Page 17 - Šolsko polje, XXXI, 2020, 3-4: Convention on the Rights of the Child: Educational Opportunities and Social Justice, eds. Zdenko Kodelja and Urška Štremfel
P. 17
z. moody ■ children’s rights to, in and through rducation ...
background, family language, religion and imprisonment – and there is
evidence for this worldwide (see Tomasevski, 2003). By placing the focus
on education for all, the instruments described above have sometimes led
to categories of marginalised or disadvantaged children being ignored.
This observation is one of the starting points for this special issue
and leads us to examine the injustices suffered by children around the
world: differences in the global distribution of opportunities for educa-
tion produce inequalities in opportunity, now a difficult if not impossi-
ble distribution of justice. From a critical sociological perspective, Benton
(1993) described it as follows: “if the socioeconomic inequalities are pre-
venting individuals in practice from acquiring the necessary skills or re-
sources to exercise rights, they become simply formal and ineffective” (p.
118). The reality is that there are many consequences of children and ado-
lescents failing to attend school – individual, social, medical and financial
– and these have been documented (see Tomasevski, 2003). Here, we will
see that violating the right to education ultimately leads to the violation of
all rights (non-discrimination, development, freedom of expression etc.)
and, within the scope of this article, of the right of every child to be prop-
erly informed of their rights and to learn how to exercise them in a suita-
ble educational setting. The possibility for out-of-school children to exer-
cise their rights in both the public and private spheres is put at risk from a
very early age, compromising their individual potential to develop and im-
prove their quality of life (UNESCO, 1990) and ultimately affecting so-
cial structures and processes (Sabbagh and Schmitt, 2016).
Respecting and implementing the rights of the child in education
Educators face challenges on a daily basis: respecting and implementing
the rights of the child in schools, promoting the rights of all, and consid-
ering settings which are conducive to implementing and learning about
rights. Whether children are marginalised or disadvantaged, victims of
violence or teaching practices ill-suited to their needs, children’s rights
mean that the suitability of all levels of the teaching institution – as the
main education provider – can be called into question.
School for all?
Respecting children’s rights in school carries many challenges. In addi-
tion to the problems some experience to access a quality education sys-
tem, children may face discrimination at school, which leads to drop-
out or failure (see the figures in point 2). Some categories of children are
therefore far more likely to be discriminated against in their schooling
due to a lack of facilities or appropriately trained staff, or to exclusionary
15
background, family language, religion and imprisonment – and there is
evidence for this worldwide (see Tomasevski, 2003). By placing the focus
on education for all, the instruments described above have sometimes led
to categories of marginalised or disadvantaged children being ignored.
This observation is one of the starting points for this special issue
and leads us to examine the injustices suffered by children around the
world: differences in the global distribution of opportunities for educa-
tion produce inequalities in opportunity, now a difficult if not impossi-
ble distribution of justice. From a critical sociological perspective, Benton
(1993) described it as follows: “if the socioeconomic inequalities are pre-
venting individuals in practice from acquiring the necessary skills or re-
sources to exercise rights, they become simply formal and ineffective” (p.
118). The reality is that there are many consequences of children and ado-
lescents failing to attend school – individual, social, medical and financial
– and these have been documented (see Tomasevski, 2003). Here, we will
see that violating the right to education ultimately leads to the violation of
all rights (non-discrimination, development, freedom of expression etc.)
and, within the scope of this article, of the right of every child to be prop-
erly informed of their rights and to learn how to exercise them in a suita-
ble educational setting. The possibility for out-of-school children to exer-
cise their rights in both the public and private spheres is put at risk from a
very early age, compromising their individual potential to develop and im-
prove their quality of life (UNESCO, 1990) and ultimately affecting so-
cial structures and processes (Sabbagh and Schmitt, 2016).
Respecting and implementing the rights of the child in education
Educators face challenges on a daily basis: respecting and implementing
the rights of the child in schools, promoting the rights of all, and consid-
ering settings which are conducive to implementing and learning about
rights. Whether children are marginalised or disadvantaged, victims of
violence or teaching practices ill-suited to their needs, children’s rights
mean that the suitability of all levels of the teaching institution – as the
main education provider – can be called into question.
School for all?
Respecting children’s rights in school carries many challenges. In addi-
tion to the problems some experience to access a quality education sys-
tem, children may face discrimination at school, which leads to drop-
out or failure (see the figures in point 2). Some categories of children are
therefore far more likely to be discriminated against in their schooling
due to a lack of facilities or appropriately trained staff, or to exclusionary
15
