Human Rights Education

HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION-MEANING AND SIGNIFICANCE 

 INTRODUCTION

 Human rights are essential for leading a decent and dignified life as human being. These are natural rights which are not negotiable and do not depend on conferment by any authority. They are inherent in human existence. The concept of Human rights can generally be defined as “those rights which are inherent in our nature and without which we cannot live as human beings. Human rights and fundamental freedom allow as to fully develop and use our human qualities, our intelligence, our talents and our conscience and to satisfy our spiritual and other needs “(United Nations 1987). Human rights encompass fundamental rights, constitutional rights, directive principles and statutory rights. Human rights education needs to be imparted right from early stages of education so that it becomes a part of basic skills and value system of every citizen. 

MEANING OF HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION

 Human rights are the rights of a person have simply because he is a human being. These are rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language or any other status. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UN, 10th Dec 1948) described human rights as: “those minimal rights that every individual rights that every individual must have by virtue of his being a member of human family”.

 NATURE OF HUMAN RIGHTS 

• Human rights are privileges and freedom to which every human being is entitled.

 • They are held by all persons equally, universally, and forever.

 • They are international norms that help to protect all people everywhere from severe political, legal and social abuses.

 • They are inalienable: you cannot lose rights any more than you can cease being a human being.

 • Human Rights are indivisible: You cannot be denied a right because it is less important or non-essential. 

• Human rights are interdependent: all human rights are part of a complementary frame work.

 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF HRE  

Human rights education involves learning about one’s own rights and those of others, but it goes beyond this to include learning that human rights are a shared responsibility with practical consequences for how we live together. The following are major aims and objectives of HRE: 

1. To make the learner aware of his own rights as a human being and to strengthen the respect for the right and freedom of others.

 2. To foster the attitude of tolerance, respect and solidarity, interest in human rights.

 3. To provide knowledge about Human rights in both national and international dimensions.

 4. To develop the individuals awareness of the ways and means by which human rights can be translated in to social and political reality. 

5. To generate universal consciousness of Human rights in the learner.

 6. To check the violation of Human rights at all levels.

 7. To provide information about the institutions established for the protection of Human rights. 

8. To acquire necessary knowledge about human rights and mechanisms for their protection, as well as acquiring skills to apply them in daily life. 

9. To develop necessary values and reinforcing attitudes and behavior which uphold Human rights. 

10. To enable the learner to take action to defined and promote human rights.  

NEED AND IMPORTANCE OF HRE 

 • Human rights education is an important strategy for protecting and achieving human rights. 

• It is essential for the promotion and achievement of stable and harmonious relations among communities and for fostering natural understanding, tolerance and peace. 

• HRE is needed to develop an understanding of everybody’s common responsibility to make human rights a reality in each community and in the society at large.

 • It contributes to the promotion of equality and sustainable development and the enhancement of people’s participation in decision making process within democratic system.

 • Human rights can only be achieved through an informed and continued demand by people for their own protection.

 • Human rights education promotes values, beliefs and attitudes that encourage all individuals to uphold their own rights and those of others.

 • It develops an understanding of everyone’s common responsibility to make human rights a reality in each community.

 • HRE is needed for the long term prevention of human rights abuses and represents an important investment in the endeavor to achieve a just society in which all human rights of all people are valued and respected.

 PROGRAMMES FOR PROMOTTING HUMAN RIGHT EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS 

  The observance of Human Rights Day and United Nations Day.

  Protection and dissemination of information and reference materials.

  Workshops, Seminars and training courses

.  Special Human Right observance. 

 Conducting and delivering speech on Human Right issues.

  Organizing a school parliament, debates, exhibitions, symposiums and essay and poster competition on Human Rights.

PEDAGOGICAL TECHNIQUES FOR PROMOTTING HRE IN SCHOOLS

 1) BRAIN STORMING: This technique can be used to seek solutions to problems that are both theoretical and practical .It generates a wide variety of creative ideas concerning a problem in a short period of time.

 2) CASE STUDIES: Students in small work with real or fictional cases that require them to apply human right standers. 

3) CREATIVE EXPRESSION: The arts can help to make concepts more concrete, personalize abstractions and affect attitudes by involving emotional as well as intellectual response to human rights.

 4) COMMUNITY VISITS: It provides direct experience from the society.

 5) INTERVIEW: It provides direct learning and personalizes issues and history.

 7) RESEARCH PROJECTS: It develops the skills for independent thinking and data analysis and deepens understanding of the complexity of human right issues. 

8) ROLE PLAYS: A role play is like a little dame played out before the class. It has particular value for sensitizing students to the feelings and perspectives of other groups and to the importance of certain issues. 

9) USING VISUAL AIDS: Learning has been enhanced by the use of visual aids like flip chart, posters, posters, photographs etc.

 ROLE OF TEACHER IN HRE 

 Teaching Human Rights requires student involvement and participation. Teacher can act as a stimulator and facilitator. The teacher can use the following ways to create awareness, respect and positive attitude towards human rights.

  Organize classroom and classroom strategies. So that all students can practice and experience human rights behaviors as well as talk about them without hesitation.

  Involve all students in making a set of classroom rules and responsibilities as an effective way to start teaching for human rights.

  Respect all opinions. 

 Avoid put downs.

  Use conflict situations and provide opportunities for talking about human right issues.

  Engage students in discussing and role playing moral conflicts and human right issues.

  Arrange action-oriented activities rather than talk-oriented activities for human right teaching.

  Use more group activities.

  Involve parents and community in a few classroom activities.

  Seek the support of the principal in setting the climate. 

 Uses of Human Rights Education in 21st Century 

⇨. As a strategy for development. 

⇨. As an empowerment. 

⇨.As a way of changes for women’s rights. 

⇨.As a legal prospective and for law enforcement. 

CONCLUSION 

The spread of human right education helps the society to overcome the traditional inequalities of caste, class and gender. It assures every child a quality education that respects and promotes his/her rights to dignity and optimum development. The teacher should be able to arouse the interest of the learners by linking happenings around the globe concept of human right and should the focus attention of the learners on the cause and remedies in the existing system. Human right education is not an end in itself, but rather the means of ending violations of human rights and building a culture of peace based on democracy, tolerance and human respect.

 REFERENCE  

• Peter, (2013) Human Right Education: Implications for Schools and Teachers, In Mini (Ed.), Positive School in Teacher Education; Proceedings of UGC Sponsored National Seminar.

 • Arjunan, A.K.(2009).Philosophical and Sociological Bases of Education; Yuga Publications

. • Goel Aruna and Goel,S.L.(2005).Human values and Education; Deep and Deep Publications Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi ***********************************

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