Introduction+ue

Education
Education was once the preserve of the rich. Only those with the means had access to education, unless they were one of the lucky few who could find a patron. This was just one way to ensure that the "right type" of people stayed in positions of power. The Industrial Revolution and the Protestant movements led to rapid changes in the levels of education. Factory owners in England needed workers who could read instructions, and an educated workforce became a necessity in the new industries. People were taught to read, and with this new power they started to read things for themselves and form their own opinions. This affected other aspects of everyday life as well. People could now be informed more easily and with the growth of writing and newspapers, the inequalities of the system started to become more apparent to more and more people. This, along with the new Protestant movements, which established for their children schools that taught the new subjects, such as mathematics, commerce and science, gave this group an advantage in the new industrialised world over the "old" rich who tended to be educated in classical Greek, Latin and Theology, which were not much help in running the new industries. Today, education is seen as a basic human right. The United Nations has, through its various articles and resolutions, attempted to highlight that education is the right of all. For example, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Children in 1959, the principle amongst other things specified that parents or guardians have a duty to provide children with care and control, education, and medical treatment. (Link to UN Rights of Child)  The nature of education is also changing the speed at which new technologies are being adopted and is improving the standard of living in many areas of the world. The right of access to education is an important right, but over recent times financial demands have restricted access to education to groups within Australia. Education is an important right that helps build a cohesive society