International Summer Course on the Rights of the Child

9th Edition

November 16 to 20, 2020 - Université de Moncton, Canada

The Right to Education in Times of Pandemic: Education in Danger

 

The International Summer Course on the Rights of the Child (ISCRC) is a forum for professionals who work with children. This event promotes better professional practices and promotes children’s rights as fundamental rights of human beings pursuant to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. It also aims to encourage decision makers and decision makers to develop public policies and programs to protect the best interests of the child and improve the quality of education in New Brunswick, across Canada, and around the world. The 9th edition of the Summer Course, which will take the form of an online webinar program in the fall of 2020, will focus on a collective reflection on the issues and problems raised by the COVID-19 pandemic with regard to the right to education of our children.

Education is first and foremost a human right that every state must respect, just as every state must implement strategies to ensure appropriate education for the target population. This is an essential right, and moreover, the Education 2030 Agenda¹ led by UNESCO as a part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, considers the right to education as a driver of development. As such, it constitutes the fourth of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals².

According to the Committee on the Rights of the Child, the realization of children’s right to education is interdependent with all other children’s rights³.

Beyond instilling in them respect for human rights, their identity or their language⁴, education must also be aimed at the full development of the child.

Also, in accordance with the principle of non-discrimination and equal opportunity, education must be fair and accessible to all, regardless of socio-economic status, gender, handicap or other ground of discrimination.

Nonetheless, in 2018, 258 million children and young people were out of school, according to data from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics⁵.

This year, in 2020, the global Covid-19 pandemic has caused the closure of schools in 191 countries⁶, and at least 1.5 billion students and 63 million primary and secondary teachers are affected by these disturbances. This is an unprecedented situation.

In this context where the continuity of educational services is endangered as never before, what policies and strategies should be developed and implemented to enable the exercise of the right to education for our children? What are the mechanisms that make it possible, in the formal or informal sectors, to offer an educational response in crisis situations to meet the physical, psychological and cognitive needs of children? What are the standards and practices that promote quality education? The Organizing Committee invites professionals from around the world and from Canada to share initiatives or thoughts that seek answers to these questions in order to be able to discuss during this special edition of the Summer Course.

The scientific committee and organizers of this course invite researchers and professionals to propose sessions that include conceptual analysis, practical methods and/or policy approaches that deal with this year’s theme. This forum will be a multidisciplinary exchange on children’s rights. Professionals and researchers are invited to talk about the following themes:

THEMES

1 - Disparities in countries' level of preparedness for emergencies

Disparities in the level of preparedness of countries for emergencies may refer to the responsiveness of schools and districts to the decision to close, to the establishment of alternatives, to the accessibility of distance learning materials, the ease of teachers in the use of digital tools, as well as the training of teachers and educational staff in these emergencies and in alternative education methods.

Proposals outlining the reactions of different countries around the world to the crisis in these areas, or in related areas not mentioned, are particularly requested.

2 - School dropout and inequalities

Concern about the phenomenon of dropping out of school is legitimately heightened in times of crisis, due to the fact that access to school is compromised. At the same time, the reasons for dropping out of school are also affected by the pandemic. Though absenteeism may normally be linked to the choice of programs, and to general orientation to the value of education, it can now also be linked to apprehension about distance learning courses, difficulties related to success in such learning environments, or even to financial problems, which are all direct repercussions from the current health crisis.

Also, this period of crisis has brought to light with greater intensity the inequalities facing the right to education. Indeed, the most marked inequality lies in children's access to the internet and educational content, but for millions of children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, the closure of schools can also mean the loss of a vital safety net of nutrition, protection and emotional support.

Proposals dealing with these different themes are welcome in order to enrich the debate.

3 - Balance between right to education and health risks

UN Secretary General António Guterres said in an April 2020 report⁷ qthat all emergency measures taken should be in accordance with the law, proportionate, necessary and non-discriminatory.

In accordance with guidelines issued by the Committee on the Rights of the Child, it is the best interests of the child that must remain a priority, even in times of crisis.

Among other things, the decision to reopen schools has been, and still is today, the subject of much debate, including how to balance educational goals and health risk prevention through multiple scenarios available.

Do the best interests of the child lie in a return to school to obtain an education, along with special accommodations if the child is experiencing academic failure or learning difficulties, or in the need for him to maintain contact with all the members of his family in times of crisis, and to protect his health and that of those around him?

Papers that advance thinking about global challenges and the balance of children's rights in this context are encouraged.

4 - Education in the post-COVID world

In response to this unprecedented health crisis, UNESCO has launched a Global Education Coalition to help states develop the best distance education solutions and reach children and young people most at risk.

Specifically, the Coalition aims to:

• Help countries in mobilizing resources and implementing innovative and context-appropriate solutions to provide education remotely, leveraging hi-tech, low-tech and no-tech approaches.
• Seek equitable solutions and universal access
• Ensure coordinated responses and avoid overlapping efforts
• Facilitate the return of students to school when they reopen to avoid an upsurge in dropout rates

Also in support of this coalition, UNODC and UNESCO are intensifying their cooperation in order to work towards the involvement of children in decisions⁹. Rights education is a key ally in the defence of human rights, as well as an essential skill in times of crisis.

The aim is to put rights at the centre of education by helping countries to offer educational resources and programs that allow children and young people, who are the most likely to be deprived of them, to better understand and exercise their rights.

The Organizing Committee invites professionals from around the world to share initiatives or reflections that seek to respond to these concerns.

5 - Various Themes

The above-noted themes are not exhaustive. Other papers and conference proposals will be considered if they align with the main subject of the Course.

TYPES OF PRESENTATION

Please specify the presentation format in your application. There are three formats available:

• Round Table: 1- to 3-hour presentation by several presenters. Please submit a title, a summary of the presentation, the names of the other participants, and the time needed, accounting for periods of discussion and the number of participants.
• Oral Presentation : The length of each presentation (from 20 to 30 minutes) is determined by the Organizing Committee depending on the number of presentations received..
• Workshop : Workshops (from 60 to 90 minutes) can be about techniques for using a tool, an approach or a practice. Workshops are more effective with a smaller group of participants.

The Committee will do its best to respect your choice of formats, but reserves the right to use a different format if necessary.

SUBMISSION METHOD AND POSSIBILITY OF PUBLICATION:

Anyone who wants to submit a proposal for an oral presentation in one of the two official languages of New Brunswick and Canada is invited to do so.

Your presentation proposal must respect the following criteria in order to be reviewed:

• The summary can be no longer than half a page in length. Please specify which of the themes you will address, the presentation format, and the title.
• • Your proposal must include a small biography (250 words maximum) and a picture of you, sent as two separate Word or PDF documents. In order to maintain anonymity, your proposal (Word or PDF) must not contain anything that could identify you personally.
• • Please specify if you want to be published in the Revue de l’Université de Moncton. The rules for publication will be sent to authors who are confirmed as participants.

Please submit your proposal before September 15, 2020. The Organizing Committee will assess proposals and evaluate their ability to enrich the dialogue. You will receive a response to your proposal before October 1, 2020.

Submit your application