|
 ESU joined forces with OBESSU (Organising Burea of European School Student Unions) to launch a new campaign (www.lightontherights.eu) to promote the rights of school and university students at this year's European Social Forum. The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness and underline the importance of a legal framework allowing students across Europe to focus on their education. A key focus will be on bringing the attention of both school and university students to
OBESSU's Declaration of School Students Rights and ESU's Charter of the Student Rights, as well as on assessing public opinion on the issue of student rights. Efforts will also focus on obtaining official recognition of both the Declaration and the Charter by the EU institutions, the Council of Europe and National governments.
ESU’s European Students Rights Charter is set to become a cornerstone for all developments of the European higher education area and a point of reference for students and governments alike.
This charter calls for an end to the students continued struggle for their rights and asks for changes in the society. Individual students and student organisations across Europe still face many challenges. ESU calls for this charter to be adopted by all those who have the power to change this. OBESSU's Declaration of School Student Rights, meanwhile, outlines that while some countries encourage school councils, some others just accept them, and in most cases school students do not have a strong enough voice. Some others consider the only right of school students is to attend lessons. The Declaration aims to change that highlighting that it is imperative that school students are listened to in decisions affecting their rights and that they be afforded the support of their governments to this effect.
Both these documents make concrete demands on national and European institutions and many ideas on how to develop further reflection on this topic in schools and higher education institutions. Student rights cannot be discussed without greater thought on participation, both in educational institutions and within society. A document with formal recognition at the European level is vital to the harmonious development of school student rights in all countries and for the support of national and regional claims.
|
