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The Work of the National HumanRights Commission of Thailandon Human Rights Educationin Thai Schools
Valai na Pombejr

The National Human Rights Commission of Thailand was established in 2001
under the 1997 Constitution with a broad mandate to promote and protect
human rights guaranteed by the Constitution, domestic legislation and international
human rights treaties to which Thailand is a party. The National Human Rights
Commission started its work in July 2001 under the National Human Rights Actof 1999. One of its mandates according to Section 15 of the Act is “to promoteeducation, researches and the dissemination of knowledge on human rights.” In its
six-year Strategic Plan for 2002-2007, the National Human Rights Commissionof Thailand emphasized, among others, the campaign for human rights educationand the establishment of a social learning process as a means to raise awareness andconscience of human dignity. It is evident that since the beginning the National
Human Rights Commission of Thailand has placed importance to human rights
education that has become one of the five focus areas (Children, youth and family;
Law and justice system; Social Policy; Natural resource base and the communityrights; and Human Rights Education) in the Commission’s Strategic Plan.1
Human rights education activities have been
carried out since 2002 by two Sub-commissions
appointed by the Commission:• Sub-commission on Education and Development which focuses mainly on the rights
to education and the life-long learning process, and•		Sub-commission on Human Rights Education which focuses on integration of humanrights learning / teaching into education

system, schools, teachers education andprofessional activities.

The Sub-commission on Human rights
Education
From the outset, the Sub-commission on
Human Rights Education examined the National Education Act of 1999 as well as the basic27

28  HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLS

education curriculum of 2001 with a view tointegrating human rights into the curriculum
and the learning process. Chapter 1 of the National Education Act states that

Education shall aim at the full development of
the Thai people in all aspects: physical and mental
health; intellect; knowledge; morality; integrity;and desirable way of life so as to be able to livein harmony with other people” and that “thelearning process shall aim at inculcating soundawareness of politics and democratic system ofgovernment under a constitutional monarchy;
ability to protect and promote their rights,responsibilities, freedom, respect for the ruleof law, equality and human dignity; pridein Thai identity; ability to protect public andnational interests; promotion of religion, art, national culture, sports, local wisdom, Thai wisdom
and universal knowledge; inculcating ability topreserve natural resources and the environment;
ability to earn a living; self-reliance; creativity;
and acquiring thirst for knowledge and capacityof self-learning on a continuous basis. (emphasismine)

Chapter 2 of the National Education Act
focuses on Educational Rights and Opportunities:

In the provision of education, all individuals shallhave equal rights and opportunities to receive
basic education provided by the State for theduration of at least 12 years. Such education,
provided on nationwide basis, shall be of quality
and free of charge. Persons with physical, mental,intellectual, emotional, social, communication,and learning deficiencies; those with physicaldisabilities; or the cripples; or those unable tosupport themselves; or those destitute or disadvantaged; shall have the rights and opportunities
to receive basic education specially provided.

The Sub-commission on Human Rights
Education found that the basic education curriculum had been formulated to ensure consistency with the National Education Act. Its
objectives are the following:

1. Possessing good moral, ethical and desirable
values; being able to work and live peacefully in the Thai society and in the globalsociety
2. Being healthy, exhibit good personality, appreciating beauty
3. Possessing thinking and problem solving
ability, leadership characteristic, and goodvision
4. Mastering necessary knowledge and skills,
being eager to learn throughout one’s life
5. Being proud of the Thai identity, and being good citizens in a democratic systemwith the Monarch as the Supreme Head ofState
6. Being ready to co-operate creatively in developing one’s society and in serving theenvironment, being able to compete fairly
in the global society.
The Sub-commission on Human Rights
Education also found that a new dimension ofvalues education had emerged. Both National
Education Act and the new basic education
curriculum have called for the development ofindividuals who are able to live happily withothers, who protect and promote humandignity and rights and who protect and preserve natural resources and the environment.
It is also evident that the new Act and thenew basic education curriculum provide forthe possibility of fostering such core values as
peace, happiness, harmony, tolerance, humanrights, international understanding as impliedon the concept of living together in peace andharmony, and in particular, the concept of human rights education declared by the United
Nations Decade for Human Rights Education(1995-2004) and insisted by the First Phaseof the World Programme for Human Rights
Education (2005-2009).
According to the National Education Act,basic education means education provided fortwelve years after early childhood education andbefore higher education. These twelve years aredivided into six years of primary level and an-Human Rights Education in Schools - Thailand  29other six years of secondary level. The development of the basic education curriculum is basedon the thinking that the provision of educationis meant to develop human beings to serve thesociety and to keep up with social changes.
Learners are trained in self-development, careerdevelopment and social development.
Learning contents at the basic education(both primary and secondary levels) are divided
into eight groups of subjects namely,
1. Thai language
2. Mathematics
3. Sciences
4. Social Studies, Religion and Culture
5. Health and Physical Education
6. Art
7. Career Education and Technology
8. Foreign Languages.
Values education had been introduced as anintegral part of the basic education curriculum
even though the curriculum objectives and principles do not clearly specify promotion of values
education as such. Ethical and moral values aswell as those related to peace and harmony are
stressed and embedded in the teaching/learningof the above mentioned subject groups. They areparticularly evident in social studies groups.
After considering ways and means to integrate human rights into the school curriculum,
the Sub-commission on Human Rights Education decided that human rights as core value,
as well as its related values such as equality,
freedom and justice, could be transmitted inschools and classroom through:
1.		The teaching / learning of subjects designed
to deal with core moral and ethical contents
2.		The teaching / learning of subject groups
such as Social Studies, Languages’ Science,etc.
3.		Extra–curricular activities held by theschools.
An active child-centered approach would
serve to enhance the teaching/learning of hu-man rights and their related values. The teacher
could serve as facilitator of learning process
in the classroom where such values are beingconveyed.
Convinced that teachers could play an important role in transmitting human rights value
in the classroom, the Sub-commission on Human Rights decided to focus its work on teacher
training and developing instructional materials
for teachers.

Teacher Training
In Thailand, teacher training / education isoffered in the thirty-six Rajabhat Universities
under the Ministry of Education, as well as in
the Department of Education in most publicuniversities. The Sub-commission on HumanRights Education decided then to approach theRajabhat Universities. Together, they organizedworkshops to review the existing curriculumwith the view to integrating human rights
value into the curriculum. They also organizedtraining to improve knowledge, skills and understanding of the human rights concept andvalue.
In spite of clear intentions of incorporating
human rights education into Rajabhat Universities, certain problems have been identified.
There were not enough people with experiencein the field of human rights to assist all the thirty-six Rajabhat Universities. A one-week training course is certainly not adequate to produce
a trainer or facilitator in human rights. Thereis indeed a need for ongoing training to be organized by the universities themselves. Anotherproblem identified is the lack of instructional
materials for both teachers and students. The
Sub-commission on Human Rights Education
has, nevertheless, continued to work with theRajabhat Universities in the promotion of human rights education.
At the same time, the Sub-commission on
Human Rights Education started to review theexisting curriculum models, modules or mate-30  HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLS

rials used in promoting human rights value atall levels of education; formal, non-formal, as
well as informal. The result of which encouraged the Sub-commission on Human Rights
Education to organize training workshops forschool directors/principals, teachers, administrators both in formal and non-formal education
systems. Within four years, from 2004 to 2007,
more than one thousand six hundred personnel
from primary and secondary schools, technicaland vocational schools as well as non-formal
education personnel were invited to participate
in some fifty training workshops on humanrights organized by the Sub-commission on
Human Rights Education in fifty provincesin every region of the country, namely North,
North-east, East, South and Central parts ofThailand, including the conflicted areas in thethree southern provinces.
It should be mentioned here that alongside the training workshops organized by theSub-commission on Human Rights Education,
there exist similar training courses organizedby the Catholic Commission for Justice andPeace, Thailand (mostly for teachers from private schools); and by Amnesty International,
Thailand (for teacher, non-formal education
personnel and community leaders). Certain
teachers who are interested in learning about
and understanding human rights are willingto participate in the three training workshops/
courses organized by the three different organizations. Reports show that from 1999 to 2008
the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peacehas organized training courses for two thousand
eleven teachers from seventy schools. WhileAmnesty International covers eighty teachers
and non-formal education personnel from fifty
schools and non-formal education centers.
Would the trained personnel and teachers goback to their respective schools and classrooms
and help the children to learn about their rights(the Rights of the Child being in the primaryschool curriculum)? Would they raise student
awareness of some international instruments
designed to ensure protection and realizationof human rights? Would they deepen student
understanding about the values required toachieve respect for human dignity and rights,
and integrate these values into their learning,
their daily actions and behaviors? These arequestions that need to be considered and followed up.
Follow up activities have been carried out
and the reports of which are positive. A number of schools particularly in the North andNorth-eastern parts of the country have formed
a network of schools for human rights education
with the aim of assisting each other to integrate
human rights value into the learning process andschool activities. Some schools in Bangkok haveorganized regular meetings for their students toexchange their understanding about the rightsof the child.

Student CampConvinced that teachers are well aware ofhuman rights concept and value, and are prepared to assist their students, the Sub-commission on Human Rights Education decided tolaunch student camps for human rights protection volunteers. The first one was organized in
Surin, a province in North-east where students
from fourteen schools in the region participatedactively. The student camp was a success and anetwork was created to promote human rights
learning and protection among students fromvarious schools within the region. The Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace and theAmnesty International-Thailand organized more
student camps, in addition to those organizedby the Sub-commission on Human Rights. It
should be noted here that both the Catholic
Commission for Justice and Peace and Amnesty
International-Thailand have been asked by theCommission to collaborate with its Sub-commission on Human Rights Education.
It is evident that a successful student campdepends on the commitment of the teachers
both during and after the camp, in particularHuman Rights Education in Schools - Thailand  31

their willingness and sustained effort to continue the learning process and undertake follow-up activities.

Teaching / Learning Materials andResources
All education personnel (teachers, schooldirectors, school managers, teacher educators)
need to have adequate teaching materials andresources at their disposal. However, as mentioned above, there was a lack of materials andresources on human rights in Thai language
intended for use by teachers at primary andsecondary school levels. In this connection, it isnecessary to produce teaching/learning materials, resources, including education technologies
and modern communication tools to be usedby all education personnel engaged in humanrights education. The Sub-commission on Human Rights Education has, since the beginning,endeavored to produce, reproduce and translatevarious teaching/learning materials, among
which is the translation and publication of “Human Rights Lesson Plans for Southeast AsianSchools” prepared and published by Asia-Pacific
Human Rights Information Center. This publication, in Thai version, has been distributed
vastly among school teachers and education
personnel throughout the country. It has, in fact,
guided them to approach human rights and assisted them to prepare their own lesson plans. Ineach training workshop or training course, threeto four hours are allocated for the preparationof lesson plans and most of the teachers findthis activity very useful. At the moment there
are more than a hundred lesson plans preparedby teachers during the training courses, which
cover learning contents of all the eight groupsof subjects in the primary and secondary schoollevels. However, there is much more to be done
and the Sub-commission on Human Rights
Education should seek more cooperation with
United Nations agencies as well as human rights
non-governmental organizations.

Conclusion
The National Human Rights Commission,
through its Sub-commission on Human Rights
Education, has achieved its aim of promoting
human rights education in primary and secondary school systems through education andprofessional development of teachers and otherpersonnel, providing them with the necessary
knowledge, understanding, skills and competencies to facilitate the learning and practice of human rights in schools and classrooms. Throughits initiatives and endeavor, the Sub-commission
on Human Rights Education had also been able
to support networking and cooperation among
local schools and students. However, there is
still much to be done, in order to reach everyschool. The Ministry of Education, which has
the main responsibility for primary and secondary school systems at national level, should be
main leader and actor. But it seems that humanrights education is not yet its priority.

Endnote1
See full text of the Strategic Plan in the websiteof the Commission: www.nhrc.or.th/menu_content.
php?doc_id=173