[hre-asiapacific] Re: Goals and objectives of HRE

Dear colleagues,

Thanks so much for this interesting discussion. Regarding the moderator's
challenge to look at goals and objectives, I should like to ask whether
educators can map out the 'common core' of skills, values, objectives and
concepts that are found in the education initiatives labelled (according
to the priority concerns in a given setting) peace education, human rights
education, tolerance education, citizenship education, life skills
education etc.  -'Life skills' is a term often used in connection with
learning assertiveness and refusal skills in relation to substance abuse
and unwanted or unprotected sex/HIV-AIDS education (vital aspects of HRE
-and survival- for adolescents).  All of these have a common core of
skills such as better communication, understanding human similarities and
valuing differences, avoiding prejudice and bias, cooperative and creative
problem solving, assertiveness/refusal skills, negotiation, mediation etc,
linked to values/attitudes such as empathy, peace, justice etc. To be
effective they must be practised through role plays etc in 'application'
to issues relevant to the students, including anti-bullying, gender-based
and sexual violence, peer pressures, as well as conflict resolution,
tolerance, building of civil society and support for democratic
institutions, etc.

This common core requires a pedagogically founded 'cyclic' curriculum
framework from pre-school (if any) through to upper secondary, as well as
non-formal, higher education and teacher training workshops.

So I would take the question posed by the moderator today about what is
'special' to human rights education to mean the following: what special
concepts and knowledge, skills and values beyond the common core mentioned
above are needed to ensure that students become empowered to act in favour
of human rights, at levels from home to globally, and with involvement
from passive supporter/voter to activist, according to their
circumstances?

The question could also mean, what is 'special' about the whole complex of
peace, human rights, citizenship/life skills education, as compared to
ordinary school subjects.

The most important thing is to get this group of themes into the
curriculum in a recognised way, preferably with a separate subject or
thematic title, - rather than having the different strands competing for
scarce curriculum time slots. (See www.ineesite.org, under 'Key Resources
- Learning to Live Together', for my fuller statement of this argument.)

HRE and the other themes should focus in the education of all children,
and motivational (and politically acceptable) titles should be used,
selected by educators in the country concerned, in consultation with
student/youth representatives.

Best wishes for the discussion.

Margaret Sinclair
(UNHCR/UNESCO, retired)



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