A/HRC/11/8 page 4 I. INTRODUCTION 1. The present report is submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 8/4. Since presenting his previous report to the Council, the Special Rapporteur has undertaken a mission to Guatemala (A/HRC/11/8/Add.3). He has also had working meetings with Governments, United Nations and other multilateral agencies, teachers’ unions, non-governmental organizations, universities, students, children and adolescents and national human rights institutions in nearly every region of the world. The Special Rapporteur also presented a report to the General Assembly at its sixty-third session (A/63/292) and, among others, participated in a day of general discussion organized by the Committee on the Rights of the Child on the theme “Education in emergencies” and was invited to address the International Conference on Education on the theme of “Inclusive education”. 2. Upon his appointment, the Special Rapporteur decided to focus his attention on groups traditionally marginalized and vulnerable to discrimination in education. He has sought to establish the causes and circumstances surrounding such discrimination and the challenges that must be faced in order to promote the realization of their right to education. 3. People in detention constitute one such highly marginalized group that faces endemic violations of its right to education. In the present report, the Special Rapporteur demonstrates clearly an urgent need to redouble efforts to respect, protect and fulfil that right.1 For the purposes of the report, the Special Rapporteur will focus on persons serving a sentence and/or on pretrial, in prisons and other forms of correctional facilities and in closed facilities for asylum-seekers. 4. Learning in prison through educational programmes is generally considered a tool of change, its value judged by its impact on recidivism, reintegration and, more specifically, employment outcomes upon release. Education is, however, much more than a tool for change.2 It is an imperative in its own right. Prisoners face significant and complex educational challenges owing to a range of environmental, social, organizational and individual factors. These factors and the challenges they present are not insurmountable. II. BACKGROUND 5. Profound global, social, political and economic changes have had an impact on all penal systems. Although these systems vary, reflecting for instance specific State characteristics, languages, cultures, peoples, philosophies and political institutions, they demonstrate similar yet unique traits. Although the Special Rapporteur does not claim to offer a theoretical analysis of 1 The Special Rapporteur would like to thank Sarah Green and Maria-Angelica Sepulveda as well as the staff of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights supporting his mandate for their assistance in the preparation of the present report. 2 E/CN.4/2005/50, paras. 43-46.