Convention n°138 of the 1973 International Labour Organisation on the minimum age for admission to employment ratified on 11 November, 2001 ; ILO Convention n°182 concerning the Prohibition and Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour ratified on 28 May 2001 and the Public Service Charter adopted on 5 February, 2001; Conventions n°155 and 164 concerning health and safety of workers in the workplace ; Act n°98-019 of 21 March 2008 pertaining to the Social Security Code of the Republic of Benin ; are all instruments which consolidate the national legal framework in the area of protection of the worker’s rights both within the public and private sectors. 5- Protection of the right to education The right to education is guaranteed by articles 13, 14, and 40 of the 11 December, 1990 Constitution. The State strives to protect this right by creating the conducive environment for access to education. From 2001 to 2006, the Beninese educational system was managed by three Ministries : • The Ministry responsible for Higher Education, and Scientific Research, • The Ministry for Secondary Education and Technical and Professional training, • The Ministry for primary education, literacy and national languages ; From 2000 to 2005, education became progressively free of charge. Furthermore, in 2005 Benin adopted an education policy paper aimed at setting the Benin educational system on the path to universal education - 15 -