BRIEFS

Contradictory laws jeopardize children’s rights Children’s right to education is being seriously undermined in dozens of countries by contradictory laws that allow them to work, marry, or be criminally responsible at an age when they are legally bound to be in school. More

Academics Across Borders UNESCO is preparing an Academics Across Borders (AAB) initiative to promote international cooperation in higher education. More

Global Education Digest 2004 Although children everywhere are spending more time in school than ever before, there are important differences between countries and regions. A child in Finland, New Zealand or Norway can expect to receive over seventeen years of education, almost twice as much as in Bangladesh or Myanmar and four times as much as in Niger or Burkina Faso. More

Literacy prizes UNESCO’s 2004 international literacy prizes have been awarded to programmes in Mauritius, Brazil and China. The International Reading Association Literacy Award and the two King Sejong Literacy Prizes are awarded in recognition of particularly effective literacy programmes. More

A youth development index for Brazil UNESCO Brasilia has developed a Youth Development Index (YDI) to measure the living conditions of young people. The index will provide countries with an instrument to evaluate what must be done to improve youth’s livelihoods. It was developed under the supervision of the Argentinian sociologist Julio Jacobo Waiselfisz, also coordinator of the UNESCO antenna in Recife (Brazil). More