Child Rights in Primary Schools - The Situation and Expectations

Oct 15, 2026

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Study examines primary school students’ knowledge of children’s rights and how these rights are respected in practice within schools. Using interview scaling, data were collected from 351 final-year students and 231 teachers. Students rated their knowledge low and mainly expected teachers to provide information, largely through optional civic education and homeroom sessions. Least respected were freedom of expression and students’ participation in decision-making. Both groups recognize discrimination and propose improvements to enhance access to children’s rights.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time50 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Child rights in the education system

doi: 10.26529/cepsj.661 Child Rights in Primary Schools – The Situation and Expectations Jelena Stamatović*1 and Jelena Žunić Cicvarić2 • School is the most suitable place for students to learn about child rights and where these rights are to be respected. In the research we have conducted, the objective was to examine the knowledge of primary school students about the rights of the child and to obtain insight into how these rights are respected. Using an interview scaling technique, we questioned 351 final year primary school students and 231 teachers. The students did not rate their knowledge of child rights highly: they mostly expect teachers to provide them with information on child rights; the students obtain the majority of such information in the civic education classes, which is an optional subject and is not attended by all students, as well as in homeroom sessions. Teachers believe that it is the responsibility of homeroom teachers to familiarise students with the rights ofa child. The rights to freedom of expression of students and their participation in decision-making are the least respected, according to both students and teachers. Furthermore, all believe that some forms of discrimination exist in schools. We have found especially significant suggestions and recommendations given by students and teachers to overcome the existing problems and provide better access to the rights of the child in school. Keywords: child rights, The Convention on the Rights of the Child, participation, discrimination, education system of Serbia, elementary education 1 *Corresponding Author. University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Education in Užice, Serbia; [jelena.stamatovic22@gmail.com](jelena.stamatovic22@gmail.com). 2 Užice Child Rights Centre, Serbia. Otrokove pravice v osnovnih šolah – položaj in pričakovanja Jelena Stamatović in Jelena Žunić Cicvarić • Šola je najprimernejši prostor, v katerem se učenci učijo o otrokovihpravicah in v katerem jih je treba spoštovati. Cilj izvedene raziskave jebil ugotoviti znanje učencev osnovne šole o otrokovih pravicah in pridobiti vpogled, kako so te pravice spoštovane. Z uporabo tehnike intervjuja z razvrščanjem smo izprašali 351 učencev, ki so bili v zadnjem letu osnovne šole, in 231 učiteljev. Učenci niso visoko vrednotili svojega znanja o človekovih pravicah: predvsem so pričakovali, da jim bodo učitelji zagotovili informacije o otrokovih pravicah; učenci so pridobili večino teh informacij pri pouku državljanskega izobraževanja, ki je izbirni predmet in ni namenjen vsem učencem, pa tudi pri razrednih urah. Učitelji verjamejo, da je odgovornost razrednih učiteljev, da seznanijoučence o pravicah otrok. Glede na odgovore učiteljev in učencev so najmanj spoštovane pravice učencev glede svobode izražanja in njihovegasodelovanja pri odločanju. Vsi verjamejo, da v šolah obstajajo nekatere oblike diskriminacije. Posebej pomembni se nam zdijo predlogi in priporočila učencev in učiteljev za prevlado obstoječih problemov in boljšezagotavljanje otrokovih pravic v šoli. Ključne besede: otrokove pravice, Konvencija o otrokovih pravicah, participacija, diskriminacija, šolski sistem v Srbiji, osnovnošolskoizobraževanje Introduction As a social institution, school influences the environment by its actions and, in line with social expectations, it also allows individual development and the development of students’ potential and their overall personalities. School is the basic context of growing up in modern society; it is the place where children are prepared for independent living in the community (Pešić, 1999) . This approach involves the participation of students in school life and work. Vidović and his collaborators see the child’s participation as a process directed to shared responsibility and mutual activities among students, as well as among students and adults (Vidović et al., 2000) . In this context, school is the most suitable place for students to become familiar with th

FAQs

What was the purpose of the research in primary schools?

To assess students’ knowledge of children’s rights and to understand how these rights are respected in school settings.

How was the study conducted and who participated?

It used an interview scaling technique with 351 final-year primary school students and 231 teachers.

Which rights were reported as least respected, and by whom?

Freedom of expression and students’ participation in decision-making were rated as least respected by both students and teachers.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by kopisore