PEDAGOGICAL AND SCHOOL PLURALISM AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ACHIEVING BASIC HUMAN AND CHILDREN'S RIGHTS

Abstract

There is no best school in the world. There are only different schools. These schools differ depending on the position of the main actors of educational process, on the relation between the teacher and the student, depending on the world view, school autonomy, parents' rights, educational philosophy and theory which make daily communication in school work and life.

The question (Alain Madelin) „To whom do the children belong to – the parents or the state?“ is answered in the Universal declaration on human rights (article 26) Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children. How is this article interpreted in South East Europe? The only possible way of enabling this basic human right is school and pedagogical pluralism. In the Republic of Croatia there are three alternative primary schools (two waldorf and one Montessori school), and six private primary schools. In Slovenia besides opening private schools parents have the option of homeschooling their children. This option is used only by fifty parents but the same option in Austria is chosen by thousands. This opportunity was possible for Croatian citizens in the 19th century while Croatia and Slovenia were under the rule of Wien. At this moment there are discussions in the Republic of Croatia on returning the possibility of homeschooling in the school legislation. Since that in the areas of former Yugoslavia and in the surrounding countries (South East Europe) only state school existed for half a century, it is difficult to expect strong development of school pluralism (opening of a greater number of private and alternative schools). It would be more realistic to expect the development of pedagogical pluralism in state schools.