MINORITY RIGHTS IN EDUCATION

The overall goal of this research theme is to look at the specific power of education as a fundamental human right and at the same time as a mechanism for minority empowerment, for strengthening democracy, and for fostering social cohesion and respect for diversity. To obtain a better understanding of the current issues and to identify needs for further research and action, the programme focuses on exploring different types of educational models and the provisions of minority rights to and within education. It also aims to provide a comparative analysis of the existing minority schooling practices with regard to the impact on community, regional and social development. The research focuses on the identification of positive and negative practices in the process of the implementation of the FCNM throughout the European countries.

 

Projects:

  • Teaching in Diversity
    • Under the ECMI leadership, 10 partners from 7 countries implemented the “Teaching in Diversity” project funded by the ERASMUS+ KA2 Strategic Partnership programme. To support teachers from all over Europe in facing the challenges that come with increasing cultural diversity in the classroom, and to adequately address the issues that they face on a daily basis, the project developed a training module for teachers to introduce them to the human and minority rights agenda, to the values and practices of multilingualism, active citizenship and societal cohesion. The project developed a training course and a Handbook, an online learning platform and a network of teachers to exchange information and provide self-support to its members beyond the project lifetime. In 2018, the ECMI conducted a pilot training-course and a final event in Flensburg. The seminar covered six key modules: Introduction to diversity management; Minority rights in education; Linguistic diversity; Religious diversity; Non-discrimination and preventing hate-speech at schools. Website Teach-D

 

Selected publications:

  • Topidi, K. (2022). 'Religious Education Approaches to Diversity Management in Britain: From Multiculturalism to Interculturalism in English Schools', in Christophe Van der Beken and Beza Dessalegn (eds.), Alternative approaches to ethno-cultural diversity management at sub-national levels: Ethiopia in comparative perspective, Ethiopian Constitutional and Public Law Series, School of Law, Addis Ababa University 2022, 217-262.
  • "Law and Religious Diversity in Education. The Right to Difference" by Kyriaki Topidi (2020)
    • The book deals with the interplay of law and religion in education through the versatility of religious law and legal pluralism, as well as religion’s possible adaptation and reconciliation with modernity, in order to consider and reflect on normative conflicts. It adopts the angle of the constitutional dimension of religion narrated in a comparative perspective and critically reflects on regulatory attempts by the State and the international community to promote new ways of living together.

 

 

ECMI Founders