School Parliament: Towards students‘ active participation
What & why?
Democracy is often associated with values such as participation, justice, equality, joint decision-making, teamwork, cooperation, division of powers, mutual respect, diversity and participation. It is understood that democracy cannot stand in isolation, it must rely on the presence of democratic methods in all social relations, i.e. the right to equal treatment, the right to information, participation in decision-making and the right to be respected. Thus, relations with all groups of educational participants are fundamental to this democratic process (Pol, 2006). For a student to accept democracy as a way of life, certain conditions must be met.
It is vital for a student to be given the opportunity to learn what such a way of life means and how it should be led; further, for the curriculum to emphasize the transfer of democratic experience to young people and for the democratic structures and processes for school life to have been established. It is a matter of respecting the pupil, acknowledging that learning is what pupils „own“ and have a significant influence on (Pol, 2006). If schools are to be democratic places, the idea of democracy is expected to be reflected in the roles that adults take on in school, in the creation of specific structures and in all the relationships altogether (Pol, 2006).
An interview with Monika Votava Mandelíčkova, the school parliament coordinator
