CHILDREN'S RIGHTS IN EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS

Education in agendas, politics and policies at a global level, has been recognized as both a, civil and human right. At this point, there are a vast amount of documents supporting this claim, yet a recent declaration on education, specifically Education 2030: Towards inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning for all explicitly suggests that “education is a public good, a fundamental human right and a basis for guaranteeing the realization of other rights” (UNESCO, 2015, iii). In that context, education is a right per se, and pillar for other rights in regards to one’s well-being. This dual nature in educational rights sometimes leads to misinterpretations, indicating the need for interdisciplinary research which could contribute to emerging social dialogues between individuals (parents, children, teachers etc.) and societal structures, especially politics and law. Therefore, in the last 10 to 15 years, scholars have increasingly shown interest for research in the educational arena, with emphasis on the children’s perspective, concluding that children’s rights in an educational setting are question of quality of life, not just of particular child, but quality of life of its family, and society in general. In the heart of the educational arena are, children and teachers, which make their interpersonal relationships fundamental quality issues. Relationships with peers, teacher and children interaction, relationship between teachers as co-workers, and quality of partnership with parents and local communities are contexts in which children rights come to life, i.e. education is a real-life context in which children can exercise their rights. To contribute to this issue, Faculty of Education in Osijek and Ombudsman for Children Croatia have prepared a monograph “Children’s rights in Educational Settings”.