Developing a law on learners’ ‘hearing rights’

About:

The Dutch Ministry of Education aims to legally anchor the ‘hearing rights’ (the right to be heard) of all learners aged 4–18 in matters concerning their support needs in education. This legislation aims to ensure that learners can provide opinions on the support they receive. It also aims to make information about appropriate support options and partnerships within schools more accessible to parents and learners.

To this end, a consortium of institutes and educational organisations around the country carried out participatory research efforts. Based on the outcomes, the Minister of Education produced a letter to the parliament concerning hearing rights for learners needing additional support in both mainstream and special education.

Outcomes:

The Ministry has drafted a law on these hearing rights in close co-operation with organisations in the field of education and children’s rights, the Ombudsman for Children, schools, school boards, teachers and learner and parent interest groups. Beyond law-making, the Ministry is considering how to implement hearing rights in schools. This involves creating toolkits on how to practise hearing rights for children which can be adapted to various educational contexts.

Key element(s) of the VIA Framework:

This example reflects the element of AUDIENCE in particular. The Dutch Ministry of Education is directly aiming to ensure the parties in power can responsibly listen to and include the voices of learners and families. This will result in a tangible law around ‘hearing rights’, which is yet to be completed.

Learn more: the Ombudsman for Children in the Netherlands