NO.

TABLE OF CONTENT PAGE

1. TABLE OF CONTENT 1

2. INTRODUCTION 2

3. CONCEPT & DEFINITION 2

4. CASE STUDY 3

5. DISCUSSION 3

6. CONCLUSION 7

7. REFERENCES 8

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1.0 Introduction

Human rights are the basic essential that people need to live in dignity. All human beings
are entitled to enjoy human rights. The existence of human rights is to make sure that we are
treated properly, fairly and given the freedom to develop to our full potential and to promote
our wellbeing. Despite of all the rights that are available to everyone, there are rights that apply
specifically to children. Children should receive a holistic education.

According to The Declaration of Children’s Right Act 20 November 1989, United Nations
Children have rights to receive a holistic education. The Children Rights in line with Declaration
of Children Rights Act 20 November 1989, United Nations states that children should benefit
of all the rights without any difference and discrimination, deserve to acquire protection,
opportunity, and special provisions, deserve to receive name and citizenship, deserve to
obtain adequate food, social protection, accommodation, leisure, and health services, have a
family, live in a community, obtain sufficient and healthy food, receive the rights to play and
leisure, obtain ideal education, be protected and receive any forms of help.

2.0 Concept and Definition of Children’s Right Act

Every individual less than 18 years old is categorised as children. Children are the future
leaders of the country and pillars of the nation. None of the characteristics or traits of a good
leader could be formed if there is no holistic education. Children must be able to undergo
proper and truthful education before they can portrait those qualities. Therefore, children must
have every right to receive a holistic education regardless of the children’s race, religion or
ethnic.

According to Pushpavalli et al (2015), Children’s Right Act refers to advocate, provide

shade, and protect the right of children to ensure their lives are ideal. This shows that children
deserve to acquire protection, opportunity, and special provisions. Therefore, Children’s Right
Act really essential for children’s welfare where they are given opportunity to have better life.

Holistic education is based on the principle that students find identity and purpose in life
by connecting to the community, nature and humanitarian values. Rossiter and Crawford
(1992) stated that holistic education addresses the broadest development of the whole person
at the cognitive and affective levels. Therefore, children really needs holistic education as it
can enhances the development of the cognitive thinking.

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3.0 Case Study

Wei Lee is 12 years old. She considers herself very unfortunate. She is always ill-treated
and tortured by her parents and has become the victim of child abuse. She has to help her
father to sell fish at the market besides helping her mother on house chores such as washing,
cooking and babysitting her siblings. Her welfare is totally ignored by her parents. The
neighbours had to send her to the hospital to be treated when she was beaten up by her
parents.

4.0 Discussion

Our children in Malaysia are sharing the similar privilege like other country children’s as
they are also protected by the Children’s Right Act. Learning is a lifelong process. A right-
based approach to education seeks to build opportunities for children to achieve their optimum
capacities throughout their childhood. The case study above clearly shows that due to parents’
negligence, Wei Lee underwent emotional stress and fails to get the right as stated in The
Declaration of Children’s Right Act 20 November 1989, United Nations. The Children Rights
followed the Declaration of Children Rights Act 20 November 1989 United Nations stated
several rights for children’s welfare.

Firstly, it ensures children to receive benefit of all the rights without any difference and
discrimination. Children have the rights to receive holistic education regardless of their family
or social background. Different of races, religions, ethics and social status should not be an
excuse for one not being able to receive the holistic education. Arneson (2015) imposes that
equality of opportunity means that all members of a society are given equal chances to enter
any occupation or social class. It does not mean everyone will have equal income and equal
status, rather, all have an equal chance to compete for any place in society. It is very important
to allow all the children to be able to attend to any educational centre without taking into
account of their differences as all the children have the rights to receive holistic education. No
discrimination of races or religion should occur when comes to children receiving holistic
education. For example, all the school in Malaysia is opened to any Malaysian students
without taking their difference of races or family background into account. Any race is allowed
to receive their education in all the school available in Malaysia. Malays, Chinese, Indians and
other races are treated equally as they were given the opportunity to attend to any educational
centre this country. Therefore, this shows that our Malaysia education system is in line with
the concept of Children Rights Act which can help Wei Lee to receive holistic education.

Apart from that, Declaration of Children Rights also stated that all the children should be
deserved to acquire protection, opportunity, and special provisions. This is supported by

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Anderson and Torre (2014) which they stated that children should be given protection,
opportunity and special provisions. The same goes to Wei Lee where she needs vital
protection from being beaten up by her parents. This is to ensure that the children will not get
any harm which would threaten their opportunity to receive holistic education. For example, in
Malaysia, there are organisations such as NGO which provide protection for children who were
abused or abandoned by the parent. The organisation has been set up to provide support and
help for the victims so that the children will not be neglected and forgotten by the society.
Therefore, this Children‘s Right Act is quite essential especially for Wei Lee as she really
needs protection.

Other than that, the Declaration of Children’s Right Act also mentioned that a child
deserves to obtain adequate food, social protection, accommodation, and health service. For
example, children must have a right to gain the very basic surviving needs which are foods,
shelters and love from others only then children would feel safe, loved and nurtured. Children
must also receive appropriate leisure such as entertainment and freedom as they should be
able to enjoy their lives. Wardle (2008) says it is vital that parents provide children with more
independence, but within a familiar and safe environment. Plus, children must receive an
appropriate health care in order to ensure their welfare (Mcdonald and Rosier, 2011). For
example, students in Malaysia have the opportunity to get free injection, vaccines,
immunisation and dental care in order to receive a holistic education. Therefore, this
demonstrates that our Malaysia education system is in line with the Declaration of Children’s
Right Act as it has helped to ensure impact on a student towards holistic education by giving
adequate food, social protection, accommodation, and health services to the children.

In addition, the Declaration of Children’s Right Act mentioned also imposed every child
should have the opportunity to grow up in a family. Family is crucial to a child as family is the
first contact which the child interact with. Popenoe (1998) said that family helps to nurture and
guide the child and provide all the basic needs that needed by a child in order to function well
in the future. However, not every single child was taken care of by a good family, some of
them has lost theirs in tragic accident or abandoned by them. If a family is unable to care for
the child, steps should be taken by the authorities to address the reasons and make every
effort to keep the family together. For example, Malaysian government has handled this kind
of issues very well as the respective organisation will be finding for an appropriate family to
any children which has lost or abandoned by the family. Forster parents will be taking care of
the child. This is to ensure the child receive a proper and suitable care by the family in the
process of holistic education. Therefore, this reveals that our Malaysia education system is in

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line with the Declaration of Children’s Right Act as it has helped to ensure impact on a student
towards holistic education

Besides, live in a community is one of the rights that a child should obtained under the
Declaration of Children’s Right Act. A child should be able to live in a community in order to
move towards holistic education. Community should take children as part of society and must
not neglect the rights and needs of a child especially children with disabilities. For example,
they should be given priority in any appropriate circumstances such as get on to the public
transport, purchasing tickets, parking space and so on. Children with disabilities must be given
extra cares, helps and guidance so that they will not feel isolated from the community. Through
caring and helpful community, children will be able to develop trust towards the community
and they will be able to feel safe and protected when they are trouble. Plus, children should
be given opportunity to mingle and associate with the community freely. By allowing children
to live in a community, it will help them in their journey towards holistic education process.
Hence, this shows that our Malaysia education system is in line with the Declaration of
Children’s Right Act as it has helped to ensure impact on a student towards holistic education
through allowing the children to live in a community.

Moreover, children must be given sufficient and healthy food as stated under the
Declaration of Children Rights Act. Our children’s early years are arguably their most important
and establishing healthy behaviours from birth will lay the foundation for lifelong health and
well-being. All the tissues, organs, and cells of a human being started to develop since we are
still a child. Commerford (2016) suggested that healthy development in the early years is the
foundation on which a child’s future well-being and success is built. Therefore, sufficient and
healthy food is to ensure that the children to be able to have a healthy lifestyle. Daily meals
that are provided for the children must be enriched with all the nutrients that they need in order
to enable them to develop steadily. Therefore, a child should gain enough healthy and
appropriate nutrition in order to grow. For example, RMT (Rancangan Makanan Tambahan)
program which provides free and healthy food for the students has launch in all Malaysia
school. A healthy body eventually provides children a healthy mind set which will definitely
lead to other positives effects that benefit the children in their education process. Therefore,
this shows that our Malaysia education system is in line with the Declaration of Children’s
Right Act as it has helped to ensure impact on a student towards holistic education by
providing sufficient and healthy food to the children.

In addition, according to The Children Rights Act, one of the statements is to ensure the
children obtain ideal education. Education means a process of teaching, training and learning
especially in schools or colleges to improve knowledge and develop skills. A child should be

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able to receive ideal education which the country offers in order for them to move towards the
holistic education. No child should be left out when education is concerned. This is supported
by Wilce (2013), which he said that all children must be educated and nurtured in order to be
a better person in their future. Children are our country future leader and without education,
no country can progress and develop. Therefore, children deserve an idea of education
regardless of any circumstances. For example, children in Malaysia are offered to attend to
any school to receive education for primary and secondary level without any charges. This is
to make sure that the children are able to receive a holistic education. So, this indicates that
our Malaysia education system is in line with the Declaration of Children’s Right Act as it has
helped to ensure impact on a student towards holistic education through giving ideal education
to all the children. This shows that Wei Lee deserves to receive ideal education.

Lastly, the Children Rights Act also mentioned that children should receive any forms of
help. Any individual that age below 18 years old are considered as children and children are
still fresh and very innocent at the young age, hence they need guidance and help to enable
them to progress happily. Poulton (2013) said that children should be protected by legal laws
which are able to help them to defend themselves in any cases that might cause harm to them.
For example, there are organisations or society which specialised for children who are suffered
from child abuse, violent from his or her family members, abandoned by the family and so on.
Children who are suffer from those issues will be taken care by them. This is to ensure that all
children are able to receive holistic education under any circumstances. Hence, this very well
showed that the Declaration of Children’s Right Act can helped children by protecting them
with legal laws. This shows that Wei Lee has a bright future coming through later.

4.0 Conclusion

In a nutshell, all the community and society should always aware of the Declaration of
Children’s Right Act as it is important to cater to the children’s needs and always be our priority.
Children are young and innocent, therefore, they should be educate, nurture, raise and foster
wisely in order to enable them to develop into a useful person.

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 References

Anderson, R., T. & Torre, S. (2014). Adoption, Foster Care, and Conscience Protection.
Retrieved from: http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2014/01/ adoption-foster-
care-and-conscience-protection

Arneson, R. (2015). Equality of Opportunity. Retrieved from: http://plato.stanford.

edu/entries/equal-opportunity/

Commerford, J. (2016). How Does the Home Environment Influence Children’s Learning.
Retrieved from: https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/2015/09/23/how-does-home-environment-
influence-children-s-learning

Mcdonald, M., & Rosier, K. (2011). Promoting Positive Education and Care Transitions for
Children. Retrieved from: https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications /promoting -positive-
education -and-care-transitions-children

Poulton, S. (2013). Children Should Be Protected. Retrieved from:

http://www.express.co.uk/comment/expresscomment/429589/Children-should-be-
protected

Rossiter, G., & Crawford, M. (1992). Teaching Wisdom: Religious Education and The Moral
and Spiritual Development of Young People. Retrieved from:
http://203.10.46.30/ren2/gr17.html

Wardle, F. (2008). Creating Indoor Environments for Young Children. Retrieved from:
http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article _view.aspx?ArticleID=294

Wilce, H. (2013). Six of The Best: The Traits Your Child Needs to Succeed. Retrieved from:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/schools/six-of-the-best-the-traits-your-
child-needs-to-succeed-8899903.html