Developing and Validating a Child Right-Based Management Model for Primary School Governance

Primary-school governance plays an important role in ensuring that children’s rights are embedded in school policies, decision-making, participation, protection, and accountability. However, child-rights principles are not always systematically integrated into school-management processes. This study aimed to develop and validate the MESRA–UNCRC-B Child Rights-Based Management Model for Primary School Governance. The study employed a research and development design using the ADDIE framework and a mixed-methods approach. Model development involved needs analysis, design, expert and practitioner validation, limited- and large-scale field testing, and evaluation. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through questionnaires, interviews, observations, documentation, implementation checklists, and baseline endline measurements. The resulting model integrated four fundamental principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child non-discrimination, the best interests of the child, life, survival and development, and respect for children’s views with school-management functions. The model achieved an overall validity score of 83.01% (M = 4.15). Practicality increased from 77.92% in limited-scale testing to 92.33% in large-scale testing, while implementation reached 96.67%. The overall score increased descriptively from 72.97% at baseline to 94.57% at endline. MESRA–UNCRC-B provides a structured framework for integrating children’s rights into primary-school governance through planning, implementation, participation, protection, monitoring, accountability, and continuous improvement.