The Human Right of Home Education

Abstract

Homeschooling is legal and growing in many countries but is virtually forbidden by law in Germany and a few others. The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has reviewed and upheld this ban. Is home education a human right? How do these courts employ their jurisprudence of proportionality to find banning home education does not violate relevant constitutional or human rights norms? Why does Germany forbid home education? Why does the ECtHR uphold Germany’s position? What does this divergence imply about the right of home education and the jurisprudence of these courts? If the promise of human rights is individual liberty then a system that justifies or endorses state control of education for the purpose of cultural conformity can be said to be far too statist for a free and democratic society. In this article, I argue that both the German Constitutional Court (FCC) and the ECtHR have adopted an approach to education rights that is profoundly mistaken. I conclude that home education is a right of parents and children that must be protected by every state. Nations that respect and protect the right of parents and children to home educate demonstrate a commitment to respecting human rights; nations that do not, such as Germany and Sweden need to take steps to correct their failure to protect this important human right.     

Human Rights and ‘Free and Fair Competition'; the significance of European education legislation for girls in the UK

UK law on education and sex discrimination does not protect the right of girls to equality in education. The European Convention on Human Rights and the Treaty of Rome offer better protection. The Convention provides for the right to education and the right of parents to have their philosophical convictions considered in the education of their child. The European Court of Human Rights’ interpretation of these rights is relevant to those seeking a remedy for sexism in education. The Treaty of Rome has stronger and faster enforcement procedures than the Convention but it makes little provision for education except in vocational training and recognition of qualifications. The form and structure of the EEC legal system nevertheless make it hospitable to a reforming education policy. Educationists need to make sure that the focus on education within the EEC extends beyond vocational training, that the context of the discussion and the definition of education are similar to those of the European Convention and the European Court of Human Rights.     

“大球理论”与教育中父母及子女的权利

“大球理论”是在“自由教育”理论的基础上提出的。“大球理论”认为,父母对子女教育的希望和理想并不意味着要为子女规定固定的成长模式。父母拥有选择子女接受何种教育的权利;但同时,子女也有接受教育的自主权。关于家长在子女教育上的权利,应该既反对压制子女,同时也要公正地对待父母对孩子的殷切希望和他们为抚养子女做出的牺牲;关于子女受教育的自主权,应重视从小培养他们的自主意识,使之懂得追求心灵的自由。     

The Norwegian Christianity,Religion and Philosophy subject KRL in Strasbourg

This article presents the judgement and dissent of the European Court of Human Rights in the Case of Folgerø and others v. Norway regarding the subject Christianity, Religion and Philosophy (KRL) in Norwegian state schools. The verdict, reached with dissenting votes of 9–8, states that parents’ freedom of ensuring their children an education in conformity with their own religious and philosophical convictions is violated in KRL. The article also discusses a possible way of thinking in the process of creating a common, unifying subject for teaching about religions and beliefs in the Norwegian state school system.     

论儿童权利的本性及其教育诉求

儿童权利是儿童凭借特殊的身份而享有的正当自由或者利益,这些正当自由或者利益是由道德以及法律所规约的.法律或者道德在确认儿童享有这些正当的自由或者利益时,明确赋予了父母、教师、一般社会公众以及国家所承担的相应义务.受教育权是儿童的一项积极权利,也是儿童的一项基本权利,这一权利的保障对儿童实现其他权利具有基础性和关键性作用.儿童权利对教育提出了承认、尊重和认真对待自身权利的根本性诉求.     

European Law: ending discrimination against girls in education

This article examines the ways in which the European Convention on Human Rights and its case‐law could be used to combat sexist education in State or private schools as well as the development of concepts of philosophical convictions, the duty of the State and the rights of children. Children could use the Convention if their parents imposed a limited education on them, and better opportunities were offered through the State. The provisions under the European Community, though more limited, apply to vocational education and training and access to it. Such access has implications for secondary schooling. European Community law on equality for women could be especially valuable. The difficulties of using English law are reviewed and aspects of English and European procedural law noted. I conclude with suggestions for a feminist strategy to improve girls’ education and that of other disadvantaged groups who could use similar arguments.     

论美国判例中家庭教育权的演变

虽然美国公立学校的义务教育相当发达,但家庭为子女选择教育方式的权利并未完全消失.为此,联邦最高法院承认,家庭教育权为宪法权利,政府不能随意剥夺.但为了保护儿童和政府的利益,此后法院不同程度地限制家庭教育权.进入21世纪以后,政府基于宽容的自由主义精神,在公立学校中推行多元文化的教育课程,法院也不再支持家庭以宗教信仰为由,反对公立学校设置与其信仰相抵触的课程.但即便这样,家庭仍有选择私立学校或在家庭施教的权利.     

少数民族地区儿童的处境与儿童权利——J学校的调查与学生手记分析

本文通过对少数民族地区农村学校和留守儿童的实地采访、学生的日记及其他材料的分析,展现了民族地区部分农村儿童所面临的种种困难和危机。虽然政府做了很大努力,解决了不少问题和困难,但是仍有许多问题尚待解决。《儿童权利公约》已经在中国批准生效15年,为了保障《公约》规定的儿童受其父母照料的权利和儿童的受教育权,建议政府改变经济效益优先的办学思维,采取各种举措保障民族地区儿童的受教育权利,并且在制定实施各项政策和法规的过程中,真正体现《公约》的“儿童最大利益原则”。     

Does teaching children about human rights,encourage them to practice,protect and promote the rights of others?

The purpose of the article is to demonstrate how the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) Rights Respecting Schools Award makes positive contributions to children’s lives and experiences at school. Within the overall context of education as a right, the Award supports children to learn about their rights and the rights of others. By learning through a rights-based framework, children experience a rights-based approach to education and start to become active rights thinkers and rights holders. This article presents findings regarding the lived experiences of children participating in a rights education programme from a primary school in England. The results are consistent with previous rights education research and confirm that teaching and supporting the human rights of children to children, through a rights education programme, encourages children to practice, protect and promote the rights of others within their school.     

自由的权利视角--论自由主义的权利观

对自由主义而言,权利和自由是一枚硬币的两面。‘极利”是个人有“权”享受到的、“正当”的资格、利益、能力或主张,这种资格、利益、能力或主张得到政府的认可和保护。“权利”是“自由”的复数,“自由”体现为‘权利”。人们正是通过权利而逐步踏上自由之路的。所以说,通过权利实现自由,自由才能最终获得．自由主义者认为,通过权利来实现自由,首先要靠法治;其次,依靠权利自身;第三,依靠公民的政治参与。     

Building Intercultural Citizenship through Education: a human rights approach

This article analyses the challenges posed by traditional ethnic and linguistic minorities in multicultural states and more specifically the problems faced by indigenous peoples and communities. Their educational and cultural needs and demands are increasingly being framed in the language of human rights, based on the expanding international legal and institutional human rights system. The United Nations World Conference on Human Rights, held in Vienna in 1993, endorsed a rights-based approach to development, human rights education is a growing field in educational practice, respect for cultural diversity is now enshrined in international and domestic laws, and the right of every person to education and to culture has become a mainstay of international human rights principles to which a majority of the world's states has subscribed.     

从国际公约与法律角度看大学生就业难与对策

世界人权宣言、就业政策公约、公民权利和政治权利国际公约、发展权利宣言与经济、社会及文化权利国际公约等国际公约对成年人的生存权、职业就业、选择权与发展权作了论述.2013年是我国大学史上毕业生最多的一年,就业形势十分严峻.我国高校毕业生就业面临不平等的法律歧视、缺少对农村户口大学毕业生的法律保护等多种法律问题.从法律的角度,提出了加快大学生就业权益保护的立法步伐、强化各地政府执法力度与提高大学毕业生运用法律,进行自我保护意识等几点建议.     

论担保物权法定下的私法自治生存空间

民法上一系列制度对私法自治理念的昭示足以证明其基础性地位。没有私法自治,民法的整个体系将濒于坍塌,所以私法自治被称为民法的基石。担保物权属于物权,而物权又属于民法的一个重要分支,所以私法自治亦应成为担保物权所遵守的基本理念。物权法定原则是物权法的一项基本原则,我们在坚持物权法定的同时,也不应忽视私法自治原则。我国刚刚颁布实施的《物权法》并没有彻底地贯彻私法自治的民法基本理念,担保物权的立法应该更加“私法化”。     

Special Education in New Zealand: Disability,Politics and Empowerment

RECENT CHANGES in educational administration in New Zealand have been premised on an economic model of schools as providers and parents as consumers. At the same time, laws relating to education have been changed toward establishing the right of all children, irrespective of ability or disability, to education in state schools. Both moves have the potential to empower parents seeking integration into mainstream classrooms for their children who have disabilities. Recognition of the rights of Maori as the indigenous people of New Zealand is a further context within which educational and disability issues can be interpreted in terms of the social, cultural and political beliefs that underlie our concepts and actions.     

美国高等教育中介组织的功能及其启示

中介组织参与高等教育活动是美国高等教育的一个重要特点.这些中介组织在高等教育内部以及高等教育与中等教育、政府和社会的关系方面发挥着多种功能,主要体现在:协调高等院校与政府的关系,实现政府管理和高教自治的有机结合;确立高等院校基本入学资格,促成高等教育与中等教育的衔接;规范高等院校及其专业设置基准,维护高等教育质量,整合高等教育系统;维护教师的权益,促进教师专业化;研讨高等教育问题,捍卫高等学校的自治权;开展调查研究,为教育决策和改革提供咨询和建议.美国高等教育中介组织的成功运作对我国高等教育改革有重要的借鉴意义.     

Explaining home education: Parents' accounts of their decisions to teach their own children

This paper analyzes the reasons that parents choose to teach their children at home. From data collected over 18 months of qualitative research in a state in the southeast, three broad explanations for choosing home schooling emerged. First, the parents believe that home education will strengthen their families. Second, many home-schooling parents (particularly those who are fundamentalist Christians) believe that schools teach values and beliefs that directly contradict those they want their children to learn. Third, many of the parents believe that only they, as parents, understand their children's unique educational needs well enough to effectively teach them. The failure of educational policy makers to consider the extraeducational issues raised by home-schooling parents is then discussed.     

我国儿童发展权的保障——以《儿童权利公约》在中国的实施为视角

《儿童权利公约》将儿童权利保护置于首要地位,为儿童权利的保护提供了普遍的法律标准,我国积极实施公约,使我国儿童的发展权得到了较好的保障：儿童受教育权得到很好保障、儿童文化产品和文化活动日益丰富、儿童使用网络更便利获取信息机会增多、儿童参与权保障不断改善。但我国儿童发展权保障还存在不足,我们要进一步提高保障儿童发展权的意识、完善相关法制和政策,强化儿童权利保护的管理体制和规划,完成余下的＂普九＂任务,加强素质教育,提高儿童教育质量,采取切实措施促进儿童参与权的实现。     

农村留守儿童发展权保障困境及对策 ——以广东省为实证分析样本

作为社会转型期产物的留守儿童面临着身心健康、接受教育、天赋、个性发展等发展权难以得到保障甚至被侵犯的危险。粤西北及东南乡村地区的调研数据显示,留守儿童的身心健康发展权、受教育发展权、信息知晓发展权、天赋发展权等方面受到较大的负面影响,急需家庭、政府、学校、社会形成多方联动的留守儿童发展权权益保障体系。在家庭层面,父母加强关注留守儿童的情感需求与天赋个性;在政府层面,大力发展农村经济,建立健全教育帮扶机制;在学校层面,优化硬件设施与教师结构,加强网络信息教育;在社会层面,充分发挥社会综合协助职能,加强帮扶的针对性与长期性。     

父母、国家与儿童的教育

父母与国家都对儿童的教育享有权利,但又有所区分.父母教育权的内容既及于家庭教育,也及于学校教育,包括教育选择权和学校参与权.承认并扩大父母的教育权已得到各国、地区及国际法的重视,也亟需我国教育立法的正面回应.     

Education and Liberty: public provision and private choice

ABSTRACT Conventions on human rights give priority to parents in education but modern states tend to make uniform provision, tending towards a monopoly position. Education itself is not incompatible with liberty but is a condition of it. A three-sided conflict exists, however, between the state, parents and professionals as to who should represent the interests of children. Liberty is best preserved if the conflict is resolved in favour of parents, for only parental decision-making guarantees educational variety and change. In addition, the parental relationship itself generates rights, including one derived from the broader political right to cultural and religious freedom.