The Future of Education

Children not only have the same civil and political rights as adults (that is, freedom of expression, association and assembly and the right to information) but also bespoke associated rights (for example the right to have their views given due weight). The aim of this paper is to explore how children are enabled to exercise these rights, the barriers they face in doing so in, particularly in uncertain political climates, and the implications of this for citizenship education programmes. The paper draws on findings from a mixed-method international research study which involved: an online survey (n= 937 children, 11 to 17 years old, from 58 countries); sixty-four focus groups (n = 669 children in total, 8 to 17 years old, across 12 countries). Findings from the research indicate that children’s exercise of their rights is often contingent upon the support of adults in their lives, including parents, teachers and community elders. Moreover, their rights are hindered when their views are not taken seriously or not consistently taken into account by adult decision-makers. This is evident particularly in contexts where children do not feel that adult-led structures of governance in local communities represent them and when access to regional and national structures is difficult. Further, children’s ability to exercise their rights is in large part due to efforts made to build their capacity in relation to children’s rights in general, and in relation to taking action in the public sphere. 

Keywords: children’s rights, citizenship education;