A/HRC/25/29 Legislation supporting these systems and those that openly exclude students from education on the basis of having an impairment should be amended. B. Right to inclusive, quality and free education 28. An inclusive education system does not imply a lower quality of education; on the contrary, establishing quality education is at the core of the recommended measures. Quality education is related to the concept of acceptability (4 As), and UNESCO has recommended five dimensions to further advance this goal: respect for rights, equity, relevance, pertinence, and efficiency and efficacy.31 29. The human right to education brings to the fore the principles of free and obligatory primary education, and progressively free secondary and higher education accessible to all without discrimination. Non-discrimination can eliminate exclusion and expulsion in education by promoting participation in decision-making. 30. In the context of education, equity means that each student can benefit from the opportunities offered by the system. Education systems must therefore provide for substantive equality linked to outcomes. Equity needs to be ensured in access, process and results. 31. Education must be relevant, in accordance with the objectives ascribed to it by society, and must serve the purposes explicitly recognized in article 24, paragraph 1, of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In highlighting the need for education to be relevant, UNESCO recommends the four pillars outlined in the Delors Report (learning to know, to do, to be and to live together).32 32. Pertinent and meaningful education should allow for the development of autonomy, self-government and identity by adapting to the needs of the student. This implies moving away from homogeneity to the pedagogy of diversity. 33. Efficacy and efficiency are attributes of quality education. Education must be efficacious in translating the right to quality education into meaningful practice, and efficient in recognizing and honouring the efforts made by students, not only the results. 34. Inclusive education calls for inclusive testing methods. Cognitive learning is an indicator of quality education, but not the only one. Testing methods should be based on the proposed goals of education, taking into account the different dimensions that define quality education. C. Accessibility and eradication of barriers 35. Ensuring accessibility is an overarching obligation for States parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, as detailed in article 9. Persons with disabilities often face barriers in physical access and communication, and owing to socioeconomic factors and attitudes. This in turn may have an adverse impact on their access to the physical environment, knowledge, educational material and information. Addressing and eliminating these barriers is a prerequisite to inclusive education. 31 32 10 Rosa Blanca et al., Quality education for all: A human rights issue (Santiago, UNESCO, 2007). International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century, Learning: the Treasure Within (Paris, UNESCO, 1996), chap. 4.

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