On Wednesday the 28th of January, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe debated on the Resolution “Socialising at schools: for an inclusive and participatory education fostering democratic values”, presented by the Spanish Rapporteur Ms. Luz Martinez Sejo (Socialist Party). 

FAFCE welcomes the emphasis on the problem of  “excessive social media exposure” on children, pointing out that the overexposure to digitalisation “reduces face-to-face interaction, can deepen a sense of isolation and anxiety, and can undermine self-confidence, particularly among adolescents who struggle with online validation and peer pressure”. FAFCE has long recalled the importance for children to limit the screen time and to reinforce outdoor activities and social interaction. 

The family is crucial for digital education: distinguishing the real from the virtual, and the object from its image is a learning process that trains critical thinking and leads to the discovery of the complexity of the world. Families can protect the emotional health and the socialization of children from the negative impacts of virtualization and distant learning. Parents acknowledge that while technology can offer many benefits, it can also hinder important developmental skills related to human communication and socialization.

FAFCE however regrets that the Resolution is not engaging sufficiently with the role of parents and families, as the  basic unit of our society, where values such as love, trust and respect are passed through everyday words and actions. Several Amendments presented by the Spanish MP. Jose Maria Sanchez, recalling the role of family and parents as key actors with the schools,  were rejected, arguing that the family does not play the first role in the education systems.

The Rapporteur rejected the Amendments including the parents as key actors in collaborating with the education systems, arguing that: 

  • “In all educational systems, the responsibility of teachers is to support children first and foremost, and not parents.”
  • “I repeat, the aim of this report is to train young people and students in this, not families. And of course we don’t want to add additional burdens because there are other things which work in many other education systems.”
  • On an Amendment on the important role of parents for the mental health of children, she answered: “The implications would be that it would be up to the families and the parents of children to detect any mental health or other emotional issues. But I think many families don’t have that ability. It would be a big mistake, I think, to give them that responsibility. They should not be the ones who have the responsibility to detect mental health issues. I think it’s up to the health system, but certainly not up to the parents and the families”. 
  • “In the process of socialisation, you cannot just develop that in a family, but it also needs to be developed in a school context with other children, otherwise it wouldn’t be socialisation.”  

FAFCE regrets that the mutual collaboration between schools and parents is not perceived as a key priority and essential to the human development and mental health of the children. 

Education is the tool to allow children  to discover their humanity, in a specific cultural environment and within a concrete social context. This resolution tends to forget that children do not grow isolated from the society, but into the smallest form of society, which is the family and where they start constructing their identity. This right to education of children can only be raised and become true within a family with parents that out of love fulfill their responsibilities and duties to educate their children and this is true for all families in the world. Children share most of their socio-cultural challenges with their families, this is especially critical for cultural minorities. In this regard, this is why it is so essential not to forget about them.

In the international treaties and the soft law, we can observe this right and responsibility that parents have when educating their children. For example, according to a Recommendation of the Council of Europe in 2005 “The family has a paramount role in the upbringing of children, including in the choice of a religious upbringing”.

Parents have the original responsibility for their children’s education and well-being, as they know the individual needs of their children better than anyone else. Acting also as a bridge between children and schools, parents must be considered primary stakeholders in education systems. The schools exist to support families in a service they provide to the society. 

 

More on FAFCE work on the role of families and parents in Education: