The right to education and the will to learn: a social reading to guide the future

The right of early childhood to receive an adequate education is affirmed in numerous interna-tional directives, documents, and treaties. Since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, children have been recognized – also at the normative level – as subjects with their own inalienable rights, equal to those of adults, both in the educational and instruc-tional spheres. Analyzing the evolution of regulatory frameworks, this contribution highlights how the right to education – and all educational practice aimed at children and beyond – must be protected from religious and political interference to fully and effectively fulfil its formative and emancipatory functions. In this regard, the case of Iran offers a concrete example that illus-trates these approaches.