The importance and challenges of involving parents in the value-based education of children

The European Wergeland Centre is promoting education for democratic citizenship, human rights and intercultural understanding. They have a so-called EWC Statement Series in order to highlight recent and ongoing research activities. They are regularly inviting scholars and other education professionals to publish their views on topics related to their work. The statement are published both online and in a printed booklet each year. Following up to the much applauded keynote and workshop of Zakia Akkouh from EWC at the EPA conference in Bucharest in December 2014, they have invited the president of EPA to write such a statement on the role of parents in citizenship and human rights education as well as intercultural understanding.

EPNoSL to introduce toolkit on stakeholder involvement at a webinar

One of the outputs of the European Policy Network on School Leadership (EPNoSL) will be a toolkit on stakeholder involvement. It was prepared by Ana Paula Silva and Carmo Climaco of Lusophone University of Humanities and Technologies, Portugal. The toolkit will be introduced at the next webinar of EPNoSL on 24th February 2015, at 11.00 CET.

Education matters! - EUCIS-LLL press release

At the extraordinary European Council meeting in Brussels last week EU leaders discussed the EU's counter-terrorism measures in the wake of the attacks in Paris. The meeting was proposed by French MEP Alain Lamassoure, urging that it is "high time we (…) addressed the vulnerability of our countries to this contagion of hate". However, security and anti-terrorist measures can only be a part of the solution at their best. EUCIS-LLL calls on EU institutions and EU leaders to prioritise civic education and diversity in its education and training cooperation, in order to provide a long-term, sustainable response to the “contagion of hate” - democratic, cohesive and learning societies in the true sense of these words.

Newsflash from Scotland

Scottish Parent Teacher Council (SPTC) will be holding their annual lecture and Annual General Meeting (AGM) on March 3rd at the Glasgow Science Centre. 

The theme of the lecture is 'Then and now: School, Family and Community Partnerships for Student Success in Education' to be delivered by Dr Joyce Epstein of Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore (the main keynote speaker at the EPA Conference in Dublin, June 2013).

Safer Internet Day 2015 - 10 February

The Safer Internet Day is celebrated around the world for the 12th consecutive year. It is the flagship event of the Safer Internet Programme supported by the European Commission, reaching millions of people in over 100 countries. On this occasion, schoolkids, parents, teachers, policy makers take time to learn, engage or discuss ways for creating a better Internet for kids. And this better Internet is #Up2Us!

NO to physical punishment

At an audience Pope Francis made a statement that he approves of physical punishment as long as it is ´not humiliating for the child`. I strongly believe this is not the case and all forms of physical punishment should not only be avoided but also banned by law - an element still missing in an explicit form in the legal sytem of many countries, including a number of European ones. It was a surprising statement from the Pope who so far showed signs of an enlighted head of church, taking human rights and legal frameworks very much into account.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child is part of the legal system of all European countries and it is very clear. In Article 19, right after establishing the rights and responsibilities of parents for the upbrining of their children, it says: States Parties shall take all appropriate legislative, administrative, social and educational measures to protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse, while in the care of parent(s), legal guardian(s) or any other person who has the care of the child. This is legal basis for anybody respecting the rights of the child to say NO to any form of physical punishment.