The second commonest issue in the Concluding Observations with respect to
children from minorities are serious concerns about violations of the rights to
equality and non-discrimination.
The Convention has not only article 2, which ensures all rights of the Convention
to every child without any discrimination. It also has the remarkable article 30,
which specifically says:
"In those States in which ... minorities or persons of indigenous origin exist, a
child belonging to such a minority or who is indigenous shall not be denied the
right, in community with other members of his or her group, to enjoy his or her
own culture, to profess and practise his or her own religion, or to use his or her
own language."
The content of this article strengthens, what is said in article 29 on the aims of
education. These aims include the respect, which has to be developed in school by
all children for all children's cultural identity, language and values (para. 1, c).
Doing justice to the equality of educational opportunity of children from minorities
asks for more than some superficial measures: In view of these children who need
special attention, the Committee calls upon State parties
- to start with education already in the years before school entry
- to prevent dropout from school at all levels;
- to provide education at least at the beginning in the child's language and to
respect the child's language at all levels;
- to adapt instruction and learning to the rich potentials of these children;
- to give the culture, the history, the religion and traditions of children from
minorities and their families a central place in the curriculum;
- to encourage children's and their parents' effective participation;
- to specifically train and sensitize teachers; and
- to allocate adequate resources in order to cover all costs of education.