6. STUDENT VOICES Not only has childhood changed in recent years because of the proliferation of new technologies and media affording them greater opportunities than ever before for social interaction and consumer behaviour; there has also been a wider recognition of children as people with their own rights, active and participative beings who can make decisions and choices on their own behalf, and demonstrably do so in their own social and leisure lives.
Page 01
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child of 1989 speciďŹ cally mandates that children and young people should have a say in decisions that affect them67. This includes education. The boxed text shows some of the key relevant articles from the UNCRC.