Distance education and children’s rights: New dimensions of school exclusion during the COVID-19 outbreak

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyze distance learning, which was introduced in Poland during the COVID-19 outbreak, in the con- text of children’s rights. The main issues discussed herein are con- nected with incidents of excluding students and failing to respect their rights. The right to education of those children who do not have the conditions to fulfill their obligation of compulsory online school- ing is not our only concern. This article also touches on the issue of school’s insufficient guardianship and protective function and, in consequence, the aggravation of inequalities between people with lower and higher family income. The analysis is based on the authors’ appeal that was disseminated in April 2020 by Komitet Ochrony Praw Dzieci [Committee for the Protection of Children’s Rights] and the Ja Teacher’ka [I Teacher] foundation.
 The study was based on a perusal of the literature on the subject and a legal and normative scrutiny of the binding legal acts on distance learning. The first section presents the school as an institution of nor- mative inclusion in the historical and contemporary perspectives. In the second part, we shed light on areas of exclusion in the context of the changes introduced in connection with the pandemic.

The Socio-emotional Context of E-learning in Teachers’ Opinion

“…Consequently, distance learning increases social inequalities (Poleszczak, 2020). The researchers call these constraints straightforwardly a violation of children's rights (Turczyk & Jaskulska 2020), and The The Children's Ombudsman has intervened in this regard (2021). These are "hard" arguments confirming that the educational system has failed to bear responsibility for distance education.…”

“…Maintaining a bond, taking care of students, helping them overcome difficulties is a real challenge when the contact is so significantly reduced. In remote education, the most important task is building and upholding relationships, emotional involvement, and a positive emotional atmosphere of online meetings (Arora & Srinivasan 2020;Turczyk & Jaskulska, 2020).…”

Distance education during the COVID-19 outbreak in the experiences of Polish students: the assessment of school relationships and its determinants

“…Ten czas nie sprzyjał wyrównywaniu szans. Wręcz przeciwnie -wyniki badań prowadzonych w Polsce, gdy szkoły kształciły na odległość, wskazują na wzmacnianie różnic ( Jaskulska, Jankowiak, Buchnat, 2021;Jaskulska, Jankowiak, 2020;Turczyk, Jaskulska, 2020). Jak zauważają członkowie międzynarodowej grupy Society for Research on Adolescents -COVID-19 Response Team: "pandemia miała potencjał, by uderzyć w każdego, chociaż niektóre grupy zostały dotknięte bardziej niż inne.…”