



Human Rights Educationin Bangladeshi Schools
Madaripur Legal Aid AssociationT

he Madaripur Legal Aid Association (MLAA) evolved in 1978 as a pioneer
non-governmental organization (NGO) in the legal sector of Bangladesh, witha vision for establishing peace, justice and harmony in the community.
the local community members as well as otherorganizations.
The replication of MMM by many otherdevelopment NGOs in Bangladesh and othercountries is a testimony to the efficiency andacceptability of the model.

MLAA started the Legal Aid Service as its
initial program to help people, particularly
women, exercise their legal rights (relating tofamily, property, and financial matters) in orderto change their socio-economic status.
Based on its experience, MLAA sees the existing judicial system as hierarchical, not genderfriendly, expensive, complex, time-consuming
and difficult for the disadvantaged people toaccess. In comparison with this formal judicial
system, MLAA sees mediation as capable ofachieving settlement of different disputes locally; involving minimum cost and providing
maximum satisfaction to the disputing parties.
MLAA developed a modern and professional
approach to traditional Shalish (mediation
system), otherwise known as Madaripur Modelof Mediation (MMM). MMM has been largely
effective in securing access to equitable justice by the disadvantaged people, particularly
women.
MLAA has recently taken a special initiativeof promoting justice at the grassroots level byactivating and strengthening Village Courts(VCs) and Arbitration Councils (ACs) with theUnion Parishads (UPs).1
It provides intensive training services to
its employees, target population and NGO
personnel. Such training contributes to thetransfer of knowledge and skills related todispute resolution, as developed in MLAA, toGoal, objectives, programs
MLAA has set the goal of improving thequality of life of the disadvantaged people
through the exercise of their human and legal
rights for peaceful coexistence. In pursuit of thisgoal, the MLAA objectives are the following:- To make local and traditional justicesystem more effective- To ensure access to formal judicial systemfor disadvantaged people- To institutionalize and modernize thetraditional mediation system- To contribute in the establishment of therule of law and promote human rights
culture by raising awareness of people- To pursue advocacy activities for law
reform- To strengthen the institutional capacityof MLAA.
It established a number of programs addressing different concerns such as the following:a)	Local Level Justice System (Village  HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLS

Court and Arbitration Council)b) Free Legal Aid (Judicial Courts)c) Mediation (Alternative Dispute Resolution)d) Human Rights Educatione) Advocacy and Policy Lobbyf) Capacity-building of MLAA.
The activities under each program are numerous. They invariably involve educational
activities that facilitate the acquisition of knowledge and skills on using law to help people
exercise their human rights. These activities are
the following:a) Local Level Justice System• Refresher Training Courses for elected
Union Parishad representatives;•	Dispute Resolution through the VC•	Dispute Resolution through the AC• Activating relevant stakeholders tostrengthen the local justice system• Courtyard meeting for women on VC
and AC.
b) Free Legal Aid (Judicial Courts)• Provide support to cases in courts• Meet lawyers, clerks (moharars), members of judicial and law enforcement
agencies.
c) Mediation (Alternative Dispute Resolution)• Formation of community-based organization (CBO) to disseminate MMM• Training for CBO members on MMM
and common laws
• Training for civil society members andUP members on MMM and common
laws• Mediation or Dispute Resolution
through MMM.
d) Human Rights Education (formal
education system)•	Selection of twenty schools and colleges
to be involved in the project• Formation of Human Rights Cells inthe schools and colleges with students,
teachers and guardians as members• Bi-monthly human rights workshops at
schools and colleges• Observance of International Human
Rights Day, Child Rights Day and
Women’s Rights Day• Holding of annual competition on human rights issues.
e) Advocacy and Policy Lobby• Initiatives towards policy change andreform of AC and VC laws and procedures•	Discussion meetings with members of
the civil society, journalists and UP representatives•	Study on the limitation of AC and VC
laws and procedures•	National-level round–table conferencewith journalists and media people• Research on procedural complications
and uncongenial environment in courts• Capacity-building of women leaders(gender development)• Publications on mediation and common
laws• Bi-monthly newsletter (Jugo Chetona).
f) Capacity-building within MLAA
•	Establishment of human resource development (HRD) department•	Strengthening of Training Cell and Staff
Development program•	Development of modules on gender andgender policy• Project management workshop•	Strengthening of Monitoring & Evaluation Cell
• Preparation of issue-based reports•	External and internal training forstaffmembers• Project development workshops for supervisors and field workers.

Human Rights Education in Bangladeshi Schools  Through the years, MLAA obtained asignificant number of achievements as well as
lessons learned. They reflect the efforts exerted
in implementing the program activities thatevolved during the past three decades. These
achievements are the following:• MLAA created opportunities for the disadvantaged people, particularly women, tolodge cases in courts to assert their legal
rights regarding family, property, and financial matters.
• People received counseling from MLAA
on different legal issues and have become
more aware of the legal and social systems.
People know where to go when their rights
are violated.
• The incidents of unlawful practice of polygamy (second marriage) have substantiallydeclined as a result of different exemplary
legal measures taken.
• In many cases, victims regained their properties, like land and other assets, which were
unlawfully appropriated by powerful segments of society.
•	Violence against women declined, due toexemplary cases filed against offenders.
• About 75% of court verdict of MLAAsupported cases went in favor of MLAA
clients.
• People became more conscious about thecomplexity of litigation and advantage of
mediation. As a result, 20% of MLAAsupported court cases were resolved withthe assistance of local mediators and ADR
assistants.
• About five thousand disputes are resolved
each year through the mediation process.
Women’s participation in mediation committees has been increasing remarkably. As
a consequence, rural women have become
keener in approaching the mediation committees to resolve disputes.
• Through mediation, conflict between husbands and wives has been reduced to someextent. Many couples restored their conjugal
lives in divorce cases. Women in the project

areas were able to receive their dower money(denmohor) and maintenance. Almost
80% of mediated disputes regarding different family affairs were settled amicably.
Husbands and wives affected by disputes
benefited through the process of mediationand continued to stay as ‘couples’.
• About 20% of disputants received land,
movable properties and other assets. The
mediation process also saved money andtime of the disputants.
• A working relationship has been established between MLAA and respective UP
representatives. As a result, knowledge on
AC and VC has increased among the local
elected bodies (LEBs), some of them areseriously activating AC/VC as part of theirmajor responsibilities. UP Chairpersons
and Members recommend people to MLAA
for free legal aid support. The participationof women members of UP is gradually
increasing.
The lessons learned, on the other hand, arethe following:• For disadvantaged people, accessing theformal judicial system is not very common.
The system itself is very complex and not
pro-poor and pro-women because of theabnormally lengthy and time-consuming
process. The legal process is influenced
by corruption, and bribery is a common
practice where most of the poor people gettrapped. Lack of proper documentation andevidence does not create an enabling environment in obtaining favorable judgment,
particularly due to non-cooperation fromcourt officials and institutional authority(i.e. hospitals, land register office and tahsil[land tax] and land settlement office, etc.).
To support and protect the disadvantaged
people, MLAA felt it is its moral obligation
and responsibility to take advocacy and lobbying initiatives at the policy level to reformthe negative aspects of the existing legal
system and the procedures of the judicial  HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLS

system, as a priority area.
• The level of awareness on different legal andhuman rights issues is comparatively lower
among the disadvantaged community, especially the women. Women’s participation
in mediation process needs to be enhanced
further. Women’s mobility is limited due tosocial barrier. To raise women’s awareness on
different legal and human rights issues there
is a greater need for their participation andmobilization.
• The exertion of influence by powerful class ofthe community in the mediation process isstill not an exception. The creation of pressure groups advocating for the participationof community people is an urgent need tominimize biases and ensure effective implementation of the mediation system.
•	Due to procedural complexity and lack ofresources, UPs are unable to make the local
judicial system functional and effective forthe people. It is also essential for MLAA totake advocacy and lobbying initiatives atpolicy level to reform the hindering factorsof existing law and procedures of the local
judicial system.
• People still have to depend on the court since
the ADR system cannot address the whole
range of issues that the judicial system covers, and some of the exemplary court cases
still require further legal aid support fromMLAA for the disadvantaged people particularly women.

Human rights education
Ideas and knowledge about human rights
help people obtain justice. But due to limited
information on ideas and practices of humanrights in Bangladeshi society, particularly in therural society, violations of human rights as wellas injustices frequently occur. In this context,
MLAA started a project named “Human Rights
Education” with a view to educating and making the students, rural secondary school students

in particular, become aware of human rights
concepts and principles.
The project aims to:a) Impart preliminary knowledge about theconcepts and principles of human rights toschool and college studentsb) Make them identify human rights violations
cases in their localities and find ways ofproviding protection to victims.
Objective “a” is the primary task of the project. Objective “b” is the secondary one since thestudents should not be heavily occupied withextra-curricular activities.
The project activities are the following:a) Formation of six-member Human Rights
Cells (HRCs), including teachers, students
and guardians.
b) Holding of bi-monthly, two-hour humanrights workshops in twenty selected secondary schools and colleges. The workshop is
the core activity of the project. Through theworkshops, resource persons including teachers provide preliminary ideas and knowledge
about human rights and fundamental rights
under the Constitution in general, and theUnited Nations’ Universal Declaration of
Human Rights in particular.
c) Monthly meeting of the HRCs in order todiscuss human rights violations and possible
ways of defending the victims.
d) Observance of the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights Day (December 10) andChildren Day.
e) Annual competition on human rights (childrights and women’s rights).
During the course of the project, several
interesting events happened. In one humanrights workshop, the students of a neighboring
secondary school requested permission to be allowed to participate in the workshop. In anothercase, the female students of a secondary school,
which participates in the project, put pressureHuman Rights Education in Bangladeshi Schools  

on a guardian in the local community to stopthe early marriage of his minor daughter. And
still in another case, the students of a secondary
school started campaigns to request the local
villagers to register births and deaths.

-

The guardians of the rural students under the project became aware of humanrights violations and were found attempting to defend the rights of victims at the
local level.

II. Mid-term project review
Project evaluation
The project has been evaluated several times.
Four of the evaluations are reported below toshow the various characteristics, results, observations, and suggestions for improvement of
the project.

I. Initial evaluation
An initial evaluation of the project undertaken in February 2005 covering the periodof January to December 2004 shows the following:- In majority of cases, the students who received orientation from the human rights
workshops were able to confidently
explain some key rights of children andwomen. Their understanding was clear
and concise although they need morerefresher types of discussion on the same
issues periodically.
- The students directly benefited from theorientation as their behavioral pattern
to each other (especially boys to girls)
changed due to their understanding
about women’s rights as well as childrights.
- The HRCs were effectively formed, andfunctioned properly. The suggestion
by the HRC members to include moremembers would make the situation evenbetter, and allow the few people currently
providing training some flexibility intheir core jobs. The relationship among
the students and teachers in the HRC was
excellent, despite the fact that they havejust started working together as a teamto orient the students.

MLAA engaged the services of Mirza Hasan,
PhD and Professor Shahidul Haque to review
the human rights education project. The evaluation was done in November 2005 and covered
the period of July 2004 to June 2005.
The review focused on the human rights
workshops, the major activity of the project, atthe twenty participating secondary schools andcolleges (seven colleges and thirteen secondary
schools). The workshops provided the students
with preliminary and primary knowledge onhuman rights, fundamental rights under theConstitution, child rights and women’s rights.
Two designated teachers in a secondary schoolor college, with the support of their heads, holdworkshops twice a month. Each workshop usually has twenty student-participants.
The review covered the human rights
workshops held during the 2004-2005 period.
Monitoring and evaluation were undertakenusing three instruments, namely:1)	Written questionnaire - filled up by every
student-participant at the concluding
part of a workshop session.
2) Monitoring sheet - filled up by one
personnel of MLAA for the project after
observing a human rights workshop.
3)	Short evaluation - done internally by
MLAA to assess the outcome of humanrights workshop.
1. Resultsa. Questionnaire
The questionnaire is designed to assess
the level of understanding of human rights by
the students from the discussions during the  HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLS

workshops. Student-respondents had multiple
choices to select an answer. The findings of thesurvey are the following:
College level1) 89% of the respondents correctly answered the question on the nature ofactivities of MLAA. Those who gave
the wrong answer thought that MLAA
has financial credit function. It is a commonly known in Bangladesh that NGOs
provide financial credit as a regular activity, but MLAA does not do so.
2) 85% of the respondents gave correct
answers on two characteristics of human rights, and such satisfactory results
are expected. It needs to mention thatat higher secondary education level, theUniversal Declaration of Human Rights(UDHR) is included in the civics syllabus.
3) 68% of the respondents correctly answered the question on the nature of
UDHR while 85% of them answered
correctly the question on the natureof the UDHR articles. It appears thathigher secondary students (junior college
students) found it a bit hard to point out
the nature of UDHR as a whole.
4) Most of the respondents (63%) failed tomention any United Nations convention
on human rights. Perhaps they were notdiscussed in the workshops.
5) 91% of the respondents gave the correct
answers on fundamental rights found in
the Constitution, which were elaborately
discussed in the workshops.
6) 43% of the respondents were able toanswer what their duty is in case of any
violation of human rights in their areas,
though this percentage should have beenmuch higher.
7) 86% of the respondents were correct inselecting the maximum age of being achild, but 81% of the respondents wereunable to identify the Convention on the
Rights of the Child. It was learned that
this document was not usually discussed
in most of the workshops.
8) On the definition of discrimination
against women and what to do to realize
women’s rights, 54% and 79% of the
respondents gave the correct answers
respectively. Many respondents could
not mention clearly the definition of
discrimination against women.
9) On the dates (year) of UDHR and otherimportant United Nations human rights
instruments, 74% of the respondents
answered correctly.
The over-all average correct response is at82%. On the basis of this percentage of correct
answers, it appears that at the college level theteachers’ teaching and students’ learning of human rights in the workshops are satisfactory.
Secondary school level1) A good number of the respondents (68%)
answered correctly about the activities of
MLAA. It is in fact a well-known NGO
in the Madaripur, Shariatpur, Gopalgonj
districts.
2) 58% of the respondents correctly mentioned the nature of human rights,
though the percentage should have been
higher. The school syllabus has a chapter
on rights, but not on human rights.
3) 63% of the respondents answered correctly about fundamental rights found in
the Constitution. Here also the percentage should have been higher.
4) 54% of the respondents gave the correct
age-limit of being a child as internationally and nationally defined. There wassome confusion among the respondents
about the national maximum age limit
of being a child.
5) 68% of the respondents correctly pointed
out the child rights. Since child rights

Human Rights Education in Bangladeshi Schools  

are really discussed in the workshops thepercentage should have been higher.
6) 86% of the respondents correctly selected the year of the UDHR and otherimportant international human rights
instruments. Though it was hard to say
if this percentage is satisfactory.
In sum, the human rights workshops at
school-level are good since the students’ percentage of correct answers is satisfactory.
b. Monitoring sheet
The results of the monitoring sheet entries
are compiled in the following tables.
Table 1. Participation of designated teachers atworkshops

Table 4. Attendance of students
AttendanceWorkshop

%

10-20

07

17

21-30

33

83

Total

40

100

Table 5. Starting time of workshops
Starting

Workshop%In time30

65

Not in time

10

35

Total

40

100

Table 6. Ending time of workshops
EndingWorkshop%

Before schedule03

07

In time22

55

Number of teachers

Workshop%A bit late

15

38

02

31

74

Total

40

100

01

09

26

Total

40

100

Table 2. Level of teachers’ participation in workshops

Table 7. Quality of tiffin (snack)QualityWorkshop

%

Good

21

53

Moderate

19

47

Participation level

Workshop

%

Bad

-

-

Equal

14

45

Slight difference

15

48

Total

40

100

Big difference

02

07

Total

31

100

Table 3. Presence of the head of the institution atworkshops

Table 8. Overall quality of presentation of topics (byteachers)
QualityWorkshop

%

Good

12

30

Moderate

2460

Presence

Workshop%Not good04

10

Positive

23

58

Negative

17

42

Total

40

100

Total

40

100

10  HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLS

Table 9. Reasons for unsatisfactory presentations
Reasons

Workshop%

Subject matter explanation not good

06

25

No clear knowledge of
topics07

29

Presentation ismonotonous

06

25

Factual presentation
on human rights violations is poor

05

21

Total

24

100

Table 10. Standard of presentation of the twoteachers
Standard

Workshop%

One is better than the
other

13

32

The two are almost the
same

27

68

Total

40

100

Table 11. Overall management of workshop
Management

Workshop%Satisfactory

19

47

Moderate

21

53

Total

40

100

The figures on these tables are simple and do
not need much analysis or elaboration. However, Table 8 (overall quality of presentationof topics) and Table 11 (overall managementof workshops) need attention. The presentation of topics in, and the management of, theworkshops are found to be moderate (68% and
53% respectively) and good (32% and 47%)
respectively. The project personnel should makeefforts in improving to a considerable degree thepercentage of “Good” (Table 8) and “Satisfactory” (Table 11) assessment.

III. Manusher Jonno evaluation
Another evaluation of the project by an
institution supporting it (Manusher Jonno[MJ]) revealed more aspects of the HRCs. Thisevaluation was done in July 2006 and covered
the period of July 2005 to June 2006. MJ senta Cluster Review Team to evaluate the projectand reported the following findings and comments on the program:
1. Strengths and achievements
a. Project design and implementation:• The vision and concept of HRC in selected institutions are good. The HRC
has the potential of becoming sustainablesources of information and action onhuman rights in its community.
• The project is well-organized, -run and-structured. The enthusiasm of HRC
members presumably reflects in partthe effective work of MLAA in identifying appropriate secondary schools andcolleges for the implementation of the
project. The HRC members are highly
motivated and by networking withmembers of other HRCs they can learn
and develop their activities, and provide
feedback to MLAA.
• The high level of participation by female
students and the focus on women’s
rights issues in human rights session forstudents is commendable.
• The teacher-members of the HRCs effectively explain the core human rights
concepts.
b. Awareness Raising:• The project has drawn attention to anumber of individual cases of humanrights problems to which help has been
provided. These cases included illegal
divorce and early marriage.
• HRC members are enthusiastic and com-

Human Rights Education in Bangladeshi Schools  11

mitted. They clearly perceive the value of
people being made aware of their rights
and in a general sense understand wheresuch awareness might lead in terms ofa mobilized population able to defend
human rights. The project staff reported
particularly strong interest among women teachers.
•	Large numbers of students have been
provided with a basic understanding of
human rights, while teachers developed
training skills on human rights.
2. Suggestions
a. Strategy issues• The basic awareness of human rights
principles provided to the students andthe establishment of the HRCs are clearly
valuable. However, it is useful at thisstage to clarify the project strategy andobjectives. The role, aims and responsibility of the HRCs can be defined in
more detail, using feedback from HRC
members as basis. MLAA can consider
the HRCs working either to develop
community human rights initiatives or
to handle individual cases of abuse. The
examples of work by other NGOs on
human rights education can help definemuch more the vision of how HRCs will
work.
• The objective of providing human rights
awareness to the students can also be further defined. What role will they have after
awareness has been provided? Will they
be involved in advocacy on local issues?
Will they be involved in advocacy for the
inclusion of human rights in the national
curriculum? Feedback from students areuseful in considering these questions.
• MLAA has to provide appropriate
support and facilitate the HRCs’ andstudents’ move from understanding totaking action. It can support the development of processes for identifying

priority human rights issues, deciding on
actions to take, and working out plans
for action such as local campaigns or
advocacy. This may require training for
MLAA staff on facilitation and capacitybuilding techniques. The plan for HRCs
to work on particular issues (such as birth
registration issues) may be reconsideredby adopting an alternative approach of
supporting each HRC’s decision on its
own priorities for action, or by supporting ideas for action that participants intraining sessions may raise.
• The government obligation to act on human rights issues has to be emphasized
and brought into the work of the project.
Students and HRC members can develop
their capacity to raise issues of concern
with local governments, for example, andraise awareness on government humanrights obligation.
• A strategy can be developed regarding
individual cases of human rights abuse
that come to the attention of students
or HRC members, and the appropriate
action to take.
b. Human rights lecture content and teaching
methodology• It may be useful to review the amountof lecture time and information provided
to students. A course of several lectures,for a smaller number of students, may
be considered in order to provide sufficient information and understanding forstudents. The current lecture time (twoand half to three hours of teaching plus
a possible second session to review the
first session) is not sufficient to provide
students with the understanding theyrequire. Additional session allows thediscussion of other aspects of humanrights, and facilitates understanding withgreater depth.
•	Efforts to encourage teachers to use
participatory methodology need to con-

12  HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLS

tinue. This is clearly a challenge but it isimportant to have discussion, feedback
and answers to questions that students
ask. The sessions aim to inspire andempower and the methodology should
effect this. The use of visual materials,
videos, case studies or role-play can beconsidered in the future. MJ linkages
can help identify NGOs that can provide
materials already designed and tested. It
may be worth considering translating
additional materials if they would bevaluable to more than one MJ project.
Approaches to taking action on humanrights issues, such as campaigning andlobbying, can be included in the humanrights sessions for students.
• Perhaps with MJ help, the project staff
can review the way government humanrights obligation is addressed in the session. While it is covered in principle,
expanding the discussion on this issue
is useful. It can be clarified that evenin cases of abuses by members of thecommunity or family, such as violenceagainst women, the government has an
obligation to take action to prevent abuse
and to protect victims.
• MJ can identify NGOs that can assist inteachers’ training. Support to teachers
who deliver the human rights sessions
to students has to be sustained and carefully planned. Opportunities for them toattend trainings and seminars of otherNGOs has to be considered. Individual
teachers can develop particular specializations in theme areas such as child rights
or women’s rights and teach in otherschools. MLAA has to ensure that headsof institutions involved in the projectmonitor its implementation to ensurethat lessons are learned effectively.
c. MLAA advocacy on the inclusion of humanrights education in national curriculums:• MLAA needs to ensure it develops a clear

strategy plan for carrying out advocacy
to persuade the government to include
human rights education in the national
curriculums. A stakeholders analysis isuseful in identifying interest groups andstakeholders who can work alongside
MLAA and the relevant government
offices for the advocacy work. Since
MLAA already networks with MJ partners, it can network with other NGOs as
well which can provide information on
education policy issues.
• Careful documentation and qualitativeevaluation of the project, including its
teaching methodology and levels of understanding created by the human rights
sessions, are needed. It is particularly important to document the implementationof the project in order that it provides abasis for the argument that human rights
education should be included in school
curriculums. MLAA has to develop
sound recommendations on the natureand extent of teaching required and how
to train teachers, etc.

IV. Internal evaluation
At the end of the 2004-2005 period, ashort evaluation was done internally by MLAA
on the outcome of the project with respect toworkshop objectives. Another objective of theevaluation was to find out whether or not thestudents participating in the workshops in thescheduled schools and colleges have obtained
preliminary knowledge about human rights
and women’s rights, and could identify humanrights violations cases in their areas.
Data and information have been collectedfrom primary sources or from the field by interviewing the students of the scheduled schools
and colleges and also the HRC members who
include headmasters/principals, designatedteachers and other members. Fifty student-respondents (five students from each of the tenschools and colleges) participated in the humanHuman Rights Education in Bangladeshi Schools  13

rights workshops. In addition, ten students
from three educational institutions, outside
the scheduled list, were interviewed in order tomake a comparative study. Designated teachersand headmasters/principals (for a total of 20
teachers and headmasters) and HRC members(10) of the selected ten schools and colleges also
participated as respondents in the evaluation.

Fundamental Rights

Results
Table 1. Participation at monthly workshop
How many times

Students(under project)
N = 50%

One time

10

20

Two times

36

72

Three times

04

08

Table 4. Idea on fundamental rights
Project School & College
In
N=50

%

Out
N=10

%

Security of life

16

32

-

-

Education rights

23

46

02

20

Voting assembly right

09

18

02

20

Legal aid right

27

54

-

-

Service, religion,
culture right

12

24

-

-

Property right

06

12

-

-

Others

-

-

06

60

Table 5. Women’s rights
Women’s Rights

Project School & College
In
N=50

%

Out
N=10

%

Child marriage

27

58

08

80

Table 2. What is taught in workshop
Learning

Students(under project)
N = 50

%

Dowry

19

38

07

70

Human rights

22

44

Human rights violation

08

16

02

20

Fundamental rights

17

34

Others

02

04

-

-

Women’s rights

23

46

Legal rights

07

14

Table 6. Child rights

Means to solve disputes

03

06Child Rights

Child rights

25

50

Others08

16

Table 3. Who declared UDHR
Declared by

Project School & College

Project School & College
In
N=50

%

Out
N=10

%

Right to live

18

36

06

60

Right to develop

08

16

02

20

Right to education

19

38

07

70

Right to protection

05

10

-

-

-

-

In
N=50

%

Out
N=10

%

Right to opine freely

08

16

Bangladesh government

04

08

02

20

Right to nationality

06

12

-

-

Madripur Legal Aid
Association

09

18

-

-

Does not know

-

-

05

50

UNO

37

74

04

40

Supreme Court

-

-

-

-

Does not know

-

-

04

40

14  HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLS

Table 7. Police torture
Police torture

Table 9. Problems in Human Rights Education
Project

Project School & College
In
N=50

%

Out
N=10

%

Necessity

Answer
N=20%

Human rights violation

12

24

02

20

Regular classes disturbed

08

40

No torture out of suspicion

36

72

07

70

Delay to get tiffin money

08

40

Delay to get stationery

05

25

Child rights violation

19

38

04

40

Tiffin money not sufficient04

20

No answer

-

-

01

10

Stationery not so good

06

30

Table 8. Necessity of the Human Rights Education
Project
Necessity

Answer
N=20%

To know child rights

13

65

To know human rights

08

40

To become good citizen

11

55

Others will be encouraged tosupport human rights protection
measures05

25

Interest to establish just society

09

Table 12. Importance of child rights
Importance of child rights

Answer
N=20%

To create good citizen

18

90

For good education

17

85

To say Yes

05

25

Child interest first

03

15

Table 13 & 14. HRC members’ awareness
45

Awareness

Answer
N=10%%

Answer
N=10

Suggestion

To resist
women’srights

05

50

80

08

Meeting occasionally

To protect
child rights

05

50

60

06

To call atworkshopAwareness

03

30

30

03

To givetraining

Tables 10 & 11. What to do in case of human rights violation
In case of
HR violation

Answer%%AnswerIn case of women’s
rights violation

Send cases to legal
aid office

08

40

55

11

Send cases to legal
aid officeProtect HRC members

03

15

-

-

Write to newspapers

12

60

50

10

Write to newspapers

Seek legal
assistance

07

35

40

08

Seek legal
assistance

Talk with guardians

08

40

20

04

Talk to guardians

Social awareness

05

25

55

11

Social awareness

N=20

N=20

Human Rights Education in Bangladeshi Schools  15

Findings
Respondent: Students:
N=50 (In) & N=10 (Out)a) Fair majority of the students (72%) ofscheduled schools and colleges attended
human rights workshops two times(Table 1)b) More students have learned child rights(50%), women’s rights (46%), and human rights (44%). (Table 2)c) Fair majority of the students (74%) ofscheduled schools and colleges correctly
pointed out the name of the authoritythat adopted the Universal Declarationof Human Rights. Only 40% of thestudents of non-scheduled schools could
answer correctly. (Table 3)d) Majority of students (54%) gave a goodidea about the fundamental rights in
Bangladesh. But students outside thescheduled schools failed to respond correctly. (Table 4)e) The students disapproved child marriage
and dowry and favored women’s rights.
Non-scheduled school-students also
replied the same. (Table 5)f) All the students in scheduled schools andcolleges supported the child rights concept while non-scheduled school students
also expressed the same ideas in favor ofchild rights. (Table 6).
g)	Scheduled and non-scheduled students
strongly opposed torture by the policeor arrest of a boy based on suspicion.
(Table 7)
Comment on these results
The students of the scheduled secondary
schools and colleges mentioned primary knowledge on human rights including child rights andwomen’s rights. They also have ideas on what
to do in case of human rights violations.

Respondents: Designated teachers and headmasters/principals of scheduled secondary schools
and colleges: (N=20)a) The teachers opined that since students
are the leaders of the future they shouldhave some knowledge about rights, human rights and just society by participating in the human rights workshops.
(Table 8)b) They mentioned that the problems they
face in holding workshops included thefailure to receive the tiffin money of thestudents in due time and sometimes theholding of regular classes was hampered
due to workshops. (Table 9)c) They said that students informed themof human rights violations in their areas
and also tried to refer some cases to the
nearby MLAA office for legal aid. They
added that they advised the students towrite letters to the newspapers when they
get to know of human rights violation
cases. (Tables 10 & 11).
d) They also pointed out the special importance of child rights, though they werecompletely correct about child rights
prescribed by the United Nations and thechild policy of the Bangladeshi government. (Table 12)
Respondents: HRC members (N=10)
The HRC members (who were generally
student–guardians) mentioned that they were
not so involved with the human rights workshops, though they expressed their interest inthem. They suggested that regular meetings
should be held with the members of HRCs.
(Tables 13 & 14).
General comments on the basis of the abovefindings• The students of the scheduled secondary
schools and colleges maintained primaryknowledge on human rights including childrights and women’s rights and have some

16  HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLS

ideas on what to do in case of human rights
violations in their areas• The teachers expressed the necessity of holding human rights workshops, though theymentioned some problems in holding theworkshops.
• The HRC members who are indirectly involved in human rights workshops expressed
their interest in involving themselves insociety.
• The students of non-scheduled secondary
schools who did not participate in any
workshops answered poorly on the conceptof human rights.
It can therefore be concluded that the humanrights workshop, the main and major activity ofhuman rights education project, has proved to
be a success to a considerable degree.

newspapers regularly.
e) Students and members of the HRC of ascheduled secondary school/college may
meet twice a month to identify human rights
violation cases and take the necessary stepto address them.
f) For better management and intense monitoring, one project personnel should be
posted at Shariatpur and also at Gopalgonj
districts.
g) Arrangement should be made for video
display at workshops on human rights or
women’s rights or child rights.
h) International human rights day, child rights
or women’s rights day should be observedwith the participation of the students ofscheduled secondary schools/colleges.

Conclusion
Recommendations:
On the basis of the monitoring and evaluation report the following recommendations
are offered:a) At least many more educational institutionsin the MLAA work area (geographical coverage) should be included in the Human
Rights Education Project. Several heads ofeducational institutions particularly from
Madaripur district headquarters expressedinterest to involve their institutions in the
project.
b) Increase the number of target students inthe scheduled schools under the project by
including classes VI and VII.
c) Use attractive, colorful pictures and informative printed materials on human rights ingeneral, and women’s rights and child rights
in particular.
d) The two designated teachers in each secondary school/college should present their lectures with practical examples using current
issues at home and abroad. Arrangement
may be made so that they could read daily

The overall findings of the evaluations showthat the project has significantly achieved the desired immediate results. The stakeholders were
spontaneous in participating in the project andlearned human rights as expected due to several
project activities. The evaluations also foundhuman rights education as a unique approachof MLAA as far as raising the awareness onhuman rights issues among the students. They
found the strategy of raising awareness throughHRCs innovative as well as very effective idea.
The students were oriented on human rights
through the project, including the rights of thechildren and women. Their understanding wasclear and concise although they need more refresher courses on the emerging human rights
issues periodically. The HRCs under the project
were formed effectively and were functioning
nicely. The relationship among members of the
HRC was good, and the members worked as ateam for the first time in orienting the students
on human rights.
But, as the evaluation results show, there
is room still for improvement. And MLAA isdetermined to address this need.

Human Rights Education in Bangladeshi Schools  17

ANNEX A
Schools and Colleges Involved in the Human Rights Education Project
Serial Number

Name of Educational Institution

Thana

DistrictCollege - 08
1

Government Bangabandhu College

Gopalgonj Sadar

Gopalgonj

2

Kalkini Syed Abul Hossain College

Kalkini

Madaripur

3

Lalmia City College

Gopalgonj Sadar

Gopalgonj

4Shahid Smrity College, Sasikar

Kalkini

Madaripur

5

Rajoir Degree College

RajoirMadaripur

6

AMA Khalek Degree College

Kasiani

Gopalgonj

7

East Madaripur Degree College

Damudya

Shariatpur

8

Muksudpur College

Muksudpur

Gopalgonj

School (Secondary) -12
1

Mostafarpur Bahumukhi High School

Sadar

Madaripur

2

Rajoir Girls High School

RajoirMadaripur

3

Shahid Sardar Sahjahan Girls High School

RajoirMadaripur

4

Kalkini Pilot High School

Kalkini

Madaripur

5

Charmugoria Marchant High School

Sadar

Madaripur

6

Takerhat Popular High School

RajoirMadaripur

7

Sarmakoli High School

Gopalgonj Sadar

Gopalgonj

8

Damudya Pilot Girls High School

Damudya

Shariatpur

9

Jajira Girls High School & College

JajiraShariatpur

10

Shariatpur Government Girls High School

Palong

Shariatpur

11

Bejari Uposhi TP High School

Noria

Shariatpur

12

Bedargonj Head Quarter High School

Bedargonj

Shariatpur

18  HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLSANNEX B
Workshop Evaluation Sheet: College Level(Students fill up the sheets on their own)
1. Mention two activities of Madaripur Legal Aid Association:a)b)
2. Mention two characteristics of human rights:a)b)
3. Basic natures of Universal Declaration of Human Rights are: (tick at appropriate places)a) Every man is free by birthb) Every man has no equal right by birthc) Man by nature does not have a spirit of brotherhoodd) Every man by nature is endowed with conscience
4. It is mentioned in the articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that (tick appropriate places).
a) All are equal before lawb) No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrestc) Everybody has freedom of religiond) There will be no peaceful assembly alwayse) Everybody has right to education.
5. Mention two important human rights conventions of UNOa)b)
6. Which is appropriate?
a) All human rights are fundamental rights,b) All fundamental rights are human rights.
7. In which book are the fundamental rights of our country written?
8. What is to be done in case of any human rights violation in your area?
9. A child isa) Below_____years of age internationallyb) Below_____years of age in the national policy.
10. What is the definition of discrimination against women?
11. What is the duty of a student for the realization of women’s rights?
12. UDHR was declared in the year ___1942/___1948/___1989(Every student before leaving class should deposit the filled–up sheet to the proper teacher.)
Name of student: _________________________			
Roll no. _________Class:_____________				
Department: _____________________________Name of College: ____________________________________________________

Human Rights Education in Bangladeshi Schools  19

ANNEX CWorkshop Evaluation Sheet: Secondary School Level(Students fill up evaluation sheet on their own)
1. What are the activities of Madaripur Legal Aid Association (tick)a)	Distributes books to the poor students free of costb) Conducts litigation of the poor free of costc) Arranges mediation to settle minor disputesd) Distributes housing-loan to the poore) Promotes awareness of students on human rights
2. Which rights are human rights (tick)a)	Everyone has the right to appear for S.S.C examinationb) Right to seek legal protectionc) Right to buy sweets from the marketd) Right to enjoy freedom of religione) Right to get admission in primary school.
3. Where Fundamental Rights are noted (tick)a) In Bangladesh Constitutionb) In geography syllabus bookc) In Bangla syllabus book
4. A child is below the age of (tick)a) ___16/___18 in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Childb) ___17/___14 in the national child policy.
5. Which are correct in UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (tick)a) Rights are not equal between a poor child and a rich childb)	Death penalty can be given to a child below 18 years of age.
c)	Disabled child has the same rights like other childrend) Free primary education is compulsorye) Birth registration is compulsory.
6. Tick at appropriate place:a)	UDHR was declared in the year ____1945, ____1951, ____1948b)	UN Convention on the Rights of the Child was declared in the year ____1965, ____1989,____1979c)	UDHR was declared by ____ Bangladesh, ____USA, ____UNOd) The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child has been ____signed/____ not signed by
Bangladesh.
Students name: ___________________________Class:___________		
Roll no. _________Name of school ________________________________________________

20  HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLSANNEX D
Questionnaire: College Level
1. Have you attended a human rights education workshop?
___Yes ___No
If Yes/how many times? ___2. What have you learned from the human rights education workshop? (Write a few lines)
3. Who declared the UDHR?
___Bangladesh Government___Madaripur Legal Aid Association___UNO___Supreme Court
4. Mention two rights under the Fundamental Rights of the Bangladesh Constitution.
5. Abbas is a university student and his father is poor. Of his three sisters his eldest sister is blackin complexion and her marriage has been fixed with a doctor and a son of a rich family. But
on the cost of dowry, Abbas’s father sought his opinion through a letter. Should Abbas give his
consent affirmatively?
___Yes ___No
If no, why? ___________________________________________________________
6. What are the rights a child should enjoy? (Mention 2 rights)
7. A police out of suspicion caught a pick-pocket on a bus, beat him and took him to the police
station. Is the police correct in beating the person?
8. Mention two examples of women’s rights violation in your area.
Respondent:						Class:
Date:

Questionnaire: Secondary School Students
1. Have you attended a HR education workshop ?
___Yes ___No
If Yes/how many times? ___2. What have you learned from the HR Education workshop?(write a few lines)
3. Who declared the UDHR?
___Bangladesh Government___Madaripur Legal Aid Association___UNO___Supreme Court
4. Mention two rights under the Fundamental Rights of the Bangladesh Constitution.
5. Abbas is a university student and his father is poor. Of his three sisters his eldest sister is blackin complexion and her marriage has been fixed with a doctor and a son of a rich family. But
on the cost of dowry, Abbas’s father sought his opinion through a letter. Should Abbas give his

Human Rights Education in Bangladeshi Schools  21

consent affirmatively?
___Yes ___No
If no, why? ___________________________________________________________
6. What are the rights that a child should enjoy? (Mention 2 rights)
7. A police out of suspicion caught a pick-pocket on a bus, beat him and took him to the police
station. Is the police correct in beating the person?
8. Mention two examples of women’s rights violation in your area.
Respondent:				
Class:
Date:

Questionnaire: Teachers
1. Should the Human Right Education Project of MLAA continue for the years to come?
(Mention two points)
2. What are the problems you face in conducting Human Rights Education?
3. What are the duties of your students in case of any human rights violation ?
4. What are duties of your students in case of women’s rights violation?
5. Child rights come first – why ? Write two sentences.
Name:
School/college name:
Date:

Questionnaire: HRC members
1. What are the topics that students learn from human rights education ?
2. What service do you provide in the project ?
3. How will you be involved more in the project?
4. Mention two incidents of human rights violation in your area.
5. Are you aware of the monthly human rights workshop in your school/college ?
Name:School/college name:
Date:

Endnote1

A Union Parishad (UP) is the lowest administrative unit existing in Bangladeshi communities.