Doing Rights, Making Citizens: The Practices of High School Student Governments

AUTHOR

Hung-Ju Chen ✉️, 李柏翰(Po-Han Lee) (本所專任助理教授) 

JOURNAL  Amicus Curiae

PUBLISHED  2024.03.01

ABSTRACT

How does the right to education inform respect for citizenship rights, where school education becomes a site of contestation over democracy? Drawing on a review of all documents produced during international reviews of Taiwan’s implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and interviews with members of high-school student governments, in this article, we demonstrate how local educational systems negotiate to meet international child rights standards. We further argue that experiences of being involved in student governments and human rights review processes empower the students, informing them of a future where they feel relevant and responsible in networking and decision-making.

KEYWORD

civil and political rights; Convention on the Rights of the Child; education reform; right to education; school government; Taiwan.