AI and the Right to Education: Protecting Equity, Privacy, and Access for Every Learner

AI and the Right to Education: What Educators Need to Know

During Digital Learning Week 2025, UNESCO released "AI and education: protecting the rights of learners" (25 September 2025). The report is a clear call to act with urgency as AI transforms how learning is delivered and governed. It examines access, equity, quality, and governance, and maps the ripple effects on rights such as privacy, culture, information, and protection from violence.

Why the right to education matters in AI

The right to education is a basic human right-and it comes with standards: education must be available, accessible, acceptable, and adaptable. Digital systems can help meet those standards or undermine them. The report focuses on where digitalization and AI improve access and quality-and where they create new risks.

The questions this report asks

The report applies a human-rights lens to three questions educators and policymakers face every day: Which international human rights norms and standards apply to digitalization in education? What are the opportunities and risks of integrating AI? What guidance is needed-nationally and internationally-to strengthen regulation as the right to education evolves?

To frame action, it uses the 5C framework:

• Coordination and leadership
• Content and solutions
• Capacity and culture
• Connectivity and infrastructure
• Cost and sustainability

Key issues education leaders face

Connectivity is now basic infrastructure for learning, yet access is uneven. This gap is a direct threat to the right to education as AI-infused tools become standard in classrooms and assessments. The data tells a clear story:

• School internet access: 40% of primary, 50% of lower secondary, 65% of upper secondary globally
• Regional ranges: 80-90% in the Americas, Europe, and CIS; 64% in Asia-Pacific; 40% in Africa
• Rural areas in least developed countries: as low as 14%
• Compounding barriers: gender, disability, language, and age deepen the divide

As AI tools spread, learners without affordable devices and reliable connectivity fall further behind. Policy must lock in equitable access and inclusive design to prevent systemic exclusion.

Connected rights you must consider

Education interacts with many rights: privacy, work, culture, autonomy, and the right to be heard. Practical questions follow: How is student data collected, used, and shared-especially with private vendors? Are the best interests of the child put first in digital environments? Are tools inclusive for underrepresented languages and communities?

For context on the right to education in human rights law, see the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights overview here.

Main findings at a glance

• Access: connectivity, devices, and accessible content remain uneven
• Bias and ethics: risks in datasets, models, and instructional use
• Protection: data security, surveillance, and safety for learners
• Cultural and linguistic diversity: limited support for many languages and contexts
• Vulnerability: risks concentrate among marginalized learners
• Accountability: unclear roles across public authorities and private actors

The report urges countries to embed human rights protections in digital learning environments. Using the 5Cs, it sets out guidance for coordination, safe and inclusive content, capacity building, resilient infrastructure, and sustainable financing-so no learner is left behind.

UNESCO's role and what comes next

UNESCO supports governments to build inclusive, human-centred digital learning ecosystems. Since 2024, it has worked with 58 countries on AI and digital competency frameworks, curricula, and quality-assured training for educators and policymakers. Its Recommendation on the Ethics of AI, guidance on generative AI in education and research, and competency frameworks for teachers and students provide a practical roadmap.

The Initiative on the Evolving Right to Education continues to examine how the international framework can be reinforced to meet diverse and changing realities in education systems.

What education leaders can do now

• Audit connectivity, device availability, and accessibility features across schools; set targets with budgets and timelines.
• Adopt procurement policies that require data minimization, privacy-by-design, and clear vendor accountability.
• Invest in teacher professional development on AI literacy, pedagogy, assessment, and ethics.
• Co-create inclusive content and offline-capable solutions for low-connectivity contexts.
• Establish student data governance: purpose limits, retention rules, audit logs, and redress mechanisms.
• Engage learners and communities in decision-making, especially marginalized groups.
• Monitor bias and learning outcomes continuously; publish transparent impact reviews.
• Prioritize multilingual and culturally relevant tools; fund open resources that fill gaps.

The takeaway is simple: align AI initiatives with the right to education and act on the 5Cs. For practical upskilling, explore role-based AI learning paths for educators here.