International Day of Education: From Human Rights to Humanitarian Awareness
By Dr. Ali Aminulloh, M.Pd.I., ME
Every January 24th, the world is invited to pause and reflect: to what extent education truly serves as a path to human liberation. Since its establishment by the United Nations in 2019, based on a December 3, 2018, UN General Assembly resolution proposed by Nigeria and supported by 58 countries, International Day of Education is more than just a ceremonial commemoration. It is a global moral wake-up call, a reminder that education is a fundamental right, a public responsibility, and the foundation of world peace.
The UN affirms education as a human right in Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Primary education should be free and compulsory; higher education should be accessible to all. Furthermore, in the 2030 Agenda, education is positioned as key to the success of all Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Without inclusive, equitable, and quality education, the world’s dreams of social justice, gender equality, and ecological sustainability will collapse before they are even built.
Yet the global reality remains stark. According to a UNESCO report, approximately 244 million children and adolescents worldwide are out of school. More than 617 million lack basic literacy and arithmetic.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, less than 40 percent of girls complete lower secondary education. Millions of refugee children are deprived of their right to education. These figures are not cold statistics, but rather a portrait of humanity’s collective failure to uphold its own dignity.
In this context, the major theme of global education is shifting in a new direction: the power of youth in co-creating education. Young people, who make up more than half the world’s population, are no longer the objects of policy, but the subjects of change.
The future of education cannot be designed without their voices. Amidst technological disruption, the climate crisis, and social inequality, the active involvement of young people is essential for education systems to remain relevant, inclusive, and humane.
At the same time, the world is also recognizing another key factor: educational leadership. Global research ranks school leadership as the second most important factor influencing the quality of learning, after teacher quality. A good school requires visionary leaders who can understand the social, cultural, and governance context and make education a humanizing process, not just the production of academic grades.
It is at this point that the experience of Al-Zaytun Education becomes relevant to the international educational conversation. With the vision “Al-Zaytun: Center for Education, Developing a Culture of Tolerance and Peace Towards a Healthy, Intelligent, and Humane Society,” Al-Zaytun positions education not merely as the transmission of knowledge, but as a civilizational project.
Shaykh A.S. Panji Gumilang, as a visionary leader, established a progressive policy: 18 years of compulsory education for the Al-Zaytun academic community. This policy surpasses national and global standards and emphasizes education as a long-term process of developing the whole person. Education does not stop with a diploma, but continues as a lifelong practice.
Furthermore, Al-Zaytun initiated contemporary education based on a trilogy of awareness: philosophical, ecological, and social awareness. Philosophical awareness fosters critical and reflective thinking; ecological awareness fosters responsibility for nature; and and social awareness rooted in empathy, justice, and peace. This is education that not only sharpens the mind but also nourishes the conscience.
This approach is reinforced through the LSTEAMS (Law, Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics, and Spirituality) model, which Al-Zaytun calls the novum gradum, a new leap in education. The integration of law, science, technology, arts, mathematics, and spirituality emphasizes that modern progress must be grounded in values, ethics, and humanity.
This is where education becomes a space for youth co-creation: critical thinking, innovation, and rooted in the values of tolerance and peace.
International Education Day, therefore, belongs not only to the UN conference halls, but also lives in educational spaces that dare to experiment, transcend old customs, and honor humanity.
Al-Zaytun’s education demonstrates that a global vision can meet local practices. From a modern Islamic boarding school in Indonesia, the world can learn about education as a path to a healthy, intelligent, and humane civilization.
Ultimately, education is not merely a tool for development. It is a statement of faith in the future of humanity. And every January 24th, the world is reminded: we are shaping that future today.**
Indonesia, January 24, 2026
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