Page 95 - 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. 95
u. boljka et al. ■ who calls the shots? the insiders and outsiders ...
and/or behavioural, emotional and learning difficulties. This group gener-
ally noticed inequalities in opportunities in informedness.
The child focus group analysis makes it evident that, as defined by
Fraser (2001), the education system and arrangement of participation per-
petuates the differentiation of status. We can observe several factors at play
which prevent equal child participation in school. What are they? One of
them is, according to the participants, the age. Older children are gener-
ally better informed than younger ones. Another reason behind this is
teachers’ inability to provide age-adapted content on child participation.
Basically, technically speaking you are still developing and later on you
look at things differently. For instance, you would use a completely dif-
ferent way to explain what participation is to a first-grader than to some-
one who is in the third year. (Jasna, 14 years, NGO 1)
Participants also felt that younger children are not only less in-
formed but also have fewer practical opportunities provided to them to
participate (for instance in the school parliament). Elementary school fo-
rums (the school communities and/or the Children’s Parliament) include
a limited number of children who are indeed generally older (the last tri-
ad of elementary school).
According to some children, the level of informedness is also de-
termined by one’s region of residence, with many believing that children
from the central regions of Slovenia are better informed about their right
to participate, and that participation is also determined by the urban vs.
rural divide, albeit opinions are divided here. The majority believe that
children from urban areas are better informed than their counterparts
from rural areas, claiming the greater economic development and accessi-
bility of information in urban areas as the reasons.
If we take Ljubljana and one village for example, then those from Ljublja-
na are at least twice as informed as those from the villages. They are re-
mote and don’t even know what is going on. (King Konk, 13 years, NGO
3)
The rationalisation of these arguments is rooted in the perception
the participants express, namely, that the topics of human rights and child
participation are more important in urban settings where people tend to
be more individualistic and willing to express their opinions. In rural ar-
eas, the information flow is slower and so too is the pace of life, some par-
ticipants believe.
93
and/or behavioural, emotional and learning difficulties. This group gener-
ally noticed inequalities in opportunities in informedness.
The child focus group analysis makes it evident that, as defined by
Fraser (2001), the education system and arrangement of participation per-
petuates the differentiation of status. We can observe several factors at play
which prevent equal child participation in school. What are they? One of
them is, according to the participants, the age. Older children are gener-
ally better informed than younger ones. Another reason behind this is
teachers’ inability to provide age-adapted content on child participation.
Basically, technically speaking you are still developing and later on you
look at things differently. For instance, you would use a completely dif-
ferent way to explain what participation is to a first-grader than to some-
one who is in the third year. (Jasna, 14 years, NGO 1)
Participants also felt that younger children are not only less in-
formed but also have fewer practical opportunities provided to them to
participate (for instance in the school parliament). Elementary school fo-
rums (the school communities and/or the Children’s Parliament) include
a limited number of children who are indeed generally older (the last tri-
ad of elementary school).
According to some children, the level of informedness is also de-
termined by one’s region of residence, with many believing that children
from the central regions of Slovenia are better informed about their right
to participate, and that participation is also determined by the urban vs.
rural divide, albeit opinions are divided here. The majority believe that
children from urban areas are better informed than their counterparts
from rural areas, claiming the greater economic development and accessi-
bility of information in urban areas as the reasons.
If we take Ljubljana and one village for example, then those from Ljublja-
na are at least twice as informed as those from the villages. They are re-
mote and don’t even know what is going on. (King Konk, 13 years, NGO
3)
The rationalisation of these arguments is rooted in the perception
the participants express, namely, that the topics of human rights and child
participation are more important in urban settings where people tend to
be more individualistic and willing to express their opinions. In rural ar-
eas, the information flow is slower and so too is the pace of life, some par-
ticipants believe.
93
