Fan, Yi Jun Scotland ( 2003～2004 )
The Child's right to education
The laws or regulations for protecting children's rights to education in Scotland and China are both working with the UN Conventions on the Rights of the Child. Here, two education systems are presented as a specific example of how children's rights to education are protected and realized so that its similarities and differences can be reflected.
Education in Scotland is compulsory for all children from age 5 to 16. Although there is no statutory curriculum the Scottish Office Education and Industry Department lays down guidelines for the progress and performance of children at different stages through primary and early secondary school. In primary schools (up to the age of 12) children are taught mathematics (15% of the curriculum); expressive arts (15%); environmental studies (25%); religious & moral studies (10%); flexible studies (20%) and language (15%). Secondary schools each create their own curriculum and although courses vary greatly, all children up to 16 study the core subjects: English, mathematics, science, one modern foreign language, and a social subject. In the years 12 and 13 the level of study rises and expands to include a wide range of modular courses in vocational subjects. Examinations: at age 16 pupils take the Scottish Certificate of Education (Standard Grade). There are 3 levels: Foundation, General and Credit awarded by the Scottish Qualifications Association, using external examination with some internal assessment. At age 17, pupils take the Higher and at 18 the Advanced Higher Grades. There are 5 levels: Access, Intermediate 1, Intermediate 2, Higher and Advanced Higher, both using internal and external assessment. In Scotland some independent schools follow the English public school system with English GCSE examinations at age 16, and Advanced level examinations at age 18.
孩子受教育的权利
苏格兰和中国保护儿童受教育权的法律或法规都在与联合国儿童权利公约合作。本文以两种教育制度为例，具体阐述了儿童受教育权如何得到保护和实现，从而反映出二者的异同。
在苏格兰，从5岁到16岁的孩子都必须接受义务教育。尽管没有法定的课程，苏格兰教育和工业部为小学和初中不同阶段孩子的进步和表现制定了指导方针。在小学(12岁以下)，孩子们学习数学(占课程的15%); 富有表现力的艺术(15%); 环境研究(25%); 宗教与道德研究(10%); 灵活的学习(20%)和语言(15%)。每一所中学都有自己的课程设置，尽管课程差异很大，但所有16岁以下的孩子都要学习核心科目: 英语、数学、科学、一门现代外语和一门社会学科。在12年和13年的学习水平，上升和扩大，包括广泛模块课程的职业科目。考试: 16岁的学生参加苏格兰教育证书 (标准等级)考试。有三个等级: 基础，学分由苏格兰资格协会授予，使用外部考试与一些内部评估。17岁时，学生接受高等教育; 18岁时，学生接受更高教育。有5个层次: 准入、中级1、中级2、高级和更高级，包括内部和外部评估。在苏格兰，一些私立学校遵循英国公立学校制度，16岁时参加英国普通中等教育证书(GCSE)考试，18岁时参加高级水平考试。
This education system is in tune with the Article 2 of Protocol 1 of the European Convention: No person shall be denied the right to education and the Standards in Scotlands School etc Act 2000: It shall be the right of every child of school age to be provided with school education by an education authority. Scots law placed education authorities under a duty to ensure that school education was directed to development of pupils' abilities to their fullest potential. From 2001, the law required education authorities to state, in their annual statement of education improvement objectives, the ways in which they would in providing school education, encourage equal opportunities. These reforms have brought Scots education law in line with the basic requirements of the Conventions. The child's rights to education are therefore reinforced.
这个教育体系是符合欧洲公约议定书第二条1: 没有人应当被剥夺受教育权，苏格兰学校-标准-2000年法案: 每一个学龄孩子享有教育当局提供的学校教育的权利。苏格兰法律规定，教育当局有责任确保学校教育的目的是开发学生的最大潜能。自2001年起，该法要求教育部门在其年度教育改进目标声明中，说明他们将以何种方式提供学校教育，鼓励机会平等。这些改革使苏格兰教育法符合公约的基本要求。因此，儿童受教育的权利得到加强。
In China, The Law of Compulsory Education, which went into effect on July 1, 1986 calls for each child to have nine years of formal education. To meet this requirement, a child will attend either five years of elementary education, followed by four years of junior middle school, or six years of elementary education, followed by three years of junior middle school. Presently, the second system, or ``6-3'' system is the more commonplace. While the Compulsory Education Law calls for each child to have nine years of formal schooling, it is recognized that certain realities prevent this nine year standard to be implemented immediately. Therefore, a provision of the Education Law is that China shall be divided into three categories: cities and economically developed areas, towns and villages with medium development, and economically backward areas. In the first two categories, the nine-year standard has, in most cases, become universal. Estimates are that in areas comprising 91% of the population, primary education has become universal. Indeed, by a 1994 estimate, 98.4% of elementary school-aged children entered school, with a dropout rate of less than 2% per year. Of the primary school graduates, over 80% go on to junior middle school, which represents about 75% of the relative age cohort. However, in the economically backward areas, which contain about 25% of China's population, a variable timetable for implementing compulsory education has been tied to each such region's local economic development. In short, the nine-year standard continues to be universalized, but in the strict sense compulsory education in China remains not so much a law as aspiration. In passing, it should be noted that the most important contributing factor the drop-out rates at each level is the increasing cost of education in China.
在中国，1986年7月1日生效的《义务教育法》要求每个孩子接受九年的正规教育。为了满足这一要求，儿童将接受五年的小学教育，然后是四年的初中教育，或者接受六年的小学教育，然后是三年的初中教育。目前，第二种系统，或“6-3”系统更为常见。虽然义务教育法要求每个儿童接受9年正规教育，但人们认识到，某些现实情况阻碍了这一9年标准的立即执行。因此，教育法的一项规定是，中国应分为三类: 城市和经济发达地区、中等发达乡镇和经济落后地区。在前两类中，九年标准在大多数情况下已成为普遍标准。据估计，在占人口91%的地区，初等教育已经普及。事实上，根据1994年的估计，98.4%的小学学龄儿童入学，每年的辍学率不到2%。在小学毕业生中，80%以上进入初中，约占相对年龄群体的75%。然而，在经济落后地区 (约占中国人口的25%)，实施义务教育的时间表因地区经济发展而异。简而言之，九年义务制继续普及，但严格意义上的义务教育与其说是一项法律，不如说是一种愿望。顺便说一下，应该指出，每一层次辍学率的最重要因素是中国教育成本的增加。
Obviously, there is compulsory education in both systems. Compulsory education in Scotland is 3 years longer than the one in China. Because of the different social and economical development degree, their concerns in the systems are so different. Two balances are clearly showed in Scottish education system: pupils' age and their grade; the balance among various subjects. The examination system runs for assessing students performance in curriculum, which is fully developed and oriented to pupils' development. In China, the compulsory education is still not for everyone because of the poor condition in some rural areas. The graduation rate hints the enrollment control rather than the competence in student learning.
显然，两种制度都有义务教育。苏格兰的义务教育比中国的要长3年。由于社会经济发展程度的不同，他们在制度上的关注也就不同。苏格兰教育体系中有两种平衡: 学生年龄和年级; 各学科之间的平衡。考试制度是一种全面发展、面向学生发展的考核学生课程成绩的考试制度。在中国，由于一些农村地区的贫困状况，义务教育仍然不适合所有人。毕业率反映的是招生控制，而不是学生的学习能力。
