The National Center for Child Abuse Prevention, alongside 20 other civil society organizations and institutions interested in children’s rights, requests the Ministry of Education and Research to abandon the initiative to introduce sanctions for students in the Education Code. In a public appeal, the NGOs state that the protection of children cannot be achieved through punishment, IPN reports.
The NGOs’ appeal comes after Parliament on March 14 gave a first reading to the draft law to amend the Education Code, which, among other proposals, suggests introducing a system of rewards and sanctions for students.
“We appreciate the intention of the legislative initiative’s authors to promote a safe environment for all children in educational institutions. At the same time, we consider that the legislative initiative itself, as well as the process of its elaboration, have multiple shortcomings,” reads the appeal.
Thus, the NGOs consider that when drafting these amendments, it was not taken into account the fact that schools have an important role in protecting children from any form of violence and, respectively, the protection of children cannot be achieved through punishment, and that the systems of sanctions and rewards for students contribute to a number of undesirable side effects.
National Center for Child Abuse Prevention head Daniela Simboteanu said in this connection that school discipline is more effective when it is used to teach positive behavioral skills and create positive environments that support learning. According to her, education policies should be evidence-based and go hand in hand with human rights and child protection policies, thus contributing to the protection of every child and to the realization of their full potential.
The signatories of the appeal are the National Center for Child Abuse Prevention, the Information and Documentation Center on Children’s Rights, Terre des Hommes Moldova, Women’s Law Center, Child Community Family, Partnerships for Every Child, International Center “La Strada Moldova”, Institute for Social Initiatives and Family, Keystone Human Services International Association, Friends of Children, Educational Program “|Step by Step”, Institute for European Policies and Reforms, National Network of Local Youth Councils of Moldova, Lumos, Institutum Virtutes Civilis, Alliance of Active NGOs in the field of Child and Family Social Protection, UNHCR, and “Ion Creangă” State Teacher Training University.
According to the new amendments that were given a first reading by Parliament, the Education Code will be completed with a list of sanctions applicable to students, including temporary removal from lessons, suspension of the student for a limited period of time or even expulsion, without the right to re-enroll later in the same institution.
