Emphasizing Education on UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
“We must care about the world of our children And grandchildren, A world we may never see.”
- Bertrand Russell
Introduction
The advocacy of UNICEF is to protect every child. They believe that each one of them are entitled to have water, food, shelter, clothing, health care, education and a safety environment to live for. The UNICEF supports the United Nations’ Convention on the Human Rights of the Child and works to hold the international community to be responsible to the welfare of the children. The convention provides a complete set of guiding principle that fundamentally shapes the way in which we view children.
The Education Department of UNICEF UK has regionally-based staff all throughout the country that provides free in-services training to teachers, governor and young people about the relevance and content of the United Nation Convention on the Rights of the Child to their school and everyday lives as well as the children worldwide.
All children are entitled to have equal rights and they also should know how to perceive each right. They must learn to respect other people’s rights and value it just like what is being impose to them. But according to the conventions’ principles, the understanding of the children upon this issue may vary on the age of the child. In this case, the guidance of the parents is still very important as they are the one who can initiate these things to their children in a manner that they would appreciate and understand.
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
It was in 1989, when the government decided that there should be separate rights that will be impose among children. The world leaders believe that they are also entitled to receive a special human right law because their need is not the same as adults do. The articles of the Convention may be categories into four set of guiding principles. First is the Guiding Principle, which represents the underlying requirements of all rights to be realized. This includes the non-discrimination, right to participate, adherence to the best interest of the child, right to life, survival and development.
The second category is the Survival and Development Right. This category comprises all the necessary things that a child needs in order to survive. Adequate food, clean water, clothing, shelter, health care, formal education, recreation, leisure, cultural activities and other information about their identity which includes their name, nationality and religion.
Protection Right is the third category. This category includes anything that involves safety of the children. They have the right to be protected from harm and all forms of violence like child labor, child abuse, and child trafficking to name a few.
The last category is the Participation Rights. Even if there are still minors, they are also entitled to express their thoughts and opinions about certain matters that can affect their lives, socially, economically, culturally and politically. Their voice needs to be heard at a certain point. At the same time all these things would only be possible with the proper guidance of their parents. Their presence would be a great factor affecting the child’s idea and reasoning about certain issues.
At first, the conventions rights may seem to be complicated for children to understand. However, this is the reason why they still encourage parents and older persons to somehow devote more time on kids especially in providing them the things that they need and the things that they need to understand. The way they perceive things situations depends on their age. Of course, younger kids may really find it difficult to grasp the idea being impose unto them. Hence, guidance of the parents is one of the essential tools on how to make it possible for the kids to understand the rights implemented to them.
Ratification on the Convention
The UNICEF UK, being one of the 36 National Committees of UNICEF, that already extends their support to the convention. The United Kingdom also expresses their support by ratifying the convention in December 1991. The government tends to submit reports on the Committee to show them the progressions of the situation concerning the child’s right in their country. With this, the United Nation can easily foresight the activities being held upon regarding the welfare of their children. The report consists of three parts which focuses on the United Kingdoms’ growth on implementing the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the summaries of the whole progress made by each territory and lastly the annexes.
Right to Education
Part of the rights being implemented by the UN Convention is the equality of the children to have a proper form of education. However, in this particular matter, there are many factors that can affect the right of each child to have a quality education. During the pre-compulsory school age, a child is already encouraged to go to school and have a formal form of education. However, in some cases, this practice is not applicable.
Number one cause is poverty. Children born in poor countries find it hard to enter school because of this insufficiency. Even the parents are incapable enough of providing something for there kids that’s why the children tend to work at an early age just to have something to provide not only for their needs but as well as their whole family. That’s why wealthy countries like United Kingdom can extend their help among these children as part of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child drive for free proper education.
Children who have also encountered such unfavorable phenomenon at an early age also find it difficult to enter school. Kids who have been a victim of child abuse, war and AIDS carrier cannot find enough confidence to be at a normal school mingling with other kids. It was such really a big burden for them not to have a normal life. The UN also wanted to provide something for children who have been a victim of devastating events like this and they want them to have a normal life again just like other children. However, this wouldn’t be possible without the help of the countries like United Kingdom.
Method of Education
The capability of each child depends on his or her mental capacity. In regards with this, a proper method of teaching should be imposed depending on the nature of the behavior of the kid as well as their manner of perceiving things. In the early 20th century, one method was utilized to help kids learn in a way that is easy for them. The Montessori Method that was founded by an Italian educator named Maria Montessori provides an easy way on educating children. The method stresses the significance of adapting the child’s learning environment to his or her developmental level. They discourage the traditional way of measuring the achievements of the child such as with the use of exams and the grading system. For them it will just damage the inner growth of the child. They focus more on the needs of the child and also advocates the child’s right.
This method of teaching is somehow appropriate to the children who have been engage in random situations of their life at an early age. With this they gain their confidence back and slowly they can adapt on their environment again.
Conclusion
Every individual deserves to have a privileged and so are the children in our nation. These kids are the descendants of the next generations that is why we should be able to provide them all the necessary things that they need while they are still young. The adults are essential in shaping their future, to become who they want to be and what they want to be. Let us not take things for granted and as early as now it would be better to come up with things that will further enrich their beings.
There are many organizations world wide that render this type of services, not only the UNICEF that was also part of the United Nations. It is the goal of the Convention to emphasize the worth of freedom among the children now a day because more and more minors are being subjected to a lot of things that they shouldn’t be engage with at an early age. In our own little ways we can help these kids. It doesn’t mean that we have to be a part of any organization, just ourselves is enough to help them. As the older ones, we serve as their guidance to the path where they want to go, the encouragement that we can give and the time that we can share with them while listening to their thoughts and ideas is a big factor that will enhance them to be on the right track.
References
Convention on the Rights of the Children. (2008). Encyclopedia,Retrieved July 8, 2008, from http://www.encyclopedia.com
Montessori Method. (2008). Encyclopedia,Retrieved July 8, 2008, from http://www.encyclopedia.com
UNICEF. (n.d.). United Nation Convention on the Rights of the Child, Retrieved July 8, 2008, from http:// www.unicef.org/crc/
UNICEF UK. (n.d.). Unite for Children, Retrieved July 8, 2008, from http:// www.unicef.org.uk/
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