2 March 2011 - 12 April 2011

This short certificate e-learning course offered by HREA and the Right to Education Project provides human rights, development and education advocates with concepts, skills, and tools to deepen their knowledge and strategise their work on the right to education. The course will look at the theoretical foundations of the right to education, how to apply them in order to identify stakeholders, obligations and violations, and what strategies may be used to promote and realise the right. The course will apply a human rights advocacy methodology whereby participants learn to work at the level of: substance (being aware of the content and meaning of the right in order to identify violations); structure (identifying duty-bearers and using legal instruments so to encourage accountability); society (identifying actions and behavioural/value changes in order to enhance participation of rights-holders).

Participants will deepen their knowledge by learning about international, regional and national standards related to the right to education; what they mean in practical terms (making education available, accessible, acceptable and adaptable); how they apply to different stakeholders. Participants will also gain skills and knowledge in identifying obligations for states, the international community and non-state actors; recognising violations of the right to education.

Course outline

Week 1: Understanding the right to education (I)
Week 2: Understanding the right to education (II): legal obligations vs. political commitments
Week 3: Identifying obligations (immediate vs. progressive realisation; respect, protect, fulfil; states, international community, non-state actors)
Week 4: Identifying violations (issues: fees, compulsory nature, teachers training; groups: women and girls, minorities, emergencies, extremely poor)
Week 5: Monitoring the right to education (existing monitoring mechanisms; law and policy assessment; budget analysis; indicators)
Week 6: Developing strategies for the realisation of the right to education (judicial review and strategic litigation; lobbying and mobilisation of independent experts and bodies; community-based educational and awareness-raising activities)

Level: professional , post-graduate graduate

Location: Internet (e-learning course)

Participants: human rights, development and education advocates who work on the right to education. Candidates should have a good written command of English and have high competence and comfort with computer and Internet use.

Tuition, fee, lodging: The course tuition fee is US$ 435 (tuition for auditors is US$ 165). There are no discounted tuition rates or scholarships available for this course. Further information and application form can be found at: www.hrea.org/right-to-education. Participants will be accepted on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Contact Information:
Sandra Quintin
Distance Learning Programme
HREA
689 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139-3302
USA
Tel: +1 617 301-4379
Fax: +1 617 249-0278
E-mail: applications@hrea.org
Web: http://www.hrea.org