There is much work that needs to happen for Education to be Rights-Affirming, as highlighted by the 2022 Youth Declaration on Transforming Education, UNESCO’s Reimagining Our Futures Together, UNICEF’s Child Rights Education Toolkit, the Reports of the UN SR on the Right to Education, and the General Comments on the Convention on the Rights of the Child, etc.
But in all their attempts to transform education, they do not question the fundamental assumption in education that is actually the biggest barrier: Paternalism. That is why adults, even if they “listen” to what children have to say, believe it is their prerogative to make the final decisions on the education of children.
Is Education without Paternalism possible? Yes, it has been done in many different parts of the world, in some cases for over a century, under different names (Democratic Schools, Unschooling, Sudbury Schools, Agile Learning Centers, Free Schools, etc) and this session will showcase what education looks like when children are respected as full human beings.
For pre/post-session engagement, please register on Facebook/LinkedIn/EventBrite
There is also repeat session later in the day here.
