Teachers as educational change agents for children’s rights: implications and challenges for meta-reflexive teacher education

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UN CRC) highlights children’s educational rights in Articles 28 and 29. Article 28 mandates universal access, while Article 29 emphasises education’s role in fostering respect for human rights, culture, and the environment. However, many states’ educational policies do not fully reflect these principles. Teacher agency is vital, as educators act as state agents, shaping student outcomes and embodying the UN CRC’s objectives. To implement these rights, teachers must balance competing educational goals and fully understand their roles. The concept of meta-reflexivity in teacher education is proposed to enhance teachers’ ability to adapt and reflect on complex situations, enabling them to uphold children’s rights. First, the meta-reflexive principles of teacher education are presented. The systematic professionalisation of teachers is a general concern in teacher education, and we use this as a framework to explore how Article 29 can be applied as an exemplary case for meta-reflexivity. The role of teachers in relation to the educational objectives mentioned in Article 29 is then reflected upon with the help of relevant research literature on children’s rights. Th e analysis results in a theoretical typology of teachers. Th e conclusion stresses the importance of preparing teachers to embody these roles and fulfil the UN CRC’s vision, underscoring that achieving these goals requires a collective effort, as no single teacher can achieve them in isolation.