correlation with the curriculum-based assessment of educational attainments. States have an obligation to fulfil the right to basic education, based on minimum standards, provided by qualified teachers and effectively managed through a system of implementation and assessment.14 31. National assessment systems must be inclusive, and cover all students within a national population. “Student-based” mechanisms evaluate the progress of each student against school standards, which reflect the local and national curriculum requirements. These systems must apply to all students in a country without exception, to ensure that they are all assessed and supported to ensure their progressive improvement, particularly those from vulnerable groups. A. Educational attainments in the progression from primary to secondary level 32. The Education for All goals of universal primary education for all has created pressure on Governments simply to push students forward, regardless of their educational achievements. Emerging policies and regulations in several countries are minimizing or even doing away with quality control by way of exams in the transition from primary to secondary education. That is a regressive measure, which is detrimental to the quality of the education provided. It is an issue of critical importance in national quality assessment and deserves rethinking. As the Special Rapporteur stated in his earlier report, it is “crucial to monitor and assess students’ educational achievements on a regular basis, with a rigorous performance evaluation prior to passing from primary to secondary education. Automatic promotion to the next grade irrespective of students’ learning achievements can perpetuate, even aggravate, the poor quality of education” (A/HRC/20/21, para. 75). It is important to ensure through national assessment whether the education system is furnishing all students with the necessary knowledge and competencies in a sustained manner. 33. States are under an international legal obligation to ensure that each child completes a basic education of good quality, as assessed by a national assessment mechanism. This normally requires successful attendance and completion of a formal education programme, which awards a recognized qualification.15 Merely attending school does not lead to the completion of basic education - all students should be required to have a recognized qualification of successful completion of basic education (ISCED level 1), or a specific level of achievement, for entering some or all junior secondary level education (ISCED level 2) programmes in a specific country.16 34. For example, in Senegal, given the requirement for 10 years of compulsory education under the Education Law of 2004, the awarding of the certificate for completion of elementary education (certificat de fin d'études élémentaires) has no bearing on progression to the sixth year of schooling, which is through a competitive test for intake, depending on the availability of places for secondary education. Similarly, in Gabon, the certificat d’etudes primaires plays no role in the progression from primary to secondary education. In Mali, the requirement of completion of the primary school certificate (certificat de fin d’études du premier cycle de l’enseignement fondamental) was lifted in 2010, introducing from the seventh grade a trimestral progression of tests until the completion of basic education. In India, pursuant to the Act on the Right of Children to 14 15 16 8 See conclusions of the Experts’ Consultation (ED/BAS/RVE/2009/PI/1). ISCED 2011, para. 82. Ibid., para. 145.