Leaders of the All-Africa Students Union (AASU) have promised its members that they will ‘rigorously’ defend the rights of African students everywhere.

A statement, Secretary-General of the Union, Peter Kwasi Kodjie, said no one must be denied quality education since it is a fundamental human right.

“Education is a human right and must, therefore, be accessible to all, with no barriers,” the press read.

The AASU is a union that organises all students in Africa from the basic level to the tertiary level.

Since its inception in 1972, AASU has always been at the forefront of the fights for the democratisation of education and defending students’ rights.

Its core activities are focused on a broad range of issues affecting students or have the tendency to affect students, including education and students’ rights, capacity building, gender advocacy, environment, and climate action, Pan-Africanism, migration and mobility, democracy and good governance.

In the quest to fight for the rights to education, Mr Kodjie gave the assurance that through networking and engaging major stakeholders, they will ensure that every child has access to education and fight against women's prejudices and inequalities.

“We will form global coalitions with our counterparts from the other regions to address issues that affect all of us, right from climate change, migration (especially student mobility), youth unemployment, and the future of work.

“AASU will be the focal point for policymakers and stakeholders to engage us productively and we will develop strategic partnerships with nongovernment experts in academia and the private sector,” the statement stressed.

The press also wished all students across Africa an “impact filled New Year.”