Listening to Every Child’s Voice as an Inclusive Tool in Education

Despite significant progress made in enhancing children participation at school, tackling pupils’ exclusion, violence and discrimination is still a real challenge in many European educational systems. As stated in a variety of international and regional legal instruments, the development of childfriendly environments, grounded on democratic values and human rights principles, is a precondition for the active involvement of every child; it is equally demanded to improve the quality of the learning process, to adapt education to different pupil’s needs and foster intercultural dialogue, mutual understanding and respect for diversity. In multicultural classrooms, listening to every child’s voice, regardless of his or her social, economic or cultural background, is significant to promote everyone’s participation and inclusive education. In particular, taking seriously all children’s opinions is a prerequisite in the realization of the right to education itself, besides being first and foremost a fundamental human right. Children’s equal involvement at school encourages the adoption of a child-centred, peer-to-peer learning system in which all teachers, provided with relevant competences and multicultural skills, can act not only as merely educators themselves but also as learners in their turn. This article is yet intended to provide an analysis of the right of the child to be heard, as enshrined in Article 12 of the UN Convention of the Right of the Child (UNCRC) and under further European legal instruments, in order to prove how significant is the contribution given by all children in creating an inclusive, equitable and quality education.