January 24: International Day of Education

Jan 14

Each year on January 24, the world observes International Day of Education, reaffirming education as a fundamental human right, a public good, and a cornerstone of social justice, peace and sustainable development. Established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2018, the day recognizes that education is not merely a pathway to employment or economic growth; It is central to dignity, participation, well-being, and belonging.

This year’s theme, “The power of youth in co-creating education,” centres young people as active agents in shaping education systems. It challenges governments, institutions, and communities to move beyond viewing youth as passive recipients of learning and instead recognize them as partners, leaders, and knowledge holders. At a time of global uncertainty, growing inequality, and social fragmentation, this theme underscores that inclusive and democratic education cannot exist without the meaningful participation of those most directly affected by it.

Education remains one of the most powerful tools we have to foster critical thinking, empathy, and collective responsibility. Yet access to quality, equitable education remains deeply uneven.

Education and Inequality in Canada

Canada is often framed as a global leader in education, yet this narrative masks deep and persistent inequities. Indigenous learners continue to experience the ongoing impacts of colonialism, including chronic underfunding of on-reserve education, barriers to culturally grounded curricula, and intergenerational trauma linked to residential schools and child welfare systems. Racialized and newcomer students frequently encounter systemic bias, language barriers, and a lack of culturally responsive supports. Students with disabilities continue to navigate inaccessible learning environments and inconsistent accommodations. For those living in poverty, education is often disrupted by housing instability, food insecurity, and limited access to technology.

Education systems do not exist in isolation. They reflect broader social, economic, and political conditions. When schools are under-resourced, when curriculum erases lived experiences, or when learning environments are unsafe or exclusionary, education can become a site of harm rather than opportunity. Equity in education requires addressing the conditions that shape learning long before a student enters a classroom. It requires conditions that allow learners to thrive.

Education as a Social Determinant of Well-Being

Education is deeply interconnected with health, income security, housing stability, and civic participation. Educational access and attainment influence long-term physical and mental health outcomes, employment opportunities, and exposure to systemic harm. When educational pathways are disrupted or denied, the consequences extend beyond individuals and impact families and communities across generations.

For children and youth who experience violence, displacement, poverty, or systemic discrimination, education can serve as a stabilizing and protective factor, but only when it is trauma-informed, inclusive, and responsive. Surveillance-based practices and exclusionary policies continue to disproportionately affect Indigenous, Black, disabled, and neurodivergent students. These approaches undermine trust, safety, and belonging, and often push young people out of systems meant to support them.

Education must be understood not only as instruction, but as relationship, care, and community.

Youth as Co-Creators of Education

The UNESCO theme calls for a shift in how education is imagined and practiced. Youth are not simply learners within systems designed by others. They are experts in their own lives and have critical insight into what supports meaningful, relevant, and accessible education. Co-creating education means involving young people in curriculum design, policy development, school governance, and community-based learning. It means taking their experiences, concerns, and aspirations seriously.

For many young people, especially those from marginalized communities, education systems have too often been spaces where their voices are ignored or disciplined rather than valued. Recognizing the power of youth requires creating structures that support participation, encourage critical inquiry, and honour diverse ways of knowing. It also requires adults and institutions to share power, listen with humility, and be willing to change.

Social Workers in Educational Spaces

Social workers play a vital role across educational settings, including early learning programs, K–12 schools, post-secondary institutions, and community-based education. They support students navigating complex realities such as family violence, mental health challenges, poverty, racism, migration, and disability. Social workers advocate for safety, accommodations, and access, while also working to address the systemic barriers that shape educational outcomes.

Practicing from an anti-oppressive and rights-based lens, social workers understand that educational success cannot be separated from social context. They work at the intersections of education, health, housing, and justice, supporting both individual well-being and systemic change. However, social workers in educational settings often face high caseloads, limited resources, and structural constraints that limit their capacity to provide meaningful, preventative support.

Investment in education must include sustained funding for wraparound services, mental health supports, culturally grounded programming, disability supports, and community-based partnerships, not only academic outcomes or standardized performance measures.

Reimagining Education for Justice and Belonging

International Day of Education invites us to reflect not only on who has access to learning, but on what kind of learning we are offering. Education that advances justice and belonging must:

Centre truth-telling, including the histories and ongoing impacts of colonization, racism, and systemic violence
Value multiple ways of knowing, including Indigenous, cultural, and community-based knowledge
Be trauma-informed, culturally safe, and accessible to learners of all abilities and identities.
Support educators, social workers, and support staff as essential contributors to learning
Prioritize well-being, critical thinking, and collective responsibility over competition and compliance

Education should support young people to think critically, engage ethically, and imagine alternatives to the injustices they inherit. It should prepare learners not only to succeed individually, but to participate collectively, ethically and compassionately in the world around them, in shaping more equitable and caring societies.

A Collective Responsibility

Education is a shared responsibility. Governments must ensure equitable funding, inclusive policy, and accountability. Educational Institutions must examine how their structures may reproduce harm and commit to meaningful change. Communities must be recognized as partners in learning, not afterthoughts. And as individuals, we must continue to challenge narratives that treat education as a privilege rather than a right.

On this International Day of Education, we are reminded that education shapes not only futures, but societies. When learning is rooted in equity, dignity, and care, it becomes a force for lasting peace, collective liberation and social transformation.

Education can reinforce injustice, or it can transform it. The choice is ours.

Evetta Solomon