

31

Human Rights Education in Schools:
The Experience of the Centre for the
Study of Human Rights
Ravindra FernandoSri Lanka is an island, 25,000 square miles in extent, situated in the Indian
Ocean of the South Asian region. The present population of Sri Lanka isapproximately twenty million, and is multireligious and multicultural.
tered into a ceasefire agreement. This agreement
resulted in a “no peace, no war” situation fora few years. However, the LTTE subsequently
attacked government forces personnel and otherpolitical opponents leading to the failure of thepeace building efforts. Both the government
and the LTTE continued to accuse each otherof actions detrimental to peace building.
A tragedy in another form occurred in Sri
Lanka in December 2004. A tsunami hit theNorthern, Eastern and the Southern coastlines,
resulting in the death of approximately 35,000
people and displacement of over 480,000 others. Furthermore, the damage caused to thecoastline was enormous.

The people of Sri Lanka had faced many
challenges. The country was under colonial rule
for almost 450 years. It finally gained independence from the British colonial rulers in 1948.
In the early 1970s and early 1980s, political
upheavals came about due to lack of confidenceby the people in the political system. In 1977, amajor change took place with the introductionof an open economic system.
Human rights violations occurred in the
1970s as a result of the 1971 uprising of youth
in southern Sri Lanka against the government,
mainly due to unemployment and the inability to secure employment that matched their
qualification. Even worse situations occurredin 1988 and 1989 with killings and abductions
by unidentified gunmen, as well as looting anddamage to public and private properties.
In 1983, the killing of thirteen soldiers in
the North by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam (LTTE) led to a backlash by the Sinhalese in certain parts of the country, resulting in
ethnic riots known as “Black July.” Since thenthe conflicts continued in the North and East
between the LTTE terrorists and the government military personnel.
In 2002, with mediators facilitating the entire process, the government and the LTTE en-

Establishment of a human rights centerWith the conflict situation of the 1970s and1980s, the need arose for the establishmentof an organization that would educate peopleon human rights and the remedies for theirviolation. In 1991, the Centre for the Study of
Human Rights (CSHR) was established within
the environs of one of the oldest higher education institutions of the country, the Universityof Colombo.
3132  HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLS

CSHR aims to become “a centre of excellence in human rights education and researchthat contributes significantly to the creationof a human rights consciousness in the nation
resulting in respect for the human rights of all.”Its overall vision is “to create a nation with arights consciousness in which the dignity andrights of all people are respected.” Its specificmission is to become “a centre of excellence forhuman rights education and research using a
multidisciplinary approach.”
CSHR intends to mainstream a gender andethnic balance in all its programs. Furthermore,
it sees the need to conduct programs in bothSinhala and Tamil mediums according to therequirements of the target groups.

Main programs
CSHR delivers numerous services as aleading human rights educator at national,
provincial, district, divisional, and community
levels in the country. The main programs focus
on the following areas:• Human Rights Education• Human Rights Research• Human Rights Capacity Building• Human Rights Knowledge Services• Institutional Development.
The objective of the human rights education program is to enhance understanding
about the multidimensional nature of humanrights through formal educational programs.
Specialized Diploma and Certificate courses
have also been conducted using multiculturaland multidisciplinary approaches and dynamic
teaching methods that incorporate traditionaland non-traditional means of assessment.
CSHR also plays an advisory role in developing human rights education curriculums andpolicies. In addition, it develops manuals andother literatures on human rights.
The second main area of CSHR is humanrights research. CSHR conducts research byconsidering the emerging trends and knowledge gaps in human rights and by identifying
potential and imminent human rights issues in
Sri Lanka.
Human rights capacity building, the third
main area of CSHR, has the objective of empowering State actors, the members of the civilsociety and the community, at provincial, national, regional and international levels throughthe strengthening of their capacity throughenhanced knowledge and skills relating to human rights. To heighten the awareness among
the State actors of their responsibilities in relation to human rights, CSHR conducts training
seminars, workshops, and awareness programsfor the following target groups:
State actors:•	Education Sectoro	School level: Pre- Service Teachers andMaster Teacherso	University level: Academic and Nonacademic Staff•	Law Enforcement Sector: Police Officers,
Prison Officers, Members of the Armed
Forces• Public Administration Sector: Officers from
Divisional Secretaries to Grama Niladaris(village-level government officers who may
be in charge of one or more villages).
To enhance the skills of the civil society andvulnerable groups working in the field of humanrights, CSHR carries out training programs,
field visits/activities, and awareness programs
for following target groups:•	Student Population: School Children, University Students• Plantation Population: Community Leaders,
Welfare Officers• Rural Population: Community Leaders•	Vulnerable/Marginalized Population: Differently–abled People, Prison Inmates• Media Personnel and General Public.
In addition, CSHR conducts programs toHRE in Schools: The Experience of the Centre for the Study of Human Rights  33

recognize and reward contributors and achieversin the field of human rights.

Human rights education in schools
Primary and secondary education (Grades
1 to 13) in Sri Lanka, which is entirely the
responsibility of the State, is free. There area small number of schools run by the private
sector. There are three kinds of schools: Boys
Schools, Girls Schools and Mixed Schools.
According to the latest Central Bank Report(2006), of the 10,455 schools, the total numberof State schools is 9,709. Of the 4,104,000student population, nearly 600,000 students
are in the General Certificate of Education(Ordinary Level and Advanced Level) classes.
In 2006, 118,770 students were successful at
the Advanced Level Examination and qualified
for university admission. However, only 16,622
or 14% were able to enter universities, as thenumber of available places was limited.
CSHR plays a vital role in human rights
education relating to the schools in the country
through 1) An advisory role, and 2) Capacity-building of students, Master Teachers andPre-service Teachers.

Advisory role
CSHR is recognized by certain institutionsof the government, as a partner in human rights
education, primarily because of its affiliation
to the prestigious University of Colombo. The
National Institute of Education (NIE), therefore, requests input from the CSHR about theincorporation of human rights concepts into
the school curriculum, and the preparation ofteacher guides.
Human rights components have alreadybeen incorporated into the syllabus of Civic
Education for Grades 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11. Furthermore, human rights components have also
been incorporated into the teacher guides for
Grades 8 and 9. At present, CSHR is collaborat-

ing with NIE and lecturers in the Faculties of
Law and Arts in the University of Colombo in
preparing supplementary reading material for
Grades 10 and 11 students.
CSHR was also instrumental in including
human rights as an Optional Subject in the
Advanced Level (A/L) syllabus in the secondary school curriculum, together with the NIE.
Since teachers need training to be able to assist
students taking the human rights subject at the
A/L, there is a need to strengthen their capacity
in human rights education. Therefore, CSHR
trained 2,000 school teachers islandwide tomeet the needs of secondary school students.

Capacity-building
In terms of capacity building, CSHR attempts to empower and strengthen the capacityof students, Pre-service Teachers and Master
Teachers by enhancing knowledge and skills
relating to human rights. Furthermore, CSHR
attempts to empower students on protection
and promotion of human rights. CSHR plans
to provide human rights training to Master
Teachers who will in turn train the school teachers who teach Civic Education. In addition,
CSHR trains Pre-service Teachers (Teacher
Trainees) on various aspects of human rights.
This group consists of those who are being
trained as teachers over a three-year period in
the National Colleges of Education (NCOEs).
This group is also an indirect target group. The
capacity-building activities thus target:
1. Master Teachers
2. Pre-service Teachers
3.	Students.
Capacity Building of Master Teachers:
As mentioned earlier, CSHR helps incorporate human rights into the Civic Education
subject. As part of its advisory role, it plans totrain Master Teachers who train and supervise
teachers on Civic Education with the assistanceof the NIE.

34  HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLS

Capacity Building of Pre-service Teachers(Teacher Trainees):
Pre-service Teachers are trained over a threeday period on the main aspects of human rights.
From this group of Teacher Trainees, somewill become teachers of Civic Education in theschools. This group is trained on how to teachhuman rights to the students.
The following are the objectives of the human rights education program conducted forPre-service Teachers:• To educate teacher trainees on the subject ofhuman rights and the importance of forming
correct values and attitudes among students
with respect to human rights• To make teacher trainees become aware of
the human rights environment around themand in the country• To develop skills among teacher trainees thatare necessary to guide students in selecting
and implementing project work in humanrights• To create partnerships with communities• To work in collaboration with other stakeholders on common projects.
Since Pre-service Teachers are new in the
education field, and have just successfully completed the Advanced Level Examination, it iseasier to develop human rights and child rights
values in their minds for positive change in behavior, as well as in the behavior of secondary
school students with whom they will interact
once they complete their pre-service training.
Through this project, a three-day training
program on human rights is conducted toTeacher Trainees who are in the first year at the
NCOEs. One hundred to two hundred students
are given the opportunity to participate in the
training program. The Teacher Trainees are divided into groups during the three-day training.
They conduct field visits, and submit field visit
reports to the CSHR.
Although this target group is not directly
engaged in educating students in schools until

their internship (which is in the third year in
the college), this training is expected to reflect a
positive change in their behavior and attitudes,
which will in turn have an effect on students inprotecting and promoting human rights.
Capacity-building of Students:
CSHR implements the School Program,which aims at building the capacity of students
on human rights.
The objectives of the School Program are
as follows:• To create an awareness of the rights and duties among students regarding the different
dimensions of human rights• To expose students to social realities and to
the different dimensions of human rights• To develop lifeskills related to both rights
and duties among students• To develop skills on creating linkages withinstitutions and organizations involved inhuman rights to enable them to assist in theprotection of human rights.

Implementation of the School Program
Initially, in 1994, the School Program covered twenty-five schools in six provinces of thecountry. It is presently being implemented inseventy-eight schools in nine provinces including the North and East, and therefore, covers
the entire country.
Year

Number of
Schools

Number ofStudents

1994/1995

25

625

2005/2006

78

11,700The schools are selected by the officials of
the Provincial Education Ministries, based asmuch as possible on the criteria provided by
the CSHR:• Mixed schools

HRE in Schools: The Experience of the Centre for the Study of Human Rights  35

•	Similar number of boys and girls’ schools•	Senior secondary schools.
The program is implemented through the
School Centers and their Coordinators inschools islandwide, where five human rights
activities are conducted (on the average) in eachschool the whole year round. An organizationof students called Manavayo Api (We are Human Beings) Circle is established in each of theselected schools and seventy to one hundred
students are enrolled.
The program has the following objectives:• To provide students the opportunity toanalyze through hands-on experience theviolation as well as protection of humanrights in society• To facilitate their learning of human rights
and human rights laws through various
activities• To provide opportunities for them to realize
through first-hand experience social injustices and social indignity that result froma lack of respect for or disregard of humanrights• To facilitate their realization that humanrights are not only a means of gaining one’s
rights but also an instrument for correcting
social behavior• To provide them opportunities to develop
various skills related to education (throughwriting, giving speech, enhancing creativity,
art work, field observation, data collection,
analysis and drawing conclusions)• To provide them a suitable environment
for sharing experiences, which promotepersonality development through enhancement of essential qualities such as
leadership, acceptance of challenges, selfdiscipline, determination, commitment,
and patience.
Accordingly, CSHR developed course materials under the following themes:• Human Rights and Dignity• Responsibilities and Duties of Students• Child Rights and Duties•	Women’s Rights and Duties• How to Protect the Environment• Fundamental Rights and Duties.
CSHR cautiously develops the materials,
selecting issues that are closer to life, directly
connected to natural and visual environment,
and social relationships that are easy to observe,
convenient to collect, analyze and arrive atconclusions.
The students of the Manavayo Api Circle
carry out the activities during the year, using athree-stage process.
Step I
Trained school teachers or resource person ora lawyer enable students to acquire knowledge
on human rights and its local and international
legal framework.
For field-related activities, students visit thepolice station, State hospital, and the Divisional
Secretariat and other government organizations.
They also visit shops, factories, children’s andelders’ homes, slums, farms and places with environmental pollution problems. The following
persons assist in the field visits:• Teachers of the school• Former students (graduates) of theschool• Parents• Officials of the Provincial Ministry of
Education.
Step IIIn this stage students are divided into several
groups and brought to the field. Activities aredesigned under one theme with corresponding
sub-themes. The teachersa.	Select a suitable site for an appropriate
field activity under each themeb.	Design the educational process in accordance with the proposed activityc.	Decide on the person or group of persons
to be interviewed.

36  HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLS

Step IIIIn this stage the students analyze the collected data by:a.	Determining whether human rights havebeen protected or violated
b. Identifying the reasons and persons responsible for the violations
c. Thinking of ways to prevent violations
d.	Developing recommendations on how
to improve the human rights situation.
The program has the following activities,
which comprise the main mediums to communicate to other students the findings of the
field visits:a.	Writing essays or articles
b. Making speeches at the school assemblyor school societyc. Producing short plays/role plays for theschool concert
d. Recreating incidents relating to humanrights through art
f. Reproducing experiences through songs,
poems, or short stories.
The above, being extra-curricular activities,
are undertaken after school hours, on holidays,or during the end-of-term holidays.

Identified beneficiaries
The program is directly aimed at students
who are in the General Certificate of Education(GCE) Ordinary Level, the GCE Advanced
Level, and students in Grades 7, 8, and 9. The
latter group is provided with activities such as
drama, song, art, and essay competitions. The
program aims to improve knowledge, skills andattitudes of students on human rights. Thesestudents are primarily selected in view of theirpotential as future leaders of the country, whowill become the core citizens of the 21st century
Sri Lanka, and thus should be exposed to thedifferent dimensions of human rights.
With regard to implementation of ‘Human

Rights Awareness in Schools’, the four-day
Training of Trainer Program is conducted for
Coordinators and Assistant Coordinators of
new School Centers. At the end of the training,each school prepares the plans to be carried out
during the year.
Through school visits, CSHR staff members
monitor and supervise the progress of the program and guide the teachers on any issues thatthey may face. Reports sent by the schools to
CSHR comprise another method of monitoring
the progress of the program.
The School Centers keep, in a place designated for the program and accessible to students,
the resource materials provided by CSHR. In addition, schools store many of the materials developed by students under the program, which arevaluable records of the human rights education
program and consist mainly of the following:• Field notebooks of students•	Group reports• Other reports in the form of artwork (paintings, sculptures) and songs.
The Coordinators and Assistant Coordinators of School Centers participate in a two-day,end-of-the year review workshop, which provides the opportunity to share experiences anddiscuss issues. Also, the human rights knowledge of the Coordinators is updated during
the review workshop as they become aware ofcurrent human rights concerns.
The beneficiaries of this program, therefore, are the entire student body of the school,
the Coordinators and Assistant Coordinatorsof the program, the parents and other guests
who participate in program activities such ascommemoration of Human Rights Day orChildren’s Day.

Practical Training Manual on Human
Rights and Manavayo Api
A practical training manual on human rights
and other teaching materials supplement theHRE in Schools: The Experience of the Centre for the Study of Human Rights  37

program. These teaching materials are useful
resources for teachers in guiding the students.
The book Manavayo Api (We are Human Beings) that is also distributed to School Centerscomprises of articles written by students.
The following extract from Manavayo Api
Magazine prepared by the students provides anexample of their human rights awareness.
Street Children
In a society full of inhumane people who willassure a safe life for street children? The street
is their only hope, only way of living and only
survival. These streets are full of children whoseparents are no longer with them. And not only
this, streets also accommodate children who
have been abandoned by their own mothers andfathers.
Happiness or love means only a dream that would
never become true. It takes a lot of effort for thesechildren to have their daily bread that would cost
their precious time begging for a single rupee.
The scruffy clothes reflect the innocence of theirchildhood.
Rain and a sunny day are their best friends. These
daily changes help them enjoy their childhood justas they wish, because neither rain nor a sunnyday would force them like ruthless humans to do
things they dislike doing. It is when these children
try to get a good night’s sleep in the streets thatthe so-called rich enjoy their nights wasting heapsof food. While [street children have to] join hands
to ease their burden, the rich and wealthy enjoy
their nights even more.
Mother Theresa was a generous nun who tried
her best to take children off the streets. She was amother to children without parents, a doctor to allsick and wounded, and a guardian of the lost.
Since these children are deprived of their right to
go to school, the wealthy businessmen use themto earn money for themselves. The street is nottheir destiny; these children were not born tobecome beggars or slaves but deserve a better life
higher than streets, safer than streets.
We all in this society should be equally responsible
for this crime, because we never try to understandthe value of childhood. We never think it is theirright to be free from street life. And it is clearlya violation of human rights. There are only a few
who would act to eradicate this gross violation.
Today we need to act or else the repercussions
would be unbearable in society. Child labour
and the ongoing war create more and more
problems. Who will guide them across? We allmust join hands and build the bridge so that they
will cross over to a better life and enjoy rights as
you and I.
GD Theohari Kumara, Year 9 B,
from a school in Kuliyapitiya,
North Western Province

Review program for students
The CSHR has conducted province-based
Review Programs for Students of School Centers. These programs provide students the opportunity to refresh and update their knowledge
on human rights in a participatory manner.
With group activities, they discuss the humanrights issues they experienced and share such
experiences with their colleagues from other
School Centers.

Problems Encountered
One of the problems faced by School Coordinators is the non-availability of students who
use almost entire evenings to private tuition,
due to the competitive nature of the secondary
education system. This is one of the hindrances
to the program. The students, on other hand,
have the problem of limited opportunity for university education, due to the very small number38  HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLS

of students being admitted to the universities
annually as mentioned before.

Feedback and evaluation
The CSHR evaluates the program as part ofits implementation scheme. In consideration of
the nature of the program as an extra-curricular
activity, the evaluation criteria used to gauge theachievement of program goals are necessarily
different from those used to evaluate the formal
school curriculum. Three types of methodology
are adopted for this purpose:
1. Annual reports from schools requested by the
CSHR after the completion of activities ineach year. These reports are presented in theform of small booklets, written in a mannerthat anyone can understand. The information consists of three main areas:•	Success or failure of methodologies adopted for field activities• Adequacy and relevance of data collected
for the activities•	Efficiency/inefficiency of the participants
and School Coordinators based on theirperformances.
2.	School-visit reports from the CSHR staff
members which•	Gauge the interest and commitment of
School Coordinators•	Discern the attitudes of the members of
the student groups, other students in theschool, staff and parents in relation to theprogram• Identify the basic principles that should
be observed when making modifications
on the program.
3. Review meetings held by the CSHR with
the School Coordinators for them to havethe opportunity to express their ideas aswell as discuss issues more freely and voluntarily than in the reports. These meetings areusually in the form of seminars, which areattended by the CSHR staff and Coordina-tors of all School Centers. These Review
Meetings are significant to the program inseveral ways:• The Coordinators and Assistant Coordinators of all School Centers are provided
the opportunity to meet each other andshare experiences in working on similar
themes but in different social and economic contexts.
• Trainers are given the opportunity tolearn ways to assess the level of theirachievement by analyzing the results
obtained, and by adopting different assessment methodologies for similar kindsof activities.
• The Coordinators honestly reveal
the problems and obstacles they face.
This openness results from the feelingof strength when in the company ofpeople with equal responsibilities andaims. They make requests to the CSHR
on their needs in the School Centers,
which the CSHR has not been able tomeet. The most common problem is the
CSHR’s inability to provide adequate
funds to meet the expenses of field activities. A Coordinator is paid a sum of two
thousand Rupees per year (equivalent
to twenty US dollars), a very nominal
amount.
Considering the different methods used
to evaluate the program, it can be said that
the CSHR sufficiently monitors the School
Program.
The program is also evaluated through the
feedback received from the students, teachers,
and school officials. The following issues havebeen raised:
1.	Some mature students and young teachers
share the view that limiting the program
to simply “education” on human rights issomewhat an ineffective task. They say thatin a society where people’s rights are constantly violated, mere education of students
on human rights without empowering them

HRE in Schools: The Experience of the Centre for the Study of Human Rights  39

to act against human rights violations leaves
them in a difficult position. This is because
society expects them as human rights trainees and trainers to act against human rights
violations. CSHR, however, ensures that the
study of remedies for violations is part ofthe program for both trainers and studentsof School Centers. Furthermore, there isadequate evidence that the program is effective not only in the short term, but also in
the long term. After leaving school, students
want to join the CSHR or other humanrights organizations to work voluntarily inthe human rights field. Students have sentletters inquiring about opportunities for
involvement in human rights work. Several
students, who were part of the Manavayo
Api Circle and who have also completed
their Law Degree, have chosen a career inthe field of human rights.
2.	Some school Principals are concerned thatthe program favors students, and thus makes
them reluctant to support it. They argue thatthe moment students begin to fight for theirrights in the school, discipline suffers and theschool management is placed in a difficult
position. CSHR uses the Review Meetings
to present to the School Coordinators examples of students who have participated in the
program and who as appointed prefects effectively maintain school discipline. Students
who are part of the human rights group have
not only gained leadership skills but also theskills attributed to responsible students, thisin turn leads to their recognition as good andcapable students who can assist in maintaining discipline in the school. Several school
Principals have reported on their experiencesreflecting the manner in which the program
has helped build self-discipline and a senseof dignity among students.
3.	Some school Principals were not pleased
with the amendment to the Penal Code of
Sri Lanka that included a new offence (called‘cruelty’) that has relevance to school teachers, and which exposed them to criminal

liability if implemented. The CSHR, however, has been able to reassure teachers thatin a country practicing the Rule of Law, itis the responsibility and obligation of thecitizens to respect State laws and to act accordingly.
4. The period of terror in the country in the
recent past was a time when talking abouthuman rights was considered an anti-government act. It left bad memories thathave now faded away to a certain extent.
However, some parents are still concerned
about the safety of their children who are
involved in the program. In view of this,
CSHR insists that the program is formallyinaugurated in schools with the participationof parents and the CSHR staff members
who reassure them (parents) of the natureof the program by explaining its mandate,
importance, and benefits. Opportunities arealso given to parents to express their views
through discussions.
In the Review Meetings, the teachers do nothesitate to reveal that the program has assisted
students to develop skills including writing,reading, communication (delivering speeches)
and acting. This is evident to the CSHR staff
members who visit the School Centers tomonitor the program as well as to participate
in ceremonies commemorating Human Rights
Day and other commemorative activities.
Finally, it can be stated that the program issignificant because it attempts at bringing about
positive behavior patterns in students. Thechanged behavior of students has greater impact
on their community, where young people areaware of the responsibility of protecting therights of others while protecting their own.
The education system in Sri Lanka is exclusively designed to cater to several highly competitive national-level examinations and does
not focus on the formation of well-balanced
personality. The absence of such focus makes
the education system unable to help create asociety that is aware of its obligations. Aiming

40  HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLS

at behavior change, the activity-based methodof learning of the CSHR program enables thedevelopment of ‘rights consciousness’ amongpeople in society that leads them to respect the
dignity and rights of all.
(The author wishes to thank Ms Nilani de Silva, Ms
Meloney Palihakkara, Mr Piyadasa Ranpathwila and Ms
Avanthi Fernando of the CSHR for their assistance inpreparing this article).