of the practically-implemented purposes of education may affirm human rights, others may deny them. A review of education in all its dimensions by the human rights yardstick is therefore necessary. International human rights law defines governmental obligations relating to human rights as whole, specifying obligations to act and to react, to pursue specific conduct or to achieve a particular result. One essential role of the government is to set educational strategy, determine and enforce educational standards, monitor the implementation of the strategy and put in place corrective action. This encompasses both core governmental obligations – to ensure that education is available and to respect freedom in education. The former is typically categorized as counterpart of economic/social/cultural rights, the latter as corollary of civil/ political rights. Table 3 illustrates that no such division can be made – both types of governmental obligations are laid down as two sides of the same coin. Table 3: 16 Universal Declaration: Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Universal Declaration: Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children. UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in Education: The States Parties to this Convention undertake to formulate, develop and apply a national policy which, ... will tend to promote equality of opportunity and of treatment ... and in particular: (a) To make primary education free and compulsory. UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in Education: The States Parties to this Convention agree that: (b) It is essential to respect the liberty of parents, ... firstly to choose for their children institutions other than those maintained by the public authorities but conforming to ... minimum educational standards, and secondly, to to ensure ... the religious and moral education of the children in conformity with their own convictions. International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights: Primary education shall be compulsory and available free for all. International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights: The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to have respect for the liberty of parents ... to choose for their children schools, other than those established by the public authorities, which conform to such minimum educational standards as may be laid down or approved by the State and to ensure the religious and moral education of their children in conformity with their own convictions. No part of this article shall be construed so as to interfere with the liberty of individuals and bodies to establish and direct educational institutions, ... Convention on the Rights of the Child: States Parties recognize the right of the child to education, and with a view to achieving this right progressively and on the basis of equal opportunity, they shall, in particular: (a) Make primary education compulsory and available free for all. Convention on the Rights of the Child: No part of [articles 28 and 29] shall be construed so as to interfere with the liberty of individuals and bodies to establish and direct educational institutions ... Right to Education Primers No. 3