Ariticle29Aims of education
- States Parties agree that the education of the child shall be directed to:
- The development of the child's personality, talents and mental and physical abilities to their fullest potential;
- The development of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and for the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations;
- The development of respect for the child's parents, his or her own cultural identity, language and values, for the national values of the country in which the child is living, the country from which he or she may originate, and for civilizations different from his or her own;
- The preparation of the child for responsible life in a free society, in the spirit of understanding, peace, tolerance, equality of sexes, and friendship among all peoples, ethnic, national and religious groups and persons of indigenous origin;
- The development of respect for the natural environment.
- No part of the present article or article 28 shall be construed so as to interfere with the liberty of individuals and bodies to establish and direct educational institutions, subject always to the observance of the principle set forth in paragraph 1 of the present article and to the requirements that the education given in such institutions shall conform to such minimum standards as may be laid down by the State.
This Article, based on the “right to education” in Article 28, provides for “various efforts toward its realization” and the “aims of education.”
Paragraph 1
This paragraph lists the most important items to be accomplished in each of the five categories a through e. Each can be summarized in a few words as follows.
b : Education with respect for the human rights of the child
c : Education that respects the ethnic, cultural and linguistic identity of the child and his or her parents.
d : Education based on mutual understanding, tolerance and peace throughout the international community and respect for gender equality and equal rights
e : Education that is respectful of the natural environment
These are the basic things that should be valued when educating children.
There is a profound reason why the aims and philosophies of education are stipulated separately in this Article and in Article 28. It is a reflection on the fact that ethnocentric and totalitarian fascism, militarism, and ultranationalism, which were amplified during World War II, inflicted enormous damage on the field of "education." The educational field is a place where children's way of thinking and living are affected, and this Article is intended to ensure that the sad history of the 20th century, in which such discriminatory, exclusive, and coercive ideas were brought into the classroom, will never be repeated in the future. It is fair to say that this article is extremely important.
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2 primarily discusses “the freedom to establish and control educational institutions.” In paragraph 1, it was mentioned above that the state was required to actively respect the aims of education, while paragraph 2 indicates that not only the state but also private organizations can participate in the field of education. In a sense, this part of the article can be regarded as a measure to prevent the state from completely controlling the direction of “education.” At the same time, it also prevents a situation in which the quality of education is seriously degraded by stipulating that private organizations must meet the minimum standards of educational quality set by the government, in line with the educational principles stipulated in this article.
About Articles 28 and 29
The Convention's “aims of children's education” include two of them: “to make the direction of education satisfactory for all children” and “to ensure that the quality of education is solid,” which shows a commitment to enhancing children's education.