Children’s Rights to Education – Where is the Weight for Children’s Views?

Abstract

This paper analyses the views and preferences of children and young people who experience barriers when attempting to engage with schools and schooling. It specifically considers processes of formal and informal exclusion and the manner in which “stigmatised” children are treated within a system where attendance to children’s rights is, at best, sketchy and at worst – downright discriminatory. The paper poses a number of critical questions concerning the extent to which the views of children are given due weight in decision-making processes in schools, whether the background a child comes from affects the way school staff listen to them and whether school rules act as a barrier or enabler for children’s rights. In turn, these questions are related to what educational processes might look like that place due weight on the views of children, what cultures create barriers to listening in practice, and what we can learn from children’s overall experiences. The paper presents findings from a participatory empirical peer research project (funded by a Carnegie Research Incentive Grant and the University of Edinburgh Challenge Investment Fund), conducted with and by young people in schools in Scotland and the north of England. This paper is innovative as it is the product of collaborative working between academics at the University of Edinburgh, staff at Investing in Children and the young researchers who co-authored this article for publication.

Exploring Perspectives: Implementation of the UNCRC in Primary Education in Saudi Arabia from the Viewpoints of Principals, Teachers, and Students

“…Wyse (2001) found that children in primary and secondary schools in the United Kingdom do not feel that teachers treat them fairly, because some of the teachers shout at the same children every time. Similarly, Cairns et al (2018) found that schools in Scotland and England discriminated against children from less affluent backgrounds. In Saudi Arabia, teachers do not respect the children's right to fair and equal treatment (Alhelaly, 2008).…”

“…In Scotland and North England, Cairns et al (2018) found that children's views are not respected by teachers and school administrators. The school system did not encourage children to express their opinion and participate in making decision processes.…”

“…The children also felt that they were controlled by the adults. They said that they felt unable to express themselves as individuals due to the school's strict policies, especially due to the uniform policy (Cairns et al, 2018). This type of education system might lead to producing blindly obedient citizens who are ineffective in the society, which could lead to the fact that implementing the right to participation is necessary for the production of an effective citizen.…”

Reviewing the impact of COVID-19 on children’s rights to, in and through education

“…Given the significance of education, authors highlight that education as a human right has been described as 'overarching' 'most important' and 'crucial'. 6 However, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the emergency closures of educational settings prompted by the need to protect human rights to life, survival, and development compromised other equally fundamental rights. The consequent shift to remote, digital forms of education both highlighted and exacerbated pre-existing social, educational and economic inequalities, 7 which has prompted a need to reimagine what realising children's education rights looks and feels like in such times of crisis.…”

Children's Strategies for Giving Voice to Needs Consistent with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)

“…Birnbaum, 2017;Birnbaum & Saini, 2012;Brand, Howcroft, & Hoelson, 2017;Cashmore & Parkinson, 2016;Heimer, Naesman, & Palmer, 2018). Further research has been based on surveying or interviewing children on their views toward the importance and usefulness of hearing the child's voice in certain matters such as educational questions, consent to research (Cairns et al, 2018;Lundy, McEvoy, & Byrne, 2011), and child placement decisions in custody disputes (Cashmore & Parkinson, 2008, 2016.…”