Empowering students to have a voice.

Human rights education for students is not just about policy and theory; schools are gradually taking direct action and concretizing it through movements and models. Students "order" the principal. In early November 2023, upon assuming the role of Principal of Tenlơman High School (District 1, Ho Chi Minh City), the first thing Mr. Nguyen Hung Khuong did on his inauguration day to nearly 2,000 students was to publicly share his personal phone number, Zalo, and Facebook account and call on students to contribute ideas and "help" build the school. [caption id="attachment_604463" align="alignnone" width="700"] Many schools are being innovative, implementing models to allow students to voice their opinions and contribute to school development. Immediately afterwards, messages and phone calls poured in for Mr. Khuong. Many students even scheduled meetings to speak directly with the principal. For example, NS (a 12th-grade student) frankly expressed during a meeting with the principal: “The school regulations state that male students are not allowed to have bangs longer than their eyebrows. In today's 4.0 era, dressing up and grooming one's appearance is very important, so having slightly longer bangs can help many male students feel more confident. I hope the principal can reconsider this regulation.” “The issues raised by the students revolved around teachers' teaching methods, opinions on facilities, suggestions for educational activities, and school regulations. Some expressed a desire for the school to organize more football tournaments and invest in more clubs… Some even ‘requested’ the principal to repair the restrooms. Some students even enthusiastically wrote down numerous bullet points out the issues that students in the school are concerned about and want the school to improve. The students' suggestions and feedback are truly valid and serve as a basis for the principal and the school's teaching staff to research and discuss how to create the best possible educational environment for the students,” Mr. Khuong shared. Based on the students' suggestions and feedback, Mr. Khuong organized dialogues to listen to their opinions more thoroughly. The teacher stated that, for the time being, the school will seek approval to repair the restrooms and create more playgrounds, supporting clubs to provide students with more opportunities to develop their talents, practice sports , and make every day at school a joyful one. Based on the school's experience, Mr. Khuong believes that a friendly environment needs to be created where students can frankly express their views, opinions, and constructive criticism to jointly build the school, rather than being imposed from only the principal. The goal of "putting students at the center" must be realized through the spirit of school democracy, where students can express their wishes, be listened to, and have them responded to. Responding to the legitimate aspirations of students: A few weeks into the 2023-2024 school year, Luong The Vinh Primary School (Thu Duc City) distributed survey forms to gather students' opinions on issues such as toilets, school lunch programs, and experiential playgrounds… [caption id="attachment_604471" align="alignnone" width="680"] Clearly defining the goal of putting students at the center, many schools organize forums and playgrounds for students to voice their opinions and share their personal views. Hoang Quan (a 3rd grade student) carefully wrote in the opinion survey form: the school toilets still smell bad, the fried chicken wings are his favorite dish, and he suggested, "I hope the principal will organize more fun activities in the school so that I and my friends can have fun." Ms. Thach Thi Hoang Anh (Principal of Luong The Vinh Primary School) shared that the school has over 2,400 students; 100% of students eat lunch at school and attend classes two sessions a day, so organizing educational activities, playgrounds, and student care presents many challenges. Regarding the lunch program, with 100% of students eating lunch at school, recording students' opinions to improve the quality of meals and dishes is extremely necessary. “At the primary school level, the school believes that to provide a holistic education for students, we must first create a joyful atmosphere for them when they come to school. To achieve this, educational activities, training, playgrounds, and even school meals must be truly engaging for students. Therefore, the school always creates the most comfortable environment for students to express their opinions through surveys, suggestion boxes, and dialogue conferences with students… In each class, teachers always encourage students to present their personal opinions on school issues, thereby allowing for appropriate adjustments,” Ms. Hoang Anh shared.