HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION
IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEMSIN SOUTHEAST ASIA
CAMBODIA, INDONESIA, LAO PDR AND THAILAND

Asia-Pacific Human Rights Information Centerin cooperation withThe Office of Human Rights Studies and Social Development, Mahidol University

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia
- Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR and Thailand

was published by the Asia-Pacific Human Rights Information Center
2-8-24 Chikko, Minato-ku, Osaka 552-0021 Japanin cooperation withThe Office of Human Rights Studies and Social Development
Faculty of Graduate Studies, Mahidol University
Salaya Campus, Nakhon Pathom, 73170 Bangkok, Thailand

Copyright © Asia-Pacific Human Rights Information Center, 2009

Lay-out design by Nutthamon Nutthanapong
Printed and bound by ANT Office Express Co., Ltd.
Bangkok, Thailand

All rights reserved.

ISBN 978-974-11-1061-2

Disclaimer
This publication was prepared with the financial support of the Office of the United
Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and UNESCO. The opinions
expressed in it are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of theUnited Nations.

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast AsiaiPreface
The first phase plan of action of the United Nations (UN) World Programme for
Human Rights Education (WPHRE) promotes that idea that each UN member-state,
regardless of the accomplishment that might have been achieved, should take stock of
the current situation and start anew in supporting human rights education in the school
system.
While there are experiences in assessing national achievements in the field of humanrights education in the school system in some Asian countries by either government or
non-government educational institutions, the first phase plan of action provides a
guide toward a comprehensive, inclusive, and multi-stakeholder-oriented national
assessment exercise.
This Southeast Asian project under the first phase plan of action of the WPHRE is the
only multi-country project that the UNESCO and the Office of the United Nations
High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) have supported in Asia during theperiod of the first phase plan.
Limited financial resources allowed only five countries in Southeast Asia to becovered by the project, which later on was reduced to four countries when one country
did not send a response to the joint UNESCO-OHCHR invitation to join the project.
The project has shown the importance of national-level assessment of human rights
education in the school system. The national reports indicate the need to link separate
government educational programs and projects in order to highlight their human rights
education component, maximize their impact, and bring to the attention of theeducation community of the opportunities for pursuing human rights education withinthese existing educational programs and projects. The project should have been an
educational experience for the people involved in the national assessment exercise in
Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR and Thailand.
We in the Asia-Pacific Human Rights Information Center (HURIGHTS OSAKA) see
the important contribution of this project in understanding the experiences andprospects of human rights education in the Asian school systems.
We do hope that the United Nations as a whole will provide more attention to humanrights education in the Asian school systems through the projects its agencies, offices
and treaty bodies implement in the countries of Southeast Asia in particular and Asia
in general.

Osamu Shiraishi
Director
HURIGHTS OSAKA

ii

Human Rights Education in the School System in Southeast Asia

Foreword
The international community has repeatedly stressed the importance of human rights
education as an essential tool for promoting respect, participation, equality and nondiscrimination, as well as stable and harmonious relations among communities,
mutual understanding and peace. Such consensus has led to the adoption of various
intergovernmental frameworks aimed at encouraging the development of relevant
national strategies and programmes. In particular, in December 2004, United Nations
Member States proclaimed at their General Assembly the World Programme for
Human Rights Education (2005-ongoing), structured in consecutive phases. The firstphase, covering the period 2005-2009, focuses on primary and secondary school
systems; the related Plan of Action, adopted in July 2005, proposes a concrete strategy
and practical guidance for integrating human rights education in the national
education system, touching upon various components, including policy development,
policy implementation, teaching and learning processes and tools, education andprofessional development of personnel and the learning environment. Ministries of
education or equivalent institutions have a major responsibility for ensuring national
implementation in close cooperation with all stakeholders.
In this context, the Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education of the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Officeof the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) launched the
project “Regional mapping, collection of best practices and coordination of initiatives
to promote human rights education in South-East Asian school systems” in 2006. The
project aimed to assist the Governments of Cambodia, Indonesia, the Lao People’s
Democratic Republic and Thailand to review the status of human rights education in
their school systems with a view to further supporting its development and improving
its effectiveness, in line with the World Programme’s Plan of Action. The work
undertaken in these countries, which is documented in this publication, has shown that
there is always space within the school system for implementing human rights
education programmes as a collaborative effort of all involved, with the aim of
ensuring quality education to younger generations.
We wish to express our appreciation to the four Governments concerned for the
fruitful partnership established, in particular in the context of this project. We would
also like to thank HURIGHTS OSAKA - in particular, the regional project team led
by Jefferson R. Plantilla - for having followed up and ensured project implementation
on behalf of our organizations. OHCHR and UNESCO continue to stand ready toassist in the elaboration or development of human rights education strategies andprogrammes by all relevant actors, within and beyond the school system.

Homayoun Alizadeh
Regional Representative
for South-East Asia
Office of the United Nations
High Commissioner for Human Rights

Sheldon Shaeffer
Director
Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau
for Education
United Nations Educational, Scientificand Cultural Organization

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asiaiii

Acknowledgment
The Asia-Pacific Human Rights Information Center (HURIGHTS OSAKA) expresses
its appreciation to the UNESCO Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education(Bangkok Office) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights (OHCHR) for entrusting to it the implementation of this project
entitled “Regional mapping, collection of best practices and coordination of initiatives
to promote human rights education in South-East Asian school systems.”
HURIGHTS OSAKA likewise appreciates the extension of the project period under
the OHCHR grant agreement in view of the difficulties encountered in the project
implementation.
Finally, HURIGHTS OSAKA acknowledges the support provided by the Office of
Human Rights Studies and Social Development of the Faculty of Graduate Studies of
Mahidol University in implementing the project and in preparing this report.

iv

Human Rights Education in the School System in Southeast Asia

Table of Contents
Prefaceii

Forewordiii

Acknowledgment

iv

Introduction

1

Reports
National Report on Human Rights Educationin the School System of Cambodia
Chin Yahan

17

National Report on Human Rights Educationin the School System of Indonesia
Agung Purwadi, Philip Suprastowo and Iskandar Agung

53

National Report on Human Rights Educationin the School System of the Lao PDR
Yangxia Lee and Somthavinh Nanthavong

83

National Report on Human Rights Educationin the School System of Thailand
Suwitra Wongvaree

111

Best Practices in Human Rights Educationin the School Systems in Asia
Human Rights Education in the School Systems
in Southeast Asia
Jefferson R. Plantilla and Bencharat Sae Chua
Appendix

141

193

209

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asiav

INTRODUCTION

Introduction
On 10 December 2004, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly proclaimed theWorld Programme for Human Rights Education (WPHRE)1 that focuses in its firstphase (2005-2007)2 on the primary and secondary school systems.
WPHRE supports countries in the implementation of international commitments
contained in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (article 26), the International
Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (article 13), the Convention on the
Rights of the Child (article 29), the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms ofDiscrimination against Women (article 10), the International Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (article 7) and the Vienna
Declaration and Programme of Action (Part I, paras. 33-34 and Part II, paras. 78-82),
as well as the Declaration and Programme of Action of the World Conference against
Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance held in Durban,
South Africa, in 2001 (Declaration, paras. 95-97 and the Programme of Action, paras.
129-139). It builds upon a number of initiatives for States in this area, including theWorld Public Information Campaign on Human Rights (1988-ongoing), the United
Nations Decade for Human Rights Education (1995-2004) and the Plan of Action, andthe International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of
the World (2001-2010).
Drawing on the principles set by those instruments and frameworks, the plan of action(A/59/525/Rev.1) of the first phase (2005-2007) of the WPHRE supports the developmentof human rights education in the school system as a complex process, which entails
various courses of action, equally important and mutually reinforcing, relating to
educational policies, legislation and strategies, teaching and learning processes and tools,
learning environments, and the teaching profession and school leadership.
The plan of action of the WPHRE proposes a national implementation strategy toaddress those areas, in four stages:- Analysis of the current situation of human rights education in the school system- Setting priorities and developing a national implementation strategy- Implementation and monitoring- Evaluation of the outcome of implementation.
The plan of action also provides that an “objective of international cooperation andsupport will be the strengthening of national and local capacities for human rights
education in the primary and secondary school systems”. This project contributes tothe implementation of the plan of action in Asia.

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

1

INTRODUCTIONIn Asia and the Pacific, Governments agreed in 1998 to strengthen human rights
education as a pillar of human rights protection, when they identified it as one of thefour pillars of the Framework for Regional Cooperation for the Promotion andProtection of Human Rights. Its importance has been reaffirmed on numerous
occasions, and human rights education has been an area of vibrant activity but thisdynamism has not been consistent across the region. While some countries,
communities, schools and organizations take innovative approaches, elsewhere thelessons and best practices are not being examined or applied. Few countries haveundergone a systematic review of the extent, quality, and access to human rights
education and of the national support system for its development. Very few Asian
countries have developed a comprehensive national plan of action for human rights
education. Regional support for human rights education in schools has been largely
localized, disparate, or intermittent. Thus, the opportunities for cross-fertilization ofbest practices and ideas, although growing, remain limited.

Overall goal and specific objectives of the project
The overall goal of this project is to contribute to the implementation of the Plan of
Action for Phase I (2005-2007) of the WPHRE in Asia. The Plan of Action was
adopted by the UN General Assembly by Res. 59/113B on 14 July 2005 and aims at:
1. Promoting the inclusion and practice of human rights in the primary andsecondary school systems.
2. Supporting the development, adoption and implementation of comprehensive,
effective, and sustainable national human rights education strategies inschool systems, and/or the review and improvement of existing initiatives.
3. Providing guidelines for key components of human rights education in theschool system.
4. Facilitating the provision of support to Member States by international,
regional, national, and local organizations.
5. Supporting networking and cooperation among local, national, regional, andinternational institutions.3
This project contributes to these goals in Asia through three specific objectives:
1. To identify and analyze achievements, weaknesses, and areas for improvement on
human rights education in schools in four selected countries of Southeast Asiaand across the sub-region, including identifying and analyzing elements in the
education system that would support human rights education. The national andregional findings/analyses will be presented in a national study/report for eachof the selected countries as well as in an overall comparative report.
2. To identify, compile and widely disseminate best practices in human rights
education in the school systems of the sub-region.
3. To support networking and information-sharing within the selected countries,
the sub-region and the region at large.

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Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

INTRODUCTION
This project is designed as a pilot research project in the countries concerned inaccordance with the national implementation strategy of the WPHRE for the 20052007 period as recommended in the first phase plan of action (i.e., each national
strategy should start with an in-depth analysis of the current national situation).

Implementation
1. National level
In each of the selected countries, the Ministry of Education (MOE) has set up anational team on human rights education (NTHRE), mainly composed of officials of
the MOE. In Thailand, a special working group was created by the NTHRE composedof members of key institutions in the country, including professional organizations,civil society organizations, national human rights institution, and the Ministry of
Education.
The NTHRE of each country was expected to undertake the following:
1. Coordinate country-level activities under this proposal especially data andmaterial gathering.
2. Network with other institutions involved in human rights education, such as
non-governmental organizations, higher education institutes (teacher
colleges and universities), the media, international agencies (including thoseof the UN), on the initiatives for documentation of human rights educationin schools, and analysis of their current state.
3. In consultation with members of the regional project team, prepare thenational report on the state of human rights education in the school system.
The project’s Advisory Panel, the functions of which are set out below, selected thecountries within Southeast Asia to be covered by this project based on, inter alia:
x
x
x
x
x
x

Formal expression of interest of the concerned Government.
Existence of a relevant institution capable of managing the project nationally.
Possibility to establish a NTHRE that would undertake the functions set out
in this proposal.
Interest from the UN Country Team to support the country-level activities ofthe project.
Some existing programming in line with international standards in the areaof human rights education in the school system.
OHCHR’s priority-setting decisions.

The project built on existing initiatives on human rights education in the region, suchas those being implemented by HURIGHTS OSAKA, which focuses on human rights
education in Asian schools. In particular, the project complements the Southeast Asia

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

3

INTRODUCTION
initiative of HURIGHTS OSAKA, consisting of workshops (2001 and 2005), humanrights lesson plan publications (2002-2003), their translation into the Indonesian,
Khmer, and Vietnamese languages and printing of the translated versions (2004). Thisinitiative has received financial support from UNESCO and OHCHR. This project
also comes on the heels of a research project on educational policies, school curricula,and students' human rights awareness that covers India, Sri Lanka, Japan and thePhilippines.

2. Regional level
The project was coordinated by a regional project team supervised by the HURIGHTSOSAKA’s senior officer responsible for the program on human rights education in
Asian schools.
The project team:x Provided advice on national contacts and institutions relevant to the national
studies.
x Provided technical assistance to the NTHREs regarding the conduct of thenational studies and the preparation of national study reports.
x Organized with the NTHREs Southeast Asia consultations to review theresults of the country research and recommended measures for strengthening
the national systems for human rights education.
x Linked with regional organizations (ARRC, Forum Asia, etc.) involved inhuman rights education.
x Prepared progress reports and an overall report on the state of human rights
education in the school systems in the sub-region including best practices,
based on the national studies and other relevant information.
The regional project team reported to an Advisory Panel composed of representativesof OHCHR (Geneva HQs and Bangkok Sub-regional Office for Southeast Asia), and
UNESCO Bangkok. The Advisory Panel, convened and hosted by OHCHR Bangkok
Sub-regional Office for Southeast Asia, monitored the implementation of the project.
Its decisions were binding upon the regional project team, after appropriate
consultations with the latter.
The project started with a joint letter of invitation issued by UNESCO and OHCHR in
January 2006. A follow-up joint letter was sent in September of the same year. Initial
information on response to the invitation letters was received in December 2006 withthe convening of the Indonesian NTHRE. In early 2007, information was received
regarding the formation of the Thai NTHRE. The NTHREs in Laos and Cambodia
were established in November 2007.
The regional project team started country visits (Cambodia, Laos and Thailand) in
December 2007. The project team met with the NTHREs in Cambodia and Laos, andthe national researchers in Thailand. In February 2008, the project team visited4

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

INTRODUCTION
Indonesia and met the Indonesian NHTRE. The meetings in Cambodia, Laos andThailand introduced the project, explained the process involved in undertaking thenational research, the project’s administrative requirements, and the role of the project
team.
In the country visit, the project team met with representatives of other MOE offices(such as officers of the National Commission for UNESCO, technical staff), othergovernment offices/institutions (such as the National Human Rights Commission, andthe Directorate for Human Rights of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights inIndonesia), non-governmental organizations and the local offices of UNESCO.
The project team communicated directly with the appointed national researchers fromearly 2008 to help clarify the issues for the research, the process to be followed, andthe administrative requirements.
The first meeting between the project team and the national researchers was held in
April 2008 in Bangkok, where initial national research reports were presented. The
meeting discussed the content of the reports as well as the matters that should becovered. The meeting resulted in the adoption of the final outline of the national
research reports. The national research reports therefore focus on these major items:
I. Context4
1. Historical context - social, economic, cultural and political events thathave a strong bearing on the current legal and educational systems of thecountry (including human rights issues that relate to the events).
2. Constitutional/legal context - current constitutional and legal provisions
that relate or affect human rights (such as constitutional amendments that
may or may not support human rights), and international human rights
agreements that have been ratified/acceded to.
3. Educational context - school system, administrative structure,policymaking process (including the education reform process), whichhave a bearing on the recognition or restriction of human rights in a
general education sense.
II. Education laws and policies, the curriculum, and programs
1. Descriptive presentation of the laws and policies on education - using an
historical approach, discussion of provisions that affect human rights education ineither a positive or negative way using the following categories as maybe relevant:a. General education system.
b. Human rights education in general.
c. Particular issues, such as those about female children, minorities, marginalized
sectors, rural schools, etc. related to human rights education.
d. Descriptive presentation of the curriculum
x Human rights education - approach used (integration or separate
subject), subjects covered and time allotment (for the integration
approach).

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

5

INTRODUCTION
x Issues relating to religious education, co-curricular activities, school ethos, etc.
e. Teaching/learning methodology and the school environment.
f. Human rights education programs.
2. Best practices on the different components of human rights education in theschool system.
III. Analysis of laws, policies, educational goals, curricula, and programs (see guidein Appendix A).
1. Factors that affect human rights education in the school system – thisincludes the advantages and disadvantages as well as opportunities andlimitations.
IV. Recommendations on how to build on the advantages and lessons learned,
how to use the opportunities, how deal with disadvantages and limitations, andon possible priorities and potential results.
In August 2008, a sub-regional conference was held where the revised national reports
were presented. The sub-regional conference convened all the national researchers in
the four countries to present and discuss the second draft of the national research
reports with representatives of human rights organizations, national human rights
institutions, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and therepresentatives of UNESCO Bangkok and OHCHR Southeast Asia office.
Mr. Hameed A. Hakeem, Education Adviser and Coordinator, APPEAL, UNESCO
Bangkok, in his opening remarks, presented the challenge of human rights education
when he said that;
Human rights education cannot be reduced to the simple introduction of human rights
content in already overburdened curricula. It calls for profound reform of education which
touches upon the curriculum of pre- and in-service training of teachers and others
working in the education of children, textbooks, methodology, classroom management,
and the organization of the education system at all levels.
You will all agree that human rights education implies the learning as well as practice ofhuman rights. A holistic approach to human rights education means that human rights are
implemented at all levels of the education system, and that they are taught through bothcontent transmission and experiences.
As such, human rights education should not only be theoretical but should also provide
opportunities for young people to develop and practice the skills to respect human rights
and citizenship through “school life”, - that is to say- all aspects of school as a living,social environment with its collective rules, interpersonal conflicts, time and opportunities
for co-operation, and through opportunities for spontaneous initiatives by the students
outside the actual teaching activities. All this is easier to say than do. But we haveexamples that encourage us…examples of innovative practices, some of which we willhear about today and tomorrow.

6

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

INTRODUCTION
Mr. Francesco Notti, Human Rights Officer in the Regional Office for South East
Asia of OHCHR, reiterated the international framework within which the project has
to be appreciated, He said that:
While recognizing that human rights education is “a long-term and life long process”, thefirst phase of the Plan of Action, which covers the period from 2005 to 2009, focuses on
integrating human rights education within the primary and secondary school systems.
This focus reflects the increasing recognition by the international community that humanrights education can be instrumental in strengthening the overall effectiveness of national
education systems. Human Rights Education improves the quality of learningachievements, supports access to and participation in schooling, and contributes toeconomic, social and political development.

The national research reports presented the types of Government support for humanrights education (such as issue-specific programs including gender- and minoritybased education, national human rights action plans, curriculum development policy,
and integration of human rights education in general curriculum), the extent ofunderstanding of human rights among school officials, teachers and students, thematerials that have been developed and used in teacher training as well as in directclassroom teaching, and the number of institutions involved in the process.
After the sub-regional conference, the revised national research reports were
presented to the NTHREs for review and comment. At the national level meetings,
there were suggestions on what additional items to introduce, and what items toemphasize.5
The project team provided the final suggestions on how the national reports could bebetter focused on the objectives of the project.

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

7

INTRODUCTION
The people involved in the project
The following are the members of the National Teams for Human Rights Education(NTHREs) in the four countries:
a. Cambodian Committee for Human Rights Education(Letter of appointment, 14 November 2007, issued by the Senior Minister of the
Ministry of Education Youth and Sport).
1. H.E. Im Sethy
Secretary of State MoEYS
2. H.E Mak Sambath
Member of National Human Rights Committee
3. Mr. Leang Ngoun Ly
Deputy Director General, Directorate General of Education
4. Ms. Sum Satom
Director, Cambodian Women Development Association
5. Ms. Ton Sa Im
Director, Pedagogical Research Department
6. Mr. Chan Roath
Director, Scientific Research Department
7. Mr. Chorn Chheang Ly
Director, Primary Education Department
8. Mr. Leang Seng Hak
Director, Teacher Training Department
9. Ms. Mak Nang
Vice Director, Higher Education Department
10. Mr. Bou Bolyden
Vice Director, Secondary General Education Department
11. Ms. Chin Yahan
Technical Staff of Pedagogical Research Department

Chairperson
Deputy Chairperson
Deputy Chairperson
MemberMemberMemberMemberMemberMemberMemberMemberb. Indonesian National Team for Human Rights Education
Ministry of Education Order No.103/2006 dated 29 December 2006
1. Prof. Suyanto, Ph.D.
Director General, Directorate General ofManagement of Primary and Secondary Education,
Ministry of National Education (MoNE)
2. Fasli Jalal, Ph.D.
Director General, Directorate General of
Quality Improvement for Teacher and
Educational Personnel Staff, MoNE

8

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

Adviser

AdviserINTRODUCTION
3. Prof. Satryo Sumantri Brojonegoro, Ph.D.
Director Generale of Directorate Generalof Higher Education, MONE
4. Ace Suryadi, Ph.D.
Director General of Out of School
5. Prof. H. Mansyur Ramly, Ph.D.
Director General, Office for Educational Researchand Development, MoNE
6. Prof. Ir. Dodi Nandika, M.S. , Ph.D.
Secretary, Secretariat General, MoNE
7. Baedhowi, Ph.D.
Advisory Staff to the Minister for Curriculum
and Teaching Media
8. Suharyanto, SH., M.M.
Head of Bureau Law and Organization,
Ministry of National Education
9. Ir. Gatot hari Priowirjanto, Ph.D.
Director, Bureau of Planning andInternational Cooperation, MoNE
10. Diah Harianti, M.Psi., Ph.D.
Director, Curriculum Center, Office of Researchand Development, MoNE
11. Agung Purwadi, M.Eng., Ph.D.
Director, Center for Policy Research and Education
Innovation, Office of Research and Development, MoNE
12. Sumarna Surapranata, Ph.D.
Director of Education and Training Development Institution,
Directorate Generale of Quality Improvement for
Teacher and Educational Personnel Staff, MoNE
13. Bambang Indriyanto, M.Sc. , Ph.D.
Secretary, Directorate General of Management for Primaryand Secondary Education, MoNE
14. Mudjito AK, M.Si., Ph.D.
Director, Directorate of Kindergarden andPirmary School Development, MoNE
15. Hamid Muhammad, Ph.D.
Director, Management for Primary and Secondary
Education Development, MoNE
16. Sungkowo M., Ph.D.
Director, Senior Secondary Education School
Development, MoNE
17. Joko Sutrisno, Ph.D.
Director, Junior Secondary Education
Vocational Development, MoNE
18. Eko Djatmiko S.,MM, M.Kom., Ph.D.
Director of Special Education Development, MoNE

Adviser

Adviser
Adviser

Chairperson
Vice-Chairperson

Secretary

MemberMemberMemberMemberMemberMemberMemberMemberMemberMemberHuman Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

9

INTRODUCTION
19. Seto Mulyadi, Ph.D.
MemberMember, National Education Standard Board
20. Wiwiek Setyawati, S.H.
MemberDirector for Human Rights and Humanity Affairs,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
22. Mulatiningsih, S.H., M.H.
MemberDirector, Human Rights Development,
Ministry of Justice and Human Rights
23. Muslikh, SH.
Secretariat Coordinator Head
Division of Bill Regulation Development,
Bureau of Law and Organization, MoNE
24. Wolter BW. Siring-ringo, S.H.
Secretariat Staff
Head of Sub-Division of Bureau of Law
and Organization, MoNE
25. Dadang Gandhi, S.H.
Secretariat Staff
Head, Sub-Division, Bureau of Law and Organization, MoNE
26. Syamsul Hadi, S.H.
Secretariat Staff
Head, Sub-Division, Bureau of Law and Organization, MoNE
27. Simul, S.H.,
Secretariat Staff
Administration Staff to Head of Bureau of Law
and Organization, MoNE
28. Widodo, S.Pd.
Secretariat Staff
Administration Staff to Head Bureau of Law
and Organization, MoNE
29. Muhammad Rafi, S.H.
Secretariat Staff
Administration Staff to Head of Bureau of Law
and Organization, MoNE
30. Sukarni
Secretariat Staff
Administration Staff to Head of Bureau of Law
and Organization, MoNE

c. Lao Committee for Human Right Education in Schools(Ministerial Decree 2524/MOE.GED/07, 2 November 2007).
1. Mr. Khamhong Sacklokham
Director-General, General Education Department
2. Associate Professor Simamone Sithirajvongsa, Ph.D.
Deputy Director-General, Planning and Cooperation
Department, Ministry of Education
3. Ms. YangXia Lee
Head, Gender Division, Department of General Education
4. Ms. Bounpheng Xiengyavong
Deputy Head, Social Sciences Division of the
Research Institute for Education Science10

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

Chairperson
Vice-Chairperson

MemberMemberINTRODUCTION
5. Ms. Vieng Keo Phommavong
Deputy Head, Personnel Division of the
Personnel Department
6. Mr. Sithat Outhaithani
Deputy Head, Primary Education Division
7. Ms. Thongdeng Somchanmavong
Deputy Head, Lao National Commission for UNESCO
8. Mr. Phengma Xiengyavong
Deputy Head, Ethics Education Department for
General Education

MemberMemberMemberMemberd. Thai National Team for Human Rights Education(Ministry of Education Decree No 371, 31 October 2006).
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education
Chairperson
Representative from the Office of the Education Council
MemberRepresentative from the Office of the Basic Education
MemberRepresentative from the Office of the Commission on Higher Education
MemberRepresentative from the Office of the Vocational Education Commission
MemberDirector of the Office of the Non-Formal Education Commission
MemberDirector of the Office of the Private Education Commission
MemberDirector of the Office of the Policy and Strategy, the Ministry of Education Member
Director of the Office of the Development of Student Affairs and Special Activities,
The Ministry of Education
Member
10. Representative from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Member
11. Representative from the Ministry of Social Development andHuman Security
Member
12. Representative from the Ministry of Interior
Member
13. Representative from the Ministry of JusticeMember
14. Director of the Education Office, Bangkok Metropolis
Member
15. Representative from the Office of Human Rights Studies andSocial Development, Mahidol University
Member
16. Representative from Chulalongkorn University
Member
17. Representative from Amnesty International (Thailand)Member
18. Representative from FORUM-Asia
Member
19. Director of the Bureau of International Cooperation, the Ministry of Education
Member and Secretary
20. Staff of the Bureau of International Cooperation, the Ministry of Education
Member and Assistant to Secretary
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

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INTRODUCTION
The Ministry of Education Decree No. 103/2550 dated 21 March 2007 created an
Experts Committee to Monitor the Implementation of the World Programme for
Human Rights Education project with the following members:
1. Prof. Prapatphong Senarit, Ph.D.
Advisor
2. Prof. Valai Na Pompetch, Ph.D.
Advisor3. Prof. Sriprapha Petcharamesree, Ph.D.
Chair
4. Ms. Chalida Tacharoensak
Member
5. Ms. Charoonrat Suwanphusit
Member
6. Ms. Sunsanee Suthisansanee
Member
7. Ms. Bencharat Sae Chua
Member
8. Ms. Siriporn Nuanyong
Member
9. Ms. Nakorn Sitiyothin
Member
10. Ms. Munthita Supradit Na Ayudhya
Member
11. Mr. Sapsasit Kumpraphan
Member
12. Representative of Amnesty International (Thailand)Member
13. Representative from the Office for Basic Education
Member
14. Representative from the Office of the Private Education Commission
Member
15. Director of the Bureau of International Cooperation, the Ministry of Education
Member
16. Head, International Cooperation Section, Bureau of International Cooperation,
The Ministry of Education
Secretary
17. International Relations staff, Bureau of International Cooperation,
The Ministry of Education
Assistant to the Secretary
The NTHREs appointed in turn the respective national researchers:
1. Cambodia
Research Supervisors:a. H.E. Ton Sa Im

b. Mr. Leang Gnoun Ly

Researcher:c. Mrs. Chin Yahan

2. Indonesia
a. Agung Purwadi, Ph.D.

12

Undersecretary
State Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Deputy Director General Directorate General
Education Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Technical Staff
Pedagogical Research Department
Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports
Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Director
Center for Policy Research and Educational Innovation,
Ministry of National Education

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

INTRODUCTION
b. Mr. Philip Suprastowo

Researcher
Center for Policy Research and Educational Innovation,
Ministry of National Educationc. Mr. Iskandar Agung

Researcher
Center for Policy Research and Educational Innovation,
Ministry of National Educationd. Mr. Parwanto

Researcher
Center for Policy Research and Educational Innovation,
Ministry of National Educatione. Ms. Ika Asri

Researcher
Center for Policy Research and Educational Innovation,
Ministry of National Education
Researcher
Ministry of Law and Human Rights

f. Mr. Dimas Samudra Rum

g. Mr. Usman Surur

Researcher
Center for Policy Research and Educational Innovation,
Ministry of National Educationh. Mr. Agustinus

Researcher
Center for Policy Research and Educational Innovation,
Ministry of National Education

3. Laos
Advisory and Management Committee:
a. Assoc. Prof. Sisamone Sithirajvongsa, Ph.D.
Deputy Director General
Department of Planning and International Cooperation
Team Leader
b. Mrs. Yangxia Lee

Director General
CEWED, Manager and Author

Research and data collection team:a. Ms. Bouaphan Lathida

Head Division,
CEWED

b. Ms. Dara Khiemthammakhoune

Head Division,
CEWEDc. Ms. Somthavin Nanthavong

Head Division,
CEWED

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

13

INTRODUCTION
d. Ms. Bounyeng Xayavong

Head Division,
Research Institution of Education and Sciences
Head Division,
Department of Personnele. Ms. Viengkeo Phommavong

f. Mr. Sithat Outhaithany

Head Divisiong. Ms. Thongdeng Somchammavong

Head Division,
Lao NAC
Deputy Head Division,
Department of Secondary Educationh. Mr. Phengma Xayavongi. Mr. Pina Soukchaleun

Technical Staff,
CEWED

j. Ms. Kheungkham Singmanothong

Technical Staff,
CEWED

Data gathering and research report writing:
Ms. Somthavin Nanthavong

4. Thailanda. Ms. Suwitra Wongwareeb. Mr. Suwan Masmek

Head Division,
CEWED

Graduate Student
MA in Human Rights
Mahidol University Nakhon Pathom, Thailand
PhD Candidate
PhD in Human Rights and Peace Studies
Mahidol University Nakhon Pathom, Thailandc. Ms. Janchao Preukpongsawalee

Independent Researcher

The Regional Project Team comprises:
1. Mr. Jefferson R. Plantilla

Chief Researcher
HURIGHTS OSAKA
Osaka, Japan

Mr. Plantilla has been assigned for the over-all supervision of the team including
communication with the Advisory Panel and the preparation of reports. He is also
directly in-charge of monitoring the NTHREs in Indonesia and Cambodia.

14

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

INTRODUCTION
2. Ms. Bencharat Chua
Lecturer
The Office of Human Rights Studies and Social Development
Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand
Ms. Chua has been assigned to monitor the NTHREs in Thailand and Laos, andsupport the preparation of project reports.
3. Mr. Toshihiro Ohashi

Head of the Administrative Section
HURIGHTS OSAKA
Osaka, Japan

Mr. Ohashi is responsible for the administrative requirements, particularly thefinancial component, of the project.

The Advisory Panel is composed of the following:
Human Rights Officer
Methodology, Education and Training Unit / RRDB,
Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR),
Geneva, Switzerland

1. Ms. Elena Ippoliti

Associate Expert
Education and Human Rights
UNESCO Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education,
Bangkok, Thailand

2. Mr. Johan Lindeberg

This publication is the full report on the results of the implementation of the project.
In addition to the national research reports, it includes a compilation of some of thebest practices in human rights education in schools in Southeast Asia and other partsof the Asian region. The publication ends with a summary of the contents of thenational research reports.

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

15

INTRODUCTION

Endnotes
1
UNGA resolution A/RES/59/113A, 10 December 2004.
2
Extended to 2009 by Human Rights Council resolution (A/HRC/6/L.16) on the World
Programme for Human Rights Education (WPHRE), 24 September 2007.
3
WPHRE, para. 21.
4This guide is based on HURIGHTS OSAKA’s research project on policy and school curriculum
analysis and the survey of human rights awareness by secondary level students in three countries(India, Philippines and Japan). Policy and school curriculum analysis was also undertaken in Sri
Lanka.
5
See “Report – National Meeting for the Discussion on the research report on “Human Rights
Education in the School System in Cambodia” (11 September 2008), and “Report on the outcomeon the meeting to finalise the self-evaluation report on the implementation of human rights inschool at the MOE” (12 August 2008, Lao PDR).

16

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

CAMBODIA

National ReportOn
Human Rights Education in the School System of Cambodia
Chin Yahan
Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport

I. Context
Historical Context
Cambodia has a long history dating back more than a thousand years. Kingdoms
existed since the first century in the territory now known as Cambodia. In recent
times, Cambodia has suffered from more than two decades of civil war. During thistime, more than three million people were killed, and almost four million more
became victims of torture, forced labor and other human rights violations. This dark
period, known as the Era of the Genocide Crime, started on 17 April 1975 and ended
on 7 January 1979 (Liberation Day). On this day, the Kampuchea United Front for
National Salvation completed the defeat of the Khmer Rouge regime and allowed theCambodian people to regain their freedom.
Returning home

Returning to the city

Courtesy of Documentation Center of Cambodia

Courtesy of Documentation Center of Cambodia

The new Government following the liberation of Phnom Penh, with the official
commitment to respect human rights forming a major policy, immediately adopted aneight-point minimum manifesto. The manifesto states that the “People's Republic of
Kampuchea is implementing the aspirations of the people concerning democratic
freedoms, freedom of religion, the right to work, to rest and to education; it respects
the dignity and privacy of all citizens and establishes sexual equality and equality
among the various nationalities living in Kampuchea.”

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

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CAMBODIAThe People's Republic of Kampuchea pursued a foreign policy of peace, friendshipand non-alignment, striving to contribute to the “cause of peace, stability andprosperity in Southeast Asia, and to the cause of peace and progress the world over"1
Following Liberation Day, Cambodia started to rise again from the situation ofcomplete destruction of the physical and socio-economic and cultural infrastructure.
Cambodians joined hands to rehabilitate and rebuild the nation in all fields, with thesupport from within and outside the country.
Cambodia has a population of over thirteen million at present in a total land area of
181,035 square kilometers.

Constitutional/legal context
From 1979 up to 2008, Cambodia faced the challenges of national reconstruction,unity, and rehabilitation as well as taking responsibility for its destiny. It strove to
evolve toward progress, development, prosperity, glory, and the Rule of Law. The
country’s first Constitution after the Khmer Rouge regime ended was adopted andamended several times in response to the situation, until the present Constitution was
adopted in 1993. Cambodia has started ratifying several United Nations human rights
instruments since the new Government was established in 1979.
The Constitution of the People’s Republic of Kampuchea, promulgated in June 1981,
has a provision assuring respect for the Convention on the Prevention and Punishmentof the Crime of Genocide (CPPCG)2 attached to the chapter on the “Obligation of thePeople” to be undertaken under the lead of a single Cambodian Political Party. In
April 1989, the Constitution was amended to provide for a multi-party system,
extending the mandate of the Constitutional Assembly, and defining the task of the
National Council of the State.
Regarding national reconciliation, the Supreme National Council, that is the uniqueand legitimate source of authority during the transitional period, and in whichsovereignty, independence and the unity of Cambodia are enshrined, adopted the Paris
Agreement on 23 October 1991. The agreement provides for the following on humanrights:PART III: HUMAN RIGHTS
Article 151) All persons in Cambodia and all Cambodian refugees and displaced persons shallenjoy the rights and freedoms embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights and other relevant international human rights instruments.
2) To this end,a) Cambodia undertakes:
To ensure respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms in
Cambodia;18

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

CAMBODIA
To support the rights of all Cambodian citizens to undertake activities that promote
and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms;
To adhere to relevant international human rights instruments.
b) The other Signatories to this Agreement undertake to promote and encourage
respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms in Cambodia
as embodied in the relevant international instruments and the relevant resolutions of
the United Nations General Assembly, in order, in particular, to prevent therecurrence of human rights abuses.3

Another set of constitutional amendments occurred in April 1992 regarding theauthority of the Constitutional Assembly and the mandate and task of the Council of
Ministers (considered as the Government of the State of Cambodia).
On 21 September 1993, as a result of the 1991 Paris Peace Agreement, the newConstitutional Assembly comprised of members from different political parties
adopted a new Constitution named The Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia.
This Constitution provides for a liberal democracy and pluralism as the country’s
political system and a market economy system. It enshrines more clearly the rights
and duties of Khmer citizens with links to the UN human rights instruments. A wholechapter (Chapter III, Articles 31 to 48) is devoted to the rights and obligations of
Khmer citizens. Article 31 of the Constitution states that:
The Kingdom of Cambodia shall recognize and respect human rights as stipulated in the
United Nations Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the covenants andconventions related to human rights, women's and children's rights. Every Khmer citizen
shall be equal before the law, enjoying the same rights, freedom and fulfilling the sameobligations regardless of race, color, sex, language, religious belief, political tendency, birth
origin, social status, wealth or other status. The exercise of personal rights and freedom by
any individual shall not adversely affect the rights and freedom of others. The exercise ofsuch rights and freedom shall be in accordance with the law.

On 31 May 1997, the Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia was again amended
to accommodate the United Nations human rights instruments, namely, theInternational Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the International
Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), theInternational Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination(ICERD), the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the Convention Relating
to the Status of Refugees/ Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees (CRSR), theSupplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade andInstitutions and Practices Similar to Slavery (SCAS), and the Convention Against
Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT).
On 6 March 1999, the Constitutional Assembly adopted a new constitution based on
the 1993 Constitution but with new provisions, such as the establishment of aConstitutional Monarchy, specific tasks for the King, the right for people aged at least
40 years to stand as candidates for election to the Senate, and the establishment of the

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

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CAMBODIA
Senate and related tasks. On 2 July 2001, a constitutional amendment was passed
consisting of a provision for the nomination of a Prime Minister and members of aCouncil of Ministers. In 2004, the Constitution was amended with provisions
modifying the system for nominating members of the legislative and executive bodies.
Parallel to the development of the Cambodian Constitution was a series ofratifications of international human rights instruments. In 1983, Cambodia ratified the
ICERD.4 In 1992, several international human rights instruments were also ratified,namely, the ICCPR, ICESCR, CEDAW, CAT, CRC, CRSR, and the Protocol relating
to the Status of Refugees (PSR). In 2000, Cambodia ratified the International Labor
Organization (ILO) instruments, namely, Convention numbers 87, 98, 100, 105, 111,
and 138. 5 In 2002, Cambodia ratified two more international human rights
instruments, namely, the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of theChild on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography (OPCRC) and
the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (RSICC).
In summary, while the constitutional structure continues to develop over the years,
Cambodia’s support for human rights and democracy likewise moves forward. The
Constitution, being the “Supreme Law of the Kingdom of Cambodia”, provides theparameters that all laws and decisions of State organs have to abide by.
The practical application of the constitutional provisions and international
commitments to human rights is shown by the numerous official celebrations held
throughout the year:
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x

20

7 January
31 January
24 February
4 March
8 March
22 March
24 March
7 April
30 April
3 May
8 May
15 May31 May1 June5 June12 June26 June1 July9 July12 August- Day of Victory over the Genocidal Regime- Day of Dental Health- Day of Mine Clearance- Day of Policy on Water- International Day for Women- Day of World Water and Meteorology- Day of Wiping Out Tuberculosis- Day of World Health- Day of Joining ASEAN- Day of Freedom of the Press- Day of Red Cross- International Day of the Family- Day of the World Without Tobacco- International Day of Children- Day of National & International Environment- World Day against Child Labor- Day Against Addictive Drugs- Day of Fish
- Day of Plantation- International Day of Youth

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

CAMBODIA
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x

8 September
9 September
16 September
21 September
24 September
1 October
5 October23 October
9 November
23 November
1 December
3 December
10 December
4 December- Day of National & International Literacy- Day of the World Without Smoke- International Day of the Ozone Environment- International Day of Peace- Day of Publication of the Constitution- Day of Old Age- Day of Teachers- Day of Peace Agreement in Paris- Day of National Independence Festival- Day of Hygienic Environment- Day against HIV/AIDS- Day of World Handicaps- Human Rights Day- Day of Joining as a Member of the UN

Furthermore, the Government (through its ministries) has been working with the morethan two thousand non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other members of
Cambodian civil society in raising human rights awareness and promoting the rule oflaw.

Educational context
Along with the development of the constitutional/legal structure, the educational
structure has likewise developed during the past two decades.
Starting in 1979 and up to 2008, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports(MoEYS) engaged in the improvement of the quality of education through reform of
the formal education system, the school curriculum, textbooks, and the teachinglearning approach.
The duration of the formal education system was changed three times as seen in thefollowing, to meet the goal of increasing teaching-learning sessions as well as todeepen knowledge acquired by children.
a. 1979 – 1986 period - thirteen years (four years for primary + three years forlower secondary + three years for upper secondary + three years for higher
education) or 4+3+3+3.
b. 1986 – 1996 period - fifteen years (5+3+3+4).
c. 1996 up to the present time – sixteen years (6+3+3+4).
In the meantime, the teaching–learning approach in the formal education system waschanged from teacher-centered to a student-centered approach.

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

21

CAMBODIAThe School System
The current school system has the following components:
1. Pre- School- Lower Step (three year old children)- Medium Step (four year old children)- High Step (five year old children)
2. Basic education - nine years
The nine years of basic education comprise two stages:
Primary School
Six grade levels:
x Grade 1 (six year old children)
x Grade 2 (seven year old children)
x Grade 3 (eight year old children)
x Grade 4 (nine year old children)
x Grade 5 (ten year old children)
x Grade 6 (eleven year old children)
Lower Secondary School
Three grade levels:
x Grade 7 (twelve year old children)
x Grade 8 (thirteen year old children)
x Grade 9 (fourteen year old children) - the students have to pass an examination toprogress to the Upper Secondary level.
Upper Secondary School
Three grade levels:
x Grade 10 (fifteen year old students)
x Grade 11 (sixteen year old students)
x Grade 12 (seventeen year old students) - the students have to pass anotherexamination to progress to higher education.
3. Higher Education
Schooling in universities and institutes lasts from four to seven years.
Cambodia has a total of 8,644 public universities/institutions/schools and around one
hundred private institutions, broken down into the following:x Sixteen national universities and institutes and around twenty private universities
and institutes (from selected education educators 2005-2006).

22

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

CAMBODIA
x 252 public upper secondary schools and around thirty private upper secondary

schools (from selected education educators 2005-2006).
x 670 public lower secondary schools and around thirty private lower secondary

schools (from selected education educators 2005-2006).
x 6,472 public primary schools and around thirty private primary schools (fromeducation report of the Department of Primary Education 2007-2008).
x 1,429 public pre-schools and around forty private pre-schools (from selectededucation educators 2005-2006).
Policymaking process
Several policies and educational strategic plans adopted by MoEYS have a clear
relationship with human rights education, including the law that it has proposed:x
Policy for Curriculum Developmentx
Policy for Child Friendly Schoolsx
Policy of Education for Children with Disabilityx
Educational Strategic Planx
Policy for Genderx
Policy for Education for Allx
ICT in Education Policyx
Non-Formal Education Policy, etc.
x
Education Law.
These policies, the strategic plan and law were developed through a common process
consisting of consultations with various institutions and stakeholders. For example,
the central commission that was drafting the Educational Strategic Plan consulted
with,
x All Provincial Offices for Education, Youth and Sport (considered as the basic
partners).
x All related institutions in the same level (considered as inter-related partners).
x All related Councils of Administrative Reforms (considered as thesupervisors).
x All related national and international organizations or commissions(considered as the stakeholders).

II. Education laws and policies, the curriculum, and programsa. Policy for Curriculum Development for general education
The Policy for Curriculum Development for general education (Grades 1-12) was
developed in 2004 to improve the quality and efficiency of education. The
establishment of a policy for curriculum development is a necessary task to provide a
guide for the development of the school curriculum. MoEYS produced it at the time
when Cambodia was moving ahead in all aspects - economic, social and cultural.

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

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CAMBODIAThe policy is intended to cover all government plans and targets, including the Second
Cambodian Socio-economic Development Plan, the Governmental Poverty
Alleviation Strategies, the Education for All (EFA) for 2003-2015, the Education
Strategic Plan (ESP) and the Education Sector Support Program (ESSP), and so on.
The policy is a response to the demands of globalization, regionalization andindividualization. The policy contributes to equitable access to basic education,
expansion of the public-private education partnership for high quality secondary
education, and increase in accountability in developing standards in the three schoollevels (primary, lower, and upper secondary).
The key features of the 1996 Core Curriculum have been upgraded and improved. For
example, the Policy for Curriculum Development establishes teaching time allocation.
It provides time in the curriculum for the Local Life Skills Program (LLSP) and offers
a subject choice selection for Grades 11 and 12 students by adding learning hours foreach subject. It should be noted that students learn fewer subjects than before under
the policy.
This policy provides for implementation start in schools all over the country in theschool year 2007-2008 for Grade 1 and in school year 2008-2009 for Grade 7 andGrade 10.
b. Policy for Education for All (6 goals by 2015)
The Policy for Education for All was adopted and published in Khmer in 2005. This
policy consists of the following content:
x Overview
x Development and support in early childhoodx Basic Education in the School System
x Life Skills Education in formal education and non-formal education
x Literacy for Adulthoodx Elimination of gender gap in primary and secondary education
x Reform and improvement in the quality and effectiveness of education in
all aspects.
This policy is currently being implemented.
c. Educational Strategic PlanAmong various strategic documents from the past, two recent Educational Strategic
Plans have been selected for examination. The Educational Strategic Plan 2001–2005,
which reflects the reform of education in Cambodia, enabled notable progress inproviding equality in schooling access, the improvement of quality, curriculum
standard, and management in education. Its implementation provided lessons for the
next policy.

24

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

CAMBODIAThe Educational Strategic Plan 2006–2010 identifies the education policy andstrategic priority of the reform of education for the following five-year period. The
MoEYS has been prioritizing the provision of equality in schooling access and qualityof basic education, which is the Goal and Strategy of the National Plan for Education
for All, during this period. This plan, implemented in partnership with private
stakeholders, NGOs, and communities of parents, has also highlighted:x
Expansion of Early Childhood Educationx
Expansion of Non-Formal Education and Professional Training for Youthx
Increasing opportunities for Secondary Education access and Higher
Education accessx
Ensuring the encouragement of capacity-building for educatorsx
Enforcing Education Law, good management, and accountability.
d. Education Law
The Education Law, adopted on 21 November 2007 and introduced on 8 December
2007, is a new instrument to strengthen education. The following are some provisionsof this law that relate to human rights education:
Education in this Law focuses on the Learning Development Process or Physical, Spiritual,
Mental and Moral Development Training obtained through all educational activities thatenables learners to gain sets of Knowledge, Expertise, Competences, and Values to become
good person benefiting themselves, their family, community, nation, and the world. (About
the General Disposition, Provision 4, Chapter 1).

This definition of education comprehensively covers various kinds of education
including the teaching/learning of human rights.
However, all good educators in the world admire a good person firstly because of
his/her values regarding the respect for human rights.
Another provision of the education law states that a Supreme National Council of
Education should be established with the following tasks:xx
x

Propose to the Royal Government the education policy and long-term
strategy to respond to the needs of national socio-economic development.
Assess periodically the activities of the Royal Government related toeducation, technical and vocational training,
Gather all resources for the benefit of education.
(About the Supreme National Council of Education, Provision 5, Chapter 2).

The above provision reveals the sustained and endless call for contributions from allconcerned stakeholders for the benefit of education. This shows the Government’s
will to respect the right to participation.
The Education Law recognizes the participation of various institutions in establishingeducational institutions as shown in the following provisions:

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

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CAMBODIA
a. About the Administration and Educational Management", stated on the establishmentof Academic Institutions, Provision 11, Chapter 3.
A public legal entity, private legal entity and/or any individual has the right to establish
an educational institution. The Ministry of Education should prepare for disposition andthe principles for the establishment and management of both public and private academic
institutions according to their type.

b. About the Educational Policy, Principle, Planning and Strategy, Provision 29,
Chapter 6.
The State should listen carefully to the contributions from all concerned, namely public
and private organizations, national organizations, international organizations, nongovernmental organizations and communities, in the process of the development,
establishment, assessment and monitoring of the implementation, proposition for thereview, and proposition for the revision of national policies, principles, planning, andstrategies for education.

The Education Law likewise has provisions recognizing respect for the political rights
and socio-economic rights of all citizens by publishing the so-called “Education rights
and duty” (Education Rights and Duty, Chapter 7). Regarding the right toparticipation in cultural development, the Education Law states:
The State should enhance and encourage charities in appropriate and necessary ways andaccepting education as the best investment.
All individuals, the priesthood, communities, local and international organizations, public
and private institutions have rights to full participation and contribution of resources
either human, material, or financial resources, aimed at supporting and developing the
educational premises.
Academic institution managers have rights to gather various legitimate resources from allareas to develop their institutions. The provision of resources should be on a voluntary
and non-conditional basis.
The Ministry of Education should ensure transparency and accountability in the
management of financial support for education.
(About the Resources for Education, Provision 44, Chapter 8).

Chapter 7 of the Education Law requires the realization of the rights of all citizens.
e. Policy for Child Friendly Schools
The Policy for Child Friendly Schools was approved and signed on 14 December
2007 after a successful trial run for fourteen years (1993 - 2006) and extended thetarget areas (ten provinces/municipalities – nationwide). The policy comprehensively
covers all basic education schools in the country. It is meant to ensure:x
The exercise of child rights as accepted universally.
x
The improvement of quality and effectiveness of basic education.
x
The success of decentralization of the education system.
x
The determination of MoEYS to achieve the Millennium Development
Goals, the Goals and Targets of the National Plan of Education for All,and Educational Strategic Plan.

26

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

CAMBODIAThe Policy for Child Friendly Schools presents:xx

Effective Strategies and Implementation Principles for Basic Education
through six components of the Child Friendly Schools program namely:x Equity in schooling accessx Effectiveness of education
x Child Protection
x Gender Equity
x Child Participationx National Support.
Two significant factors in education development:
x Ensuring equality of education
x Appeal for participation from all the partners concerned.

In reality, the MoEYS has allowed the implementation of the child-friendly school
project since 2002 with numerous international organizations and NGOs such as:xxx

UNICEF - it supported cluster schools in six provinces (Kampong
Thom, Kampong Speu, Prey Veng, Svay Rieng, Stoeng Treng, andUdor Mean Chey).
Save the Children Norway – it supported cluster schools in six
provinces and a municipality (Siem Reap, Kampong Chhnang, Pursat,
Preah Vihear, Udor Meanchey, Kampong Cham, and Phnom Penh).
Organization of Activities for Primary schools in Cambodia - itsupports cluster schools in Kampong Cham.

In addition, the Program for Child-Friendly Schools was adopted on 22 August 2005
as the framework for nationwide implementation.
The implementation of the program helped upgrade the mission and the quality ofbasic education. In 2007, thirty percent of all major primary schools in the childfriendly schools clusters have been upgraded to eight hundred and forty eight schools
for nine-year education (primary plus lower secondary school) from which thirtyseven schools were selected to test the Program for Child Friendly Schools. The
program will also extend to the upper secondary schools.
f. Policy of Education for Children with Disability
The Policy of Education for Children with Disability, being drafted in 2008,
comprehensively covers all children with disabilities and is meant to ensure that they
enjoy their rights to education similarly to other children without such disabilities.
This policy supports the Policy for Child Friendly Schools. The MoEYS is giving full
support to implementing this policy to meet the goals of the Educational Strategic
Plan as well as the National Plan for Education for All.

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CAMBODIA
g. Curriculum Standards for Basic Education
Curriculum Standards are the learning outcomes students should be able todemonstrate at the end of a particular stage of schooling. The Curriculum Standard for
Basic Education was developed in 2006 and has been mainstreamed to all students,
parents, and educational institutions as the criteria for a student’s outcome learningassessment.
h. School curriculum
Human rights are taught under the 1996 curriculum within appropriate subject areas,
especially social studies and the Khmer language, from pre-school education up tohigher education as described below:

28x

At pre-school education, human rights are taught through the many lessons
about “kindness without discrimination” including lessons with the titles of“Thanksgiving,” “How to say sorry,” “How to respect each other.”x

In primary education, human rights are taught through several lessons fordeeper understanding on personality development, namely learning in theframework of knowing oneself, the family and the community. Below aresome relevant lesson titles in the primary school curricula and textbooks:
x How to respect school discipline (prohibition on playing with orbringing in any kind of weapon).
x Avoiding any act leading to danger.
x How to walk safely along the roadside.
x Accepting one’s own mistakes.
x Studying the danger of explosives.
x Avoiding any gambling.
x Learning about the summary contents of some articles stipulated in the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the
Rights of the Child.
x Learning about some simple principle teachings of Buddha namely thefive Buddhist precepts for laypeople.

x

In secondary education, human rights are taught through lessons strengthening
students’ previous knowledge, emotion, and general skills using the framework ofself, the family, the community, and the national and international communities.
Below are some lesson titles extracted from the current curriculum (1996):
x Knowing oneself.
x Keeping good relationship with others.
x Prevention, management and conflict resolution.
x Respect for human rights.
x Peaceful world for children.
x Respect for the country's laws.
x Good governance.

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

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x
x
x
x
x
x

Prevention and condemnation of criminal acts.
Resolution of obstacles obstructing peace and community development.
The doctrine and principles of democracy.
Perception of basic teachings of other religions practiced in Cambodia.
Learning the international policy of the Kingdom of Cambodia.
Learning about ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations).

The Cambodian human rights education experience was presented in the Southeast
Asian Writing Workshop on Developing Human Rights Teaching Guides (SEA
Writeshop) in 2001. The workshop supported the realization of the objectives of theUnited Nations Decade for Human Rights Education (1995 – 2004) [UN Decade]through the publication of the Human Rights Lesson Plans for Southeast Asian
Schools. The UN Decade supported the development of human rights teachingmaterials and also promoted collaboration among institutions as an important meansof undertaking human rights education programs.

Many individuals and institutions in several Southeast Asian countries6 supported the
preparation of this publication. It promotes the idea for a multi-year human rights
curricular framework within which issues to be discussed in the lessons are decided
by the people developing the curricular framework at their respective level (national).
The human rights curricular framework, human rights concept, and core values
included in the 1996 curriculum for Cambodia are illustrated in the Cambodian
human rights curricular framework of this publication (see illustration, taken frompage 15 of the publication). The publication was translated into Khmer and printed for
distribution in Cambodia.

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

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CAMBODIA
GRADE
LEVEL

HR
CURRICULAR
FRAMEWORK

7

Self

8

9

10

11

12

ISSUES

HR CONCEPTCORE VALUES- The concept of- Child rights- Equality
development- Right to education- Love for- Rights and respect for - Right to develop one’s school
otherspotential- Self-reliance- Human rights violation - Right to privacy- Responsibility- Management of- Self-respect
problematic situations
Others- Relationship between - Non-discrimination- Humanity
people- Equality- Courtesy,- Discrimination- Right to be free frompoliteness- Moral conduct
discrimination- Sincerity- Sharing and caring- Acting in a spirit of- Charity
brotherhood/sisterhood - Sharing- Right to social security- Gender equality
Community - Rights and- Right to participation - Participation
responsibilities- Social rights- Creativity- Development- Economic rights- Responsibility- Environment- Fair-decision making - Respect for- Respect for rules
rules
Country- Poverty- Social rights- Patriotism- Insecurity- Civil rights- Cooperation- Rights and- Political rights- Responsibility
responsibility of the- Respect fornationrules- Solidarity- Culture and human- Right to freedom of- Conscientious
rightsreligionness- Healing the trauma of - Freedom of speech- Honesty
victims of human- Equality before the law - Responsibility
rights violations
and protection of the- Orderlinesslaw
Region and - Regionalization- Right to proper social - Responsibility
the World- Globalizationand international order - Open- Duty to the community mindedness
and limitation of rights - Cooperation- Action against any of - Respect andthe rights under thelove for labor
UDHR not a right
Figure 1: Human Rights Curricular Framework of Cambodia

This human rights curricular framework is based on the 1996 school curriculum andincluded in the Human Rights Lesson Plans for Southeast Asian Schools publication.

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Considering the new school curriculum from the academic year 2008 – 2009 onward,
human rights concepts can be integrated into the curriculum in the following manner:
Basic Education in Cambodia
No.

Grade Level

HR concept/
HR realization

Number of Learning
Hours(for HR Education)

Total Learning
Hours inSchool year
( for all subjects)

Percentage
%

14

950

1.49

24

950

2.52

8

950

0.82

12

950

1.26

22

950

2.31

23

950

2.42

Primary School
CRC:
Right to protection
CRC:
Right to protection
2
Grade 2Right to education
Right to development
CRC:
Right to protection
3
Grade 3Right to education
Right to development
CRC:
Right to protection
4
Grade 4Right to education
Right to development
Right to participation
CRC:
Right to protection
5
Grade 5Right to education
Right to development
Right to participation
CRC:
Right to protection
6
Grade 6
Right to education
Right to development
Right to participation
Lower Secondary School
CRC:
Right to protection
Right to education
7
Grade 7Right to participation
Right to belief
Right to nondiscrimination
CRC:
Right to participation
8
Grade 8Right to belief
Right to nondiscrimination
CRC:
Right to participation
Right to freedom ofbelief9
Grade 9Right to nondiscrimination
Right to Freedom of
association
1

Grade 1

41

1140

3.59

43

1140

3.77

34

1140

2.98

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

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CAMBODIA
Upper Secondary School
UDHR:
Right to freedom of
10
Grade 10expression
Right to be protected by
law
ICCPR
11
Grade 11
ICESCR
UDHR
12
Grade 12ICCPRICESCR

8

1140

0.70

8

1260

0.63

28

1260

2.22

All human rights concepts integrated in the 2009 school curriculum are Constitutionbased rights, or human rights contained in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights(UDHR), the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), and the Convention on
the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

Right to participation in the education sector
The Education Sector Support Programme (ESSP) 2006-2010 was established to “putinto practice” the “policies and strategies laid out in the Educational Strategic Plan
(ESP) 2006-2010… The ESSP identifies the necessary program activities andpriorities for reaching the Cambodian Millennium Development Goals and the goals
set out in the National EFA Plan.” In order to do this, it promotes the multistakeholder approach by saying that;
The MoEYS recognises that an effective sector wide management and monitoring
approach will necessitate collaborative planning with other key stakeholders, including
the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MoEF), Ministry of the Interior (MoI), Ministry ofPlanning (MoP) and the Council for Administrative Reform (CAR). The ESP and ESSP
also emphasize the need for strategic negotiation and consultation with other development
partners, including donors, NGOs and civil society. Proposals for building up capacityand partnerships for strengthened sector-wide management and monitoring, alongside thecapacity building required for improved planning and management of the priority
programs, are set out in Section 3.2.7

The above quotation reveals the determination of the Government to open
opportunities to realize the right to participation for stakeholders in the education
sector.
In summary, the MoEYS at the present has substantial and adequate legal instruments
supporting human rights education. However, the educational laws, policies andcurricula do not cover the whole range of human rights, since they were developed fora limited range of objectives and tasks in the education sector. Obviously, some ofthem focus on particular human rights issues, such as the right to access schooling,right to quality education, right to non-discrimination, right to freedom of expression,right to freedom of association, etc.

32

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CAMBODIABest practices on human rights education in the school system
In general, in the school system, the following aspects have been followed:x
Awareness improvement regarding human rights has been integrated in
the teaching-learning sessions of the Moral-Civic subject in classes, extraclasses and co-curricular activities at all grade levels of general education.
Generally, each lesson is delivered using the 4A process (Activity,
Analysis, Abstraction, and Application). In the teaching-learning process,the teacher always asks “Do children have the right to do this? …Or to dothat?” or “Do adults have right to do this? …Or to do that?”x
Assessment of human rights awareness is conducted through a monthly
test, composition test, and national examination test.
xChild protection programs against drug abuse, child labor, childtrafficking, anti-mine and UXO have been implemented. In the program
implementation, children have lessons entitled “Caring for Life is a
Human Right.”
x
The Child-Friendly School Program has been introduced andmainstreamed throughout the country. This school program has instructedchildren to become aware that they are assured of equality in school
access, enjoyment of a good educational environment governed by theprinciples of solidarity, freedom, equality, equity, physical, mental, andpsychological well being.
However, the application of the student-centered approach in teaching-learning
activities has been found problematic due to a number of obstacles such as insufficientteaching-learning materials, over-crowded classes, subsistence standard living ofteachers, poverty of children and parents, etc.
The prospect of meeting the goal for human rights education is not bright unless there
is significant development in human rights understanding and commitment ofeducators, and related stakeholders. Thus, human rights training for all citizens, notjust children, should be prioritized in Cambodia.
Policy implementation
Since the new Government was inaugurated after the 1991 Paris Peace Agreement,
Cambodia has become a recipient of support for human rights activities frominternational organizations (through their agencies, offices, organizations andprograms) and local and foreign NGOs.
Some Cambodian NGOs pioneered the implementation of programs on human rights
education in schools. One NGO, LICADHO, began its activities in 1992. The main
objective of the program was to raise awareness of human rights and democracy at alllevels of society through group training and dissemination of information. It
established provincial offices with educators who implement the program at theprovincial level. The provincial offices produce human rights information material. It

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CAMBODIA
broadened its program after the elections of May 1993 by using the book of theUnited Nations Transitional Authority for Cambodia (UNTAC) for the “general
populace, including students, but without specific adjustments in the curriculum forparticular target groups such as school children."8
Another NGO, the Cambodian Institute for Human Rights (CIHR) devoted its effort
for training teachers on human rights. The CIHR has implemented the "Human Rights
Teaching Methodology" project in partnership with MoEYS for about three years.
Following is an account of its partnership work with the MoEYS9The program developed in several stages. First, a direct meeting was sought with the
Minister of Education, in order to get approval for the writing of a curriculum for all
grades. The CIHR emphasized to the Minister that this would be his project, and its
success would reflect positively upon his Ministry. Care was taken to ensure support fromother ranking officials, including both Prime Ministers, by involving them later in the
CIHR activities, such as mass graduation ceremonies.
The Ministry of Education curriculum writers in tandem with the CIHR then drafted thecurriculum, a graduated one covering all 11 grade levels at primary and secondary
schools. To start, an introductory seminar was held with Ministry officials to help themwith their knowledge of human rights and guide their work. Members of NGOs, women'sgroups, students, etc. were also invited to contribute to the seminar. The result was six
illustrated teachers' manuals covering all grade levels. For each grade, there is an active
curriculum (human rights as a separate subject) and an integrated curriculum, in whichhuman rights are inserted into other subjects, such as reading and literature. These books
were completed in 1994.
After the curriculum was drafted and officially approved by the Ministry of Education,
the Ministry informed the CIHR that this was not enough to get human rights into theclassroom. Cambodia's teachers, it was pointed out, could not use the curriculum
effectively without being trained in it. Thousands of Cambodia's teachers had beenslaughtered by the Khmer Rouge. New teachers had been recruited afterwards, but often
they had only a few years of education themselves and very little training or experience.

The MoEYS’s requirement that the CIHR train teachers led to a second "Ambitious
phase of the project: to teach all Cambodia's more than 70,000 primary and secondary
teachers how to teach human rights, democracy, and non-violence in the classroom.”
By the mid-1990s, “over 17,000 teachers, including most of Cambodia's secondary
teachers, had been trained. About 40% of the trainees are women."10 The CIHR went
on to have a professional evaluation of the training program which showedsatisfactory results, such as “…September 1996, 18,637 teachers and education
officials had been trained in human rights teaching methodology, which means thatroughly 1 million pupils per year were exposed to the concepts of human rights anddemocracy."11 The training program involved senior master trainers, secondary school
teachers, primary school master trainers, primary school teachers in training, andprimary school teachers. Another account states that;“Records show that 40,000 teachers had been trained by the time the project ceased on
October 2001. Every school in Phnom Penh had teacher representatives attending two

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sessions. Every secondary school and teacher training institution in the country wascovered. The project provided 5.5 days training, issued materials, and demonstrated how
human rights could be taught as a subject on its own, or, given the congested timetable,
integrated into several other subjects. Human rights education had been conducted on alarge scale in communities throughout Cambodia, often in schools, by international andlocal human rights organizations over the past 10 years.”12

Another NGO, the Child Rights Fund (CRF), with its mission on Child Rights
Realization in Schools, Children and Youth Empowerment, and Child Rights
Realization in Communities, has also exhibited outstanding success in promoting
child rights and child participation in Cambodia.
- Over 4,800 teachers, teacher trainees, Teacher Training Center instructors,
school administrators and government officials have received training in Child
Rights (CR) and Responsibilities, Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation ofChildren (TSEC), and Promoting Positive Discipline.
- Over 1,000 child and youth activists have been trained in Child Rights andmonitoring implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of
the Child.
- Over 40,000 children and youths have learned about CR, TSEC and otherissues affecting them at school and community events....13
In addition, in 1996 the MoEYS held in-service training on teaching orientation about
the use of textbooks and teaching guides in all subjects.
From 1996, the MoEYS undertook the following main tasks:
x Enhanced the implementation of principles on free primary school access.
x Prioritized the elimination on all forms of discrimination and obstacles
blocking schooling access for children, especially children with disabilities
and children of minorities.
x Made efforts to reform the teaching–learning methodology.
x Developed education programs to fulfill the needs of children.
x Integrated human rights concepts into the Khmer language and Moral–Civic
subjects.
The MoEYS also initiated a series of activities aimed at strengthening the quality ofhuman rights education in schools. In 2003, it dispatched one officer (Ms. Chin
Yahan) to attend a series of regional workshops on human rights education organizedby HURIGHTS OSAKA.14 The workshops led to the publication of the Human Rights
Lesson Plans for Southeast Asian Schools in October 2003. One year later (October2004), the Khmer version of the publication was published with six hundred and fifty
copies and distributed to all the twenty-four Provincial Offices of Education in
Cambodia. In April 2005, three education officers (Mr. Eng Kim Ly, Vice-Director,
Department of Pedagogical Research, Ms. Thach Thy Saran, Vice Head, Office ofCurriculum Development; Ms Chin Yahan, Curriculum Developer) attended aregional seminar launching the publication. The seminar resulted in the developmentof an action plan to strengthen human rights education and activities on use of the
publication.

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

35

CAMBODIAIn May 2005, the draft Cambodian action plan was proposed and reviewed in aregional seminar. The action plan entitled the “Project on training how to integrate
human rights in the school curriculum, teaching-learning materials, and school
environment, 2005 - 2007” was approved, and the implementation plan included
human rights NGOs. In November 2005, the action plan was introduced at the
National Consultation Workshop organized by the Department of PedagogicalResearch of MoEYS and funded by UNESCO Phnom Penh. The workshop resulted in
the following recommendations:x
MoEYS should encourage respect for and the realization of human rights inthe school system.
x
It should strengthen the ability of school teachers who have significant
responsibility for human rights education, and the central officers in charge ofmonitoring human rights implementation.
x
It should continue to integrate the human rights concept at all levels of theteacher training program.
x
It should submit a request to the UNESCO office located in the country as
well as in the region asking for support for a consultant and funding to develop
national planning for the future.
x
It should continue to integrate human rights and child rights into specificrelevant subjects.
x
It should cooperate with human rights NGOs.
However, after the national consultation workshop, implementation of the action planfailed to take place because of lack of funding support.
On 29–30 May 2007, the Department of Pedagogical Research held another national
training workshop called the “Human Rights, Peace and Development-based
Education” funded by UNESCO Phnom Penh, in consideration of the translation andpublication of the Khmer version of the Human Rights Lesson Plans for Southeast
Asian Schools (with the support of UNESCO, Bangkok) in October 2004. The
workshop had the participation of Cambodian educators in the April 2005 workshop
in Manila on the publication (with the support of the Office of the United Nations
High Commissioner on Human Rights), and considered the two-year project planningon the human rights integration into the formal school curricula, teaching/learningmaterials and the school environment for 2005-2007 (proposed by the Department ofPedagogical Research, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports), the November 2005
consultation workshop (with the support of UNESCO Phnom Penh) and the adoptionof the MoEYS plan for human rights education, the reprinting of the Khmer versionof the Human Rights Lesson Plans for Southeast Asian Schools (again with support
for UNESCO Phnom Penh) in July 2006, and the need to provoke the interest ofconcerned institutions in implementing the MoEYS plan for human rights education.

The workshop had the following objectives:- To develop and propose a cadre of teacher trainers for the integration ofhuman rights into the school curriculum in each region of Cambodia.

36

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

CAMBODIA--

To introduce the Human Rights Lesson Plans for Southeast Asian Schools(Khmer version) as a basic material both for training teachers and use inside
the classroom by:x Discussion on human rights concepts – based on the Universal Declarationof Human Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
x Discussion of the integration approach as applicable to human rights
education.
x Introduction of the Human Rights Lesson Plans for Southeast Asian
Schools as the example of how human rights are integrated into different
school subjects.
x Exercises on the use of the Human Rights Lesson Plans for Southeast
Asian Schools.
x Exercises on training teachers on human rights practice.
x Planning on the follow-up and monitoring of training teachers on humanrights/human rights education practice.
To develop and propose a system for monitoring the training of teachers on
human rights education.

With seventy-nine participants from the MoEYS,15 local human rights NGOs,16 and
UNESCO Phnom Penh office, the workshop resulted in the following:- The human rights concept was clearly understood through the presentations,question-and-answer and group discussions, and resulted in activities planningfor human rights promotion for each respective institution/unit.
- The participants proposed various ideas and recommendations to ascertain thestrategies needed to achieve the goal of Human Rights, Peace andDevelopment-based Education such as:
9 The human rights and peace climate should be nurtured continuously in thefield of education in Cambodia.
9 The Human Rights Lesson Plans for Southeast Asian Schools should be
reprinted and offered as a material for use in the follow up of pre-service
and in-service training workshops for school teachers.
9 All the materials and ideas especially related to the human rights teachinglearning process gained from this workshop should be delivered to allprovincial officers, school teachers, students and parents.
9 UNESCO and/or other relevant agencies should provide more support tocarry out the follow-up training workshops at provincial, district andcommunity levels.
9 All the messages from this workshop should be conveyed to the otherofficials at the lower levels at least during the monthly meeting.
Overall, this workshop provided the MoEYS with a powerful cadre of teacher trainers
coming from all regions of the country. Second, another thousand copies of thesecond edition of the Khmer version of the Human Rights Lesson Plans for Southeast
Asian Schools, were distributed to the participants. In total, each provincial Office of
Education received fifty copies of the publication for distribution to selected schools
and teacher training centers in each province. However, the number of copies was

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

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CAMBODIA
insufficient compared to the 23,997 copies (three copies for each of the 7,999 schools)
needed for the whole country.
Two different surveys (the surveys of October 2007 and May 2008) undertaken in
selected target schools and institutions in all twenty-four provinces and municipalities
received thousands of replies. But, because of a time limitation for coding the replies,
only some of them were selected at random.
In general, the 2007 survey results show that around 80 percent of all respondents(consisting of education officers, teachers and students) understand the human rights
concept.
In one particular category of the 2007 questionnaire, 456 primary and secondary
school students’ data sheets (238 female) were randomly selected from the 1,440 onesreceived from the twenty-four provinces and municipalities, to be coded and analyzed.
The following is data collected from their answers to the question asking for theirrecommendation related to the understanding of the human rights concept:
x 32.7% requested a higher quality of education.
x 18.0% requested a higher standard of living.
x 12.3% demanded the donation of learning materials.
x 6.1% invited raising the awareness of human rights in local communities.
x 4.4% invited raising the awareness of human rights for some teachers.
x 2.4% requested the donation of scholarships for poor children.
x 2.4% said thanks for giving opportunities for them in answering thequestionnaire and suggested this activity be applied every year.
x 2.4% appealed for all children to treat each other with tolerance.
x 1.3% invited child rights to be disseminated to all children throughout thecountry.
x 1.1% requested a sufficient number of teachers in their school.
x 0.4% appealed for all children to avoid drug abuse or they will damage
themselves.
x Finally, 16.4% offered no idea.
This research shows that the human rights training project of the MoEYS, incollaboration with various civil society institutions (domestic and international NGOs)
has merely an acceptable result. It shows that the effort has been confronted withmany kinds of barriers including poverty. Obviously, the recommendations ofstudents above reflect the concerns related to human rights education to be resolved
from now on.
In concrete, human rights education in schools needs to be applied in parallel withfulfilling the demand for a sufficient number of teachers, instruction materials,
support for teachers’ living expenses, and the application of a strategy on poverty
alleviation, etc.

38

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

CAMBODIAIII. Analysis of laws, policies, education goals, curricula and programs
The 1993 Constitution recognizes human rights as stated in Article 31:
The Kingdom of Cambodia shall recognize and respect human rights as stipulated in the
United Nations Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the covenants andconventions related to human rights, women’s and children’s rights.
Every Khmer citizen shall be equal before the law, enjoying the same rights, freedom andfulfilling the same obligations regardless of race, color, sex, language, religious belief,
political tendency, birth origin, social status, wealth or other status.
The exercise of personal rights and freedom by any individual shall not adversely affect therights and freedom of others. The exercise of such rights and freedom shall be inaccordance with the law.

The first phase plan of action of the World Programme for Human Rights Education
defines human rights education as;“Education, training and information aimed at building a universal culture of human rights.
A comprehensive education in human rights not only provides knowledge about humanrights and the mechanisms that protect them, but also imparts the skills needed to promote,defend and apply human rights in daily life. Human rights education fosters the attitudes
and behavior needed to uphold human rights for all members of society.”

From the perspective of the Cambodian constitutional provision on human rights andthe United Nations definition of human rights education, the existing policies,
curricula, and programs in Cambodia are analyzed as below.

a. Policy for Curriculum Development 2005 - 2009
The Policy for Curriculum Development 2005–2009 is seen as a tool that provides theopportunity for human rights education in the school system. Some attitudes and skills
for basic education prescribed by the policy relate to human rights. Provision 2.1
supports the right to education, right to participation, right to economic and social
development, right to freedom of expression, right to freedom of belief, etc. (Please
see the Annex).
A close examination of the curriculum shows that human rights concepts can betaught mainly and directly within the subject of Moral-Civic Education. This subject
is one of the four strands (Moral-Civic, History, Geography, and Home Economics) of
Social Study subjects and is a compulsory subject from Grades 1 to 10, and a selective
subject from Grades 11 to 12.
The right to protection in the CRC is discussed in the three compulsory lessons per
week in Grades 1 to 3 in the Science & Social Studies subjects that talk about basic
understanding on what should be done and what should not be done at home, on the

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

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CAMBODIA
public way to school, and at school, following Cambodian traditional customs and thecurrent rule of morality.
The rights to protection, development, and respect as a person with dignity, etc.
provided in the CRC are discussed in the four compulsory lessons per week for Grade
4 and five lessons per week for Grades 5-6 in the Science & Social Studies subject.
This subject includes discussion on the current rules of morality plus how to have
healthy relationships with each other as friends as well as people in the community,
and what are the proper things to do to preserve a safe and healthy naturalenvironment.
The two compulsory lessons per week for Grades 7-9 for Moral-Civic Education, as
one of the four strands of the Social Studies subject, discuss the basic understandingon:
x Women’s rights compared to gender stereotype.
x Healthy relationships between boys and girls.
x The good way of selecting good leaders or representatives from among aclass of children.
x Rights of children with disabilities compared with discrimination stereotypes.
x Peace and disarmament.
x Communal elections.
x The importance of working.
x Multi-cultural beliefs.
x Various human-rights-based opinions in the community regarding
appearance, quality, expertise, and proficiency of men compared to women,
and of one race compared to another.
x Principles for the peaceful resolution of conflicts occurring at work places, oramong people or nations.
x The way to preserve Khmer traditional customs and attitudes in accordancewith the rising awareness of human rights.
x Interesting principles of democracy.
x Significance of the concept of good governance.
x The ways to develop careers.
Basic understanding of these topics leads to the understanding of the right toprotection, development, participation, social security, gender equality, rights as aperson with dignity, etc., as stipulated in UDHR, CRC, and CEDAW.
In the Upper Secondary School Curriculum, the application of three more provisionsof the policy (provisions 9.3, 10.1, 11.1) and a deeper discussion of the concepts ofhuman rights based on UDHR, CRC, CEDAW, ICCPR, ICESCR, and some domestic
laws, have been integrated into the Moral-Civic subject education from Grades 10 to
12. In addition, the time for lessons in Grades 11 to 12 will increase from two up tosix hours per week.

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Nevertheless, there remains an uncertainty on how these lessons will “ensure that thestudents [will acquire] a more complex understanding of morality and civic
responsibilities” because the subject is still considered a strand of Social Studies andan elective subject despite the provision of the Education Law that "...Education on
morals and civics, on how to live together for peace, for sustainable development, on
how to respect the values of various cultures and traditions, should be determined as amain component of the core curriculum..."On the other hand, parents/local community/NGOs have a role to play in helping
schools with extra-curricular activities that support the Local Life Skills Program(LLSP) by providing opportunities for “training in specific life skills that have aparticular relevance to local students” (provisions 3.1 to 3.11).
The policy has provisions for students with disabilities or special needs (provisions
3.14 to 3.19).
The implementation of the new curriculum was supposed to have started from school
year 2007 - 2008 in Grade 1. As more grade levels are covered each year, newtextbooks and teacher guides have to be developed for each grade. The textbooks andteachers guide are being developed by the private sector, while the MoEYS isplanning the teacher training.
But the mechanism for human rights training as well as assessment is still to be seen.
The future contribution of any practical human rights education project will be needed
significantly for the benefit of replacing the failed national project (2005-2007). The
establishment an official monitoring system for human rights education covering thewhole process of the new project implementation is vitally interesting. However, there
is still no specific system for monitoring and evaluating the use of this approach.

b. Education Law
The Education Law is the main legal instrument that provides measures upholding
human rights education in the school system. It defines education as focusing on the“Learning Development Process or Physical, Spiritual, Mental and Moral
Development Training obtained through all educational activities which enable
learners to gain sets of Knowledge, Expertise, Competences, and Values to become
good people benefiting him/herself, his/her family, the community, the nation, and theworld" (provision 4, chapter 1).
This definition comprehensively covers various kinds of education not only theteaching/learning of human rights.
The law establishes a Supreme National Council for Education that not only proposes to
the Royal Government the education policy and long-term strategy to respond to theneeds of national socio-economic development, and assesses periodically the activities of

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

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CAMBODIA
the Royal Government related to education, technical and vocational training but also
gathers all resources for the benefit of education (provision 5, chapter 2).
This provision gives the basis for unending yet significant contributions from allconcerned stakeholders in education, not only in human rights education.
The law allows public and private entities to establish educational institutions,
therefore giving different types of institutions the chance to be involved in education.
The law likewise encourages contributions from public and private institutions
regarding development/establishment/ assessment/monitoring of education programs;
or review of educational policies, principles, plans, and strategies.
Finally, the law lists a number of rights and duties of all citizens that should be
realized, namely,
x Right to Education: All citizens have rights to access schooling for nine years
without payment in public schools. The Ministry of Education should
gradually adopt the policy, principles, strategic plan and measures to ensure
quality in education by following the general dispositions in this law.
(Provision 31)
x Right to equality in schooling access: Enrollment in Grade 1 for the general basic
education program should be applied to children six years old and over or at least
over seventy months old on the day of entering school. (Provision 32)
x Right to freedom of belief: The state respects the right to freedom of religious
belief. The Ministry of Education should consider not only Buddhism, whichis the religion of the state. All manner of forcing students to become involvedin any religious activity and/or any religious practice, directly or indirectly, inthe process of education are prohibited.
x Right to freedom of expression:a. Rights to freedom of expression on academic views. (Provision 35)
b. The Ministry of Education should permit the dissemination of all
educational information. Falsification in any form should be prohibited.
(Provision 42)
x Right to quality of education. (Provision 35)
x Right to establish an association as student groups or clubs for educational
purposes. (Provision 35)
x Right to participate in the development of educational standards. (Provision 35)
x Right to be respected as a person with dignity. (Provision 35)
x Right to educational information: Educational information in all educational
institutions and academic institutions is public information except that related
to persons. Educational and academic institutions should provide information
to students upon their request. (Provision 43)
x Right to participation in cultural development: The State should enhance andencourage charity activities in appropriate and necessary ways and consider
that support for education is the best investment. (Provision 44, Chapter 8,
Resources for Education)

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c. Other educational policies
The Policy of Education for All (6 goals by 2015), the Educational Strategic Plan, thePolicy for Child-Friendly Schools, and the Policy for Education of Children with
Disability, are important tools in providing orientation to activities that uphold humanrights education in the school system.
d. Education Sector Support Program
The Education Sector Support Program has a likely significant role in human rights
education in the school system. While it does not provide a specific program forteaching human rights in schools, it supports special programs related to therealization of human rights, such as the following:x
Scholarship program for girl children in remote rural schools.
xMulti-grade system program.
x
Breakfast Support program.
x
Bilingual program.
xChild-friendly schools program.
e. Curriculum Standards
The Curriculum Standards are the learning outcomes students should be able todemonstrate at the end of a particular stage of schooling. They were issued in August
2006 and implemented parallel to the new curriculum from grade 1 (2007 – 2008).
They were distributed to all public and private primary and secondary schools, related
institutions, local communities, civil society institutions, and parents as common tools
for students’ learning outcome assessment. They are tools that ensure the equal rightto access quality education.
General comments
The laws, policies and curriculum emphasize certain values that should govern schools’
ethos. Some of these values relate to human rights education, as in the following:x A Child should be a Good Student, Good Son/Daughter, and Good Friend.
x Learning to Know, Learning to Do, Learning to Be, and Learning to Live
Together.
x Good Environment is Our Life.
x Children need Good Teachers.
x The Four Fundamental Child Rights are Right to Life, Right to Education,
Right to Protection, and Right to Participation.

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Pedagogy is given importance in the educational laws and policies, and in the curricula.
The importance given to pedagogy is illustrated by the following provisions:
The teaching program for the delivery of the national curriculum in each school must:
x Be structured, systematic and student-centered.
x Include in-classroom and out-of-classroom activities.
x Involve students in both theoretical and practical learning.
x Provide opportunities for the encouragement and development of creativity andimagination. (Provision 3.12, Policy for Curriculum Development 2005 – 2009)

Human rights education requires a pedagogy that meets the requirements of thiscurriculum development policy.
Essentially, human rights education has been mainstreamed in the formal education
system. The existing human rights education in schools in Cambodia is the foundation
for the whole formal education system.

Conclusion
In conclusion, Cambodia should be proud of its achievements regarding holistic
human rights education enshrined by the education law, educational policies, actionplans, school curricula, training policies, etc. which reflect the will and commitmentof the Government toward the realization of human rights.
However, the implementation and realization of human rights is still on the way andinfluenced by complicated issues. Thus the collaboration among stakeholders at
international, national, and local levels in putting the will to conduct human rights
education into fruitful practice is very substantial.
We believe that the level of overall input will be the level of overall output.

IV. Recommendations
Although the implementation of the laws, policies, and curricula is ongoing, there arelimitations that have already become apparent.
In summary, the following are the limitations identified so far:

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x
x
x
x
x
x
x

The activities of children’s clubs (which focus on the exercise of child rights)
are being encouraged but they have not yet expanded in a holistic sense
throughout the country in conformity with the Education Law.
The student-centered approach has been mainstreamed but it has not been
properly employed in the teaching-learning activities due to the large numberof students in each class.
All forms of child punishment in schools have been prohibited, but there is no
particular system to monitor the situation and make reports.
Equity in schooling access is enhanced, but school drop-out caused by povertyis the main issue that cannot be resolved within a short period of time.
Even though much human rights training has been undertaken, this has notcovered all the national educators and schoolteachers nationwide.
Even though some human rights materials have been provided, there is not a
sufficient number of copies for distribution to a large number of educators andteachers throughout the country.
With the new curriculum, the Moral-Civic subject has become an elective
subject at Grade 11 in the Upper Secondary level. But, it is widely known thatamong all subject areas within the curriculum, only the Moral-Civic subject
has plenty of room relevant to the integration of human rights education.

To overcome the limitations of human rights education as well as of human rights
realization in the school system in Cambodia, the following recommendations should
be taken into consideration:a. Educational policies and curriculum
x Human rights awareness-raising should be compatible with the realization andexercise of human rights being acknowledged as an efficient way of education.
x In applying the Education Law, human rights education, as well as moral-civic
education should be set as a compulsory subject, since study of the content
will result in citizens having responsibility in fulfilling their rights and duty.
b. Teaching/learning materials
x The ongoing development of legal measures related to human rights education
should be enhanced.
x Human rights teaching/learning materials should be provided sufficiently tofulfill the needs of every school in the country.
c. Pedagogy – teaching/learning processx Human rights education should be separated as an independent subject covering
the whole range of its content and be adopted as compulsory learning throughgeneral education (12 years). From this perspective, any citizen with a goodawareness of human rights often respects human rights and domestic law.
x Human rights education should be considered an obligation for every child forthe benefit of learning how to live together in a peaceful world. From thisperspective, human rights education in the school system should be compatible
with human rights education in the non-formal education system.

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CAMBODIAxx

The teaching/learning process should apply the student-centered approach.
A special television program should be established for human rights education.

d. Teacher trainingx Human rights training for teachers should be extended nationwide because
human rights understanding will guide people to do the right thing and avoid
becoming unconscious perpetrators.
x The UN World Programme for Human Rights Education should provide
support for human rights training for the aspiring school teachers andeducation officers in Cambodia.
e. Assessment system:
x The National Human Rights Assessment System should be officiallyorganized, to comprise the various stakeholders from the national and local
human rights NGOs and national educators, and be fully authorized to
implement its mandate.
x A juridical education court should be set up and put to work.
f. Extra-curricular activities
x All stakeholders should support extra-curricular activities in order to cover thefull spectrum of human rights practices.
g. School environment
x At every school, teaching-learning materials related to human rights education
should be fully accessed by, or afforded to, every child as well as every
educator because human rights concepts need to be practiced thoroughly andverified by instructional materials.
x A system or mechanism for human rights education implementation andassessment in the school system should be established to help ensure thequality of education.
h. Role of stakeholders
x Education should be considered a priority for investment for the progress ofthe country
x The participation of various stakeholders in the country’s reconstruction,
especially in education, is very important for sustainable development
 All kinds and ways of supporting the education sector in Cambodia isneeded, to benefit the children as well as for a better world.
 Criticism from different stakeholders should be constructive, conveyed
with applicable suggestions on how to make any changes, and shouldmake sure that any wrongdoers are identified and replaced.
 Cooperation with stakeholders in the implementation of the human rights
education project as well as the curriculum policy 2005-2009 should exist
by the present time.

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ANNEX

Provisions extracted from the
Policy for Curriculum Development for General Education
Provision 2.1 of the Policy for Curriculum Development for general education
states: “The aim of the school curriculum is to develop fully the talents and capacitiesof all students in order that they become able people, with parallel and balanced
intellectual, spiritual, mental and physical growth and development. In particular,when students leave schools they should:
x develop a love of learning that will enable them to pursue employment
and continue life-long learning;x have attained a foundation knowledge of Khmer language, Khmer
literature and Mathematics;
x have the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to improve andmaintain their own physical and mental health and to contribute to theimprovement and maintenance of the health of their families and wider
society;x have the capacity to manage and take responsibility for their own
actions and decisions and be self-reliant;
x appreciate the value and importance of Science, Technology, Innovation
and Creativity;x have employment related skills, an understanding of and positive
attitude towards work and capacity to manage and work effectively andharmoniously with others;
x have the capacity to exercise judgment and responsibility in matters ofmorality and a commitment to identifying, analyzing and working
towards solutions of problems experienced by their families and society,x have an understanding and appreciation of other people and othercultures, civilizations and histories that leads to the building of a public
spirit characterized by equality and respect for others’ rights;
x be active citizens and be aware of social changes, understanding
Cambodia’s system of government and the rule of law, anddemonstrating a spirit of national pride and love of their nation, religion
and king;
x have an appreciation of and be able to protect and preserve their natural,social and cultural environment.
5.3 The purpose of the Basic Education curriculum is to contribute to theachievement of the aims of schooling in order that students can further their studies at
the upper grades, participate in other vocational trainings or to participate in social life
by ensuring that every student has acquired:xknowledge of Khmer language and mathematics;x
knowledge of the national identity;x
an understanding of morality and civic responsibilities;

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the everyday life skills that enable participation in their local community
life and Cambodian society;a basic understanding of the natural world and of scientific principles;
communicative competence in a Foreign Language.

6.1 The purpose of the basic education (grades 1-3) curriculum is to ensure thatevery child has a strong foundation in literacy and Mathematics and that they develop
their health, physical appearance, moral understanding, learning skills and life skills.
7.1 The purpose of the basic education primary school (Grade 4 - 6) curriculum is
to expand and consolidate students' knowledge and understanding of Khmer
language, Mathematics, learning skills, life skills, moral, and personal
development that will enable them to pursue life-long learning and to
introduce students to content in the areas of Science and Social Studies.
8.1 The purpose of the basic education lower secondary school (Grades 7 -9)
curriculum is to provide all students with a breadth of knowledge, skills, Khmer
language, Mathematics, Sciences, Social studies, Life Skills, learning skills,
vocational education, moral education and personal development necessary to enable
them to contribute as productive members to the growth of Cambodian society and beable to further their studies at the upper grades, participate in other vocational training
or to participate in social life.
9.3 The purpose of the Upper Secondary school curriculum is not only to
expand and consolidate students' knowledge from the basic education but also toprovide them with opportunity for future orientation, that is , to have capacity tocontinue their studies at higher education or to specialize their studies or to participate
in social life by ensuring that students have acquired:x advanced knowledge of Khmer literature and mathematics;
x deep knowledge of the national identity;x a more complex understanding of morality and civic responsibilities;x the everyday life skills that enable participation in their local
community life and Cambodian society;x a broad understanding of the natural world and of scientificprinciples;x high communicative competence in a Foreign Language.
10.1 The purpose of the Grade 10 curriculum is to expand and consolidate
students' knowledge obtained from the Lower Secondary education. In addition,schools must ensure the provision of a significant subject choice advice for students tostudy in Grades 11 and 12. The career advice provision must start from the beginningof the school year.
11.1 The purpose of the Grades 11 - 12 curriculum is to provide students with theopportunity for increased specialization through subject choice to develop a depth ofknowledge in particular subjects or to take training-based vocational subjects in order48

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to continue their study in higher education or to study vocational subjects or toparticipate in social life.
3. CURRICULUM ORGANIZATION
3.1 MoEYS is responsible for the funding, provision of teaching staff, provision offacilities and resources for what is defined in this plan as the National Curriculum (NC)
3.2 The NC will be taught for 38 weeks per year
3.3 Schools, local communities, community group, NGOs and private education
providers are expected to develop programs that will enrich and broaden the NC.
3.4 Schools, in partnership with parents, their local community, community
organizations and NGOs, must develop and administer a Local Life Skills Program(LLSP) of between 2 to 5 lessons per week (40 minutes per lesson in primary and 50
minutes per lesson in secondary level) to supplement the NC.
3.5 The time allocation for the NC and for LLSP is as follows:
NC
PRIMARY

LLSP

TOTAL

25 x 40-mn lessons per week

2-5 x 40-mn lessons per week

27-30 lessons per week

2-5 x 50-mn lessons per week

32-35 lessons per week

SECONDARY (Grades 7-10)30 x 50-mn lessons per week
SECONDARY (Grades 11-12)
32 x 50-mn lessons per week

32-50 lessons per week

3.6 The purpose of the LLSP is:
3.6.1 to provide schools, in partnership with parents, their local
community, community organizations and NGOs, with theopportunity to provide training in specific life skills that have aparticular relevance to local students;
3.6.2 to provide schools with time in the curriculum for extra-curricular
activities such as social services or youth movement activities thatwill further develop students' habits of self-confidence andresponsibility. These habits are formed most strongly in the
primary school years, and this is reflected in the time madeavailable for LLSP in these years.
3.7 It is the responsibility of schools, in partnership with parents, their local
communities, community organizations and NGOs to design, fund, staff and provide
facilities and equipment for the delivery of the LLSP.

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3.8 In Grades 11 and 12 of the Upper Secondary sector the curriculum isdelivered through National Curriculum subjects and an Elective Vocational Education
Program (EVEP). In Grade 10, the curriculum is delivered through National
Curriculum subjects and the LLSP.
3.9 The purpose of the EVEP is to provide students with the opportunity toparticipate in locally provided vocational training programs.
3.10 The EVEP is provided by MoEYS and/or private education providers inpartnership with and registered by MoEYS. Students who participate in EVEP
programs will be funded by MoEYS or private partnership or contribution.
3.11 The curriculum for subjects delivered as part of the EVEP is approved by
the MoEYS and the assessment for subjects delivered as part of the EVEP is regulatedby the MoEYS.
3.14 School should provide equal access to all components of the curriculum forboth girls and boys. Schools should make a particular effort to facilitate participation
by girls in all aspects of the curriculum.
3.15 Schools should provide opportunities for the development of gifted
students. This can be done through providing access to existing programs for gifted
and talented students, by accelerating students through normal grade progression, andby providing special programs in the time allocated for the LLSP.
3.16 Schools should support students with learning difficulties through teacher
assistance during lesson time and through special programs in the time allocated for
the LLSP.
3.17 Schools should attempt to provide wherever possible access to thecurriculum for students with disabilities.
3.18 The assessment program for each school should provide students andparents with a clear indication of each student's level of achievement against the
expected standards set out in the new curriculum, against the learning standards forstudents in Grades 3, 6, 9 and 12 (consistent with policy set out in EFA p.38), andshould provide students with clear information about areas of excellence, areas that
require improvement and steps that students should take to improve their learning.
Schools should report to parents on student participation and achievement in allcomponents of the school curriculum.
3.19 The standard medium of instruction is Khmer. Textbooks will be publishedin Khmer except for Foreign Language textbooks. In schools where there are large
numbers of speakers of minority languages, teachers may conduct some instruction of
the class in the minority language and may translate key vocabulary contained in
textbooks from Khmer to the minority language as a means of assisting student
learning.

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Endnotes
1
E.V. Kobelev, Kampuchea: From Tragedy to Rebirth, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics,
1979.
2
CPPCG: Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948) (Entry
into force generally: 1951. Entry into force for Cambodia: 1951)
3
Paris Agreement 23/10/1991, page 8.
4
ICERD: International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination(1965)
5
The following are the ILO instruments ratified by Cambodia:
x ILO Convention No 87 concerning Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right toOrganize (1948)
x ILO Convention No 98 concerning the Application of the Principles of the Right to Organize
and to Bargain Collectively (1949)
x ILO Convention No 100 concerning Equal Remuneration for Men and Women Workers forWork of Equal Value (1951)
x ILO Convention No 105 concerning Abolition of Forced Labor (1957)
x ILO Convention No 111 concerning Discrimination in Respect of Employment andOccupation (1958)
x ILO Convention No 138 concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment (1973)
6
Representatives of the Ministries of Education, NGOs and national human rights institutions in
Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam attended the writeshop,
and prepared the publication.
7
Education Sector Support Program 2006-2010, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports in
www.moeys.gov.kh/en/education/essp06-10/1-introduction.htm
8
Vann Sophat: "The Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights and Its
Human Rights Education Program", Human Rights Education in Asian Schools 4, 38-39.
9Mengho Leang, "Human Rights Education in Cambodian Schools -- The Experience of the Last
Three Years," Human Rights Education in Asian Schools 1, 107-108.
10
Ibid., page 108.
11
Cambodian Institute of Human Rights: "Human Rights Teaching Methodology in CambodianPrimary and Secondary Schools", Human Rights Education in Asian Schools 2, 190-191.
12
Dara Yi, Horn Pheng and Jonh Lowrie, " Teaching Human Rights in Cambodia, "Human Rights
Education in Asian Schools 6, 63.
13Child Rights Foundation: “Reaching New Heights in Realizing Child Rights”, Five-year report
2002-2006, 26.
14
HURIGHTS OSAKA is the short name for Asia-Pacific Human Rights Information Center.
15
Departments and Institutions under the MoEYS (73 persons) represented in the workshop:
x Regional Pedagogical Training Centers from 8 Provinces (6)x Provincial Teacher Training Centers from 18 provinces-municipalities (17)x Provincial Office of Education, Youth and Sports from 24 provinces – municipalities (29)x Department of Pedagogical Research (12)x Department of ASEAN Affairs
x Department of Teacher Training
x Department of Secondary Educationx Department of Primary Educationx Department of Pre-school Education
x Pre-school Teacher Training Center

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x Department of Non-formal Educationx Department of Higher Educationx Directorate General of Education
16

Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO), Cambodian
Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC), Cambodian Center for Children Rights.

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National ReportOn
Human Rights Education in the School System of Indonesia1
Agung Purwadi, Philip Suprastowo,
and Iskandar Agung
Center for Policy Research and Educational Innovation,
The Ministry of National Education, Indonesia

I.

CONTEXTA.

National and Educational Context

Indonesia has a population of about 241 million people (with females constituting
49.9 percent) who belong to more than three hundred ethnic groups and practice someof the major religions (Islam, Christianity [Protestant and Catholic], Buddhism,
Hinduism, and Confucianism) in Asia. They speak about five hundred and thirty-eight
local languages and dialects. The student population consists of more than 46 million
students with 57 percent of them in primary schools as of 2007.
From the time Indonesia gained independence, it has had five presidents (Soekarno,
Soeharto, Habibie, Abdurachman Wahid, Megawati, and SB Yoedoyono) with fivedifferent leadership styles. The first president, Soekarno, focused on the unity of thenewborn country. Soeharto, in power for thirty-two years and whose regime was
known as the “New Order Movement,” failed in making adequate room for
democracy and human rights. Habibie started the “Reformation” era and the effectremains until the present day. During the authoritative regime of Soeharto, humanrights were taught as part of constitutional rights that consisted of the freedom ofassembly and association, religion and thought, the right to work and to a peaceful life.
The situation changed impressively during the reformation era with important efforts
in reorienting the development strategy to balance economic growth with democracy
and respect for human rights. After a lengthy process, much progress has beenachieved particularly in democracy and respect for human rights (BPS, Bappenas,
UNDP, 2001, Mahendra, 2002, Wiratraman, 2007).
The Indonesian education system is the product of a number of historical and politicalroots. Historically, Indonesia incorporated a number of ancient kingdoms (e.g. Java,Aceh). Indonesia was a Dutch colony for over three hundred and fifty years.
Education has played a leading role in the independence movement. The few

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Indonesians who received formal schooling during the Dutch colonial period led thenational youth organizations, originating in about 1908. Similarly, a well-educatedleadership was important after independence in 1945, under the Old Order Movement
1967-1988 and during the current, post-Soeharto Reformation era (EFA Secretariat,2007).

B.

Historical and Constitutional/Legal Context

Legally, the 1945 Constitution has provisions on human rights and equates them withthe constitutional rights of Indonesian citizens. These rights serve as the basis for therealization of a just and prosperous society. Indonesia acknowledged human rights
even before the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in
1948. Philosophically, for years major religions have advocated the dignity of humanbeings as God’s creatures. Furthermore, the 1945 Constitution states that national
development is identical with human development, as humans are the subject and goalof development. This means that the focus of national development is the people
whose rights are assured, developed, and protected by the nation (Bahar, 1997).
The Second Amendment of the 1945 Constitution in 2000 states the human rights
provisions more clearly, particularly in Article 28, sections A to J. Article 28
emphasizes the protection, advancement, upholding, and fulfillment of human rights
as the main conditions for the realization of a dignified, democratic and just society.
The following are more specific rights that are included in this special section. The
right; i) to life and existence; ii) to develop a family and to continue the generations
through marriage, and to continue to live a life, develop, and be protected from cruelty
and discrimination; iii) to enjoy personal development through the fulfillment of basic
needs, education, and receive benefits from the advancement of technology, science,and culture and to have improvement in the quality of life, and to have selfimprovement in pursuing collective rights for the development of society, the nation,and country; iv) to receive equal treatment to justice and the law, to be employed, tohave income, and to receive equal treatment in employment, to choose jobs, and tohave equal opportunity for government jobs; v) to receive citizenship status, to choose
citizenship, to choose any country where to live, to leave the country, and to return tothat country, to have freedom of religion and faith and performance of religious duties,
to receive education of his/her choice, and to have freedom to associate and to speak;vi) to communicate, to access, acquire, save, and distribute information throughvarious media; vii) to receive personal and family protection, protection of dignity,
personal belongings, to have protection from threats, and to be free from torture andcruelty and to receive political asylum from another country; viii) to lead a good life
physically and mentally, and to have facilities and special treatment if required.
The commitment of the Indonesian Government to protect, promote, strengthen, fulfill,
and respect human rights takes many forms. One form is the priority given to theestablishment and harmonization of various institutions and legislations relating tohuman rights under the National Development Plan. Presidential Decree No. 50/1993

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established the National Commission on Human Rights. Presidential Decree No.
181/1998 established the National Commission on Violence Against Women. These
were followed by the establishment of the Office of State Ministry of Human Rights
in 1999, later merged with the Ministry of Law and Legislation, and subsequently
became the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights (renamed the Ministry of Law and
Human Rights). More legislations followed, particularly Law No. 39/1999 which has
a comprehensive list of human rights and provisions for the National Commission on
Human Rights, Law No. 26/2000 on Human Rights Tribunals, Presidential Decree No.
129/1998 on the National Plan of Action on Human Rights in Indonesia for 19982003, which was revised by Presidential Decree No. 61/2003 and Presidential Decree
No. 40/2004 on the National Plan of Action of Human Rights for 2004-2009 (seeTable 1). In addition, Indonesia is prepared to ratify more international human rights
instruments.
The Indonesian National Plan of Action on Human Rights, adopted in order to protect,promote, strengthen, fulfill, and respect human rights, guides all stakeholders andorchestrates the activities to the targetted ouput for the specific year, including those
activities related to human rights education. The development of this national plan isfollowed by the development of provincial and district plans, so that there are (i) anational plan of action, (ii) a number of provincial plans of action, and (iii) hundredsof district plans of action on human rights.
The current National Plan of Action on Human Rights 2005-2009 is the second plan.
The first was effective between 2003-2008. The existing plan consists of: (i)establishment and strengthening of the implementing institutions, (ii) preparation of
the ratification of international human rights instruments, (iii) preparation for the
harmonization of relevant legislation, (iv) human rights dissemination and education,(v) application of human rights norms and standards, and (vi) monitoring, evaluation,and reporting.
The success of the implementation efforts while respecting, promoting, fulfilling, andfostering the human rights of the nation is determined in great part by adopting aculture of human rights for the nation through a great deal of effort to foster anddevelop knowledge and raise the awareness of every member of society, especiallygovernment officials, members of parliament, educators and activists within nongovernment organizations.
The knowledge and awareness by society regarding human rights matters may befostered, raised and developed through various ways of dissemination and education
using appropriate methods and means on the existing levels, characteristics, places
and time. Respecting, promoting, fulfilling and the protection of human rights are
long-term processes, considering that the nature of human rights is full of different
values. Human rights education is a process that could be conducted anywhere,anytime and by everyone through all streams of education, namely the formal, nonformal, and informal, in order to develop a rational and responsible level ofknowledge, behavior, and attitude to solve human rights problems (that have civil,

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political, economic, social, and cultural dimensions and linked to the right todevelopment) toward a just and prosperous society.

Table 1. Several laws and regulations on human rights
Year
1945

1984
1990
1998

1999

2000

2004

2005

Laws and regulations
1945 Constitution
The focus of national development is the person whose rights are
assured, developed, and protected by the nation
Act no. 7/1984
Ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms ofDiscrimination Against Women
President Decree No. 36/1990
Ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the ChildAct No. 5/1998
Ratification of the Convention against Torture and other Cruel,
Inhumane or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
Act No. 29/1999
Ratification of the International Convention on the Elimination of All
Forms of Racial Discrimination
Act No. 39/1999 on Human Rights
1945 Constitution, Second Amendment
The protection, advancement, upholding and fulfillment of humanrights are the main conditions for the realization of a dignified,democratic and just society.
Presidential Decree No. 40/2004
The National Plan of Action of Human Rights, 2004-2009
Act No. 11/ 2005
Ratification of International Covenant on Economic, Social, andCultural Rights
Act No. 12/2005
Ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

As result of the laws, decrees and the RANHAM, several institutions have been
established to address specific concerns. The National Commission on Human Rights,
National Commission on Violence Against Women, National Commission on the
Rights of the Child, the National Commission for the Protection of Witnesses andVictims, the National Commission on Eradication of Corruption, National
Ombudsman Commission, the Directorate on Human Rights under the Ministry of
Law and Human Rights, among others, are all operating with specific mandates toperform. Furthermore, there are committees at the provincial and district levels which
are mandated to plan and implement human rights programs at their respective levels.
Besides, there are many institutions that deal with human rights, both government and56

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non-government. Some examples include the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National
Justice Office, Office of the Vice President, and Save the Children, Plan International,
and ELSAM, to name a few from the non-government side.
The failure of human development in a number of countries resulted in a global
commitment to overcome it through the Millennium Development Goals that wereadopted in 2000 by the United Nations. This commitment prioritizes eradication of
extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education, promoting
gender equality, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health and combating
HIV/AIDS and other diseases. Meanwhile, the Human Development Index establishedby the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) affirms the principle thatpeople are the subject of development and using as main development indicators thefulfillment of education services, health services and the purchasing power of society.
These three main indicators are the minimum human rights objectives that must be
achieved by any nation, led by the Government, as well as individuals and society.
The national development program implemented by the Government faced serious
shortcomings due to the continuing economic crisis. The crisis that started in late1997 has shown that the development strategy that prioritizes economic growth andnational stability is inadequate in producing Indonesians who are tough and able toface crises. Therefore, a national development strategy must be developed that gives
priority to the fulfillment of people’s basic needs, so that Indonesians can live
adequate and dignified lives, in line with the demand for human rights.

C. General education system
Indonesia’s development is based on the paradigm of enabling all Indonesians tofulfill their full potential. The Ministry of National Education (MoNE) has the longterm vision that all Indonesian children and young people will have equal opportunity
to quality education at all levels, irrespective of economic status, gender, geography,
ethnicity, and physical disability consistent with the Government’s commitment to theUnited Nation’s Convention on the Rights of the Child. The long-term mission of
MoNE is to ensure that there are no barriers to accessing education opportunities andthat the highest standards of education and training are assured. Another part of thismission is to ensure that progression through the system is based on merit. A further
mission is to inform parents, students and other stakeholders of the opportunities
available, the basis for accessing these opportunities and sharing responsibility for
optimizing these opportunities. Part of this mission is that MoNE will provide ateaching and learning environment that promotes a culture of excellence andstrengthens the confidence of Government, parents, children and other stakeholders in
the value of education and training provided.

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INDONESIAThe Indonesian education system is organized into: (i) early childhood education
including day care centers, playgroups and kindergartens, (ii) primary education
including both formal and non-formal, (iii) junior secondary education including bothformal and non-formal, (iv) senior secondary education including both formal(general or vocational) and non-formal, and (v) higher education, including
professional education of managers and teachers (Education Law no. 20, 2003).
Basically, Indonesia employs the famous 6-3-3-4 educational system. Primary school
has six years, junior secondary school is the next three years, senior secondary schoolis another three years, and university education is the final four years. Prior to primaryschool there is early childhood education that is not a pre-requisite for primaryschooling entrance.
Out of School
Education
Non-formal> 22

Higher Education/Islamic Higher Education Post Graduate

19–22

Higher Education/Islamic Higher Education
Graduate/Diploma
Apprenticeship

Senior Secondary School
General16–18
Islamic
GeneralInformal

Vocational
General

13–15 Islamic Junior Secondary School

Islamic
Vocational

Vocational

Package C

Junior Secondary School

Package B

7–12

Islamic Primary School

Primary School

Package A

4–6

Islamic Kindergarten

Kindergarten

Play Group

Family Education

School Education

CoursesAge

Day CareCentre0–3

Figure 1: Education System in Indonesia
The education services are primarily delivered through institutions under the auspicesof MoNE and the Ministry of Religious Affairs which regulate both public andprivate providers, alongside public and private universities which have varying
degrees of autonomy. The education system also incorporates formal, non-formal,
informal and distance learning approaches to education service delivery, with agrowing emphasis on information and communication technology (ICT)-based
education services. The education system addresses special needs, including bothstudents with learning disabilities/constraints and gifted students.

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EDUCATION LAWS AND POLICIES, THE CURRICULUM, AND
PROGRAMS

A. Laws and policies on education
1. General education laws
During the past five years, the Government developed a comprehensive legislativeand regulatory framework that sets out the roles, responsibilities and obligations ofcentral, provincial, and district authorities and community-level stakeholders foreducation service provision. Sector development planning is built on the legal
obligations of the State as outlined in the fourth amendment to the constitutional
provision on education (Article 31), Law no. 17/2003 on State Finance, Law no.
20/2003 on the National Education System (Sisdiknas), Law no. 25/2004 on the
National Development Planning System, Law no. 32/2004 on Local Government,
Law no. 33/2004 on Fiscal Balance between Central and Local Governments, andLaw no. 14/2005 on Teachers and Lecturers.
The law mandates the implementation of decentralization in two stages: (i) devolutionof authority to manage the education service delivery from central to the local
governments and (ii) devolution of a significant authority to the school level as
represented by the implementation of school-based management. Parallel to the latter,the law promotes a greater role for the community, e.g., involvement in the education
council at the district level and the school committee at individual school level.
Provision and improvement of education quality and relevance is stipulated in Law no.
20/2003 on National Education System and spelled out in detail at a more operational
level by Government Regulation No. 19/2005 on the National Standard of Education.
The decentralization law clearly respects human rights in a broad sense. The
devolution of most of the Government’s administrative powers to the district levelmeans that districts have more power to implement laws, more freedom in decisionmaking, and are more able to better reflect the district citizens’ needs. Furthermore,with the decentralization of power covering education, then the educational programof the district will address the educational and developmental needs of the citizens
better. This is one effect of the operation of the fourth ammendment of the 1945
Constitution mentioned earlier. From these viewpoints it is clear that decentralization
can be seen as one mode of providing more respect to human rights.
Since late 2004, a number of key regulatory actions have been taken to set thefoundation for education reform. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MOHA) has issued
Government Regulation No. 65/2005 for developing new minimum service standards
across sectors. The independent Board of National Education Standards (BSNP),
established in mid-2005, has developed the (i) Standard on Content issued through the
Ministry of National Education Decree No. 22/2006, and the (ii) Standard on
Competence through the Ministry of National Education Decree No. 23/2006. The
Ministry of National Education Decree No. 24/2006 was issued to clarify the roles of

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different levels of Government in the implementation of these decrees. For instance,
the regulation grants governors and district heads some leeway in developing,scheduling and implementing these regulations depending upon the conditions of therespective provinces and districts. Again, these laws and regulations are actuallymodes of greater respect of human rights.
In late 2005, the Parliament approved Law no. 14 on the new or increased functional,
professional and special area incentives for teachers, as part of measures for the
improvement of education standards. This legislative provision applies to the MoNE
and Ministry of Religious Affairs, and covers public and private schools. Thesecomprehensive measures, alongside access to school operational budgets, constitutean opportunity for increased policy harmonization across all providers. One of themost striking improvements on teachers rights based on this law is that those whowork in remote areas are entitled to special incentives including scholarships for theirchildren. In the past, once a teacher was sent to a remote area, then education of theirchildren mostly depended on the existing facilities in that remote area. Due to the low
income of teachers, most of them do not have the economic capacity to send theirchildren to pursue education. From the human rights viewpoint, these measures
clearly respect the human rights of teachers and their families including theirchildren’s educational rights.

2.

Human rights education in general

Human rights education has been historically embedded in the Civic Education
subject since decades ago. The name Civic Education as a subject started to be used
about four decades ago, seemingly as part of the numerous adoptions from thewestern education system at that time. Most components of human rights education
were integrated in the Civic Education subject. At the end of 1970s the subject waschanged into the Pancasila (five principles) Moral Education. Human rights related
content in those subjects include: humanity, patriotism, law and order, cooperation,
peace and harmony, courage, justice, solidarity, respect, rights, duties, responsibilities,
freedom, self-control, broadmindedness, sensitivity, and family spirit (Oka, 2002).
During the Soeharto era, a new breed of history subject specific to Indonesia wasintroduced. There were two streams of history as subjects: the first is standard history
consisting of world history and national history, and the second is Education on the
History of the National Struggle. This new breed of history subject deals with a
specific period of national history from the day Indonesia gained independence up to
the Soeharto era. It mainly consists of teaching about nationalism, national unity,
heroism, and respect for those who had important roles in making the nation into what
it is. This last component seems to be a political method of cultivating obedience tothe ruling power. This means that two subjects dealing with human rights education
existed during this period. The Education on History of the National Struggle covered
aspects of nationalism and national unity, while the Pancasila Moral Education
subject covered the remaining aspects.

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When the ruling power changed, the Education on History of the National Struggle
subject was abolished. The content of this subject was integrated back into thenational history component. History as a subject consisted of world history andnational history. At the same time, Citizenship Education replaced Pancasila Moral
Education.
Indonesia follows the integration approach by using Citizenship Education and othersubjects for providing human rights education. Citizenship Education consists ofcomponents that have a very close relationship with human rights education. The
components of the Citizenship Education subject, regulated by the Ministry of
National Education Decree No. 23 on the Standard of Educational Content, are thefollowing:a. Critical, rational, and creative thinking on dealing with citizenship issues.
b. Actively participate, participate with responsibility, and act cleverly in society
and national activities and present an anti-corruption behavior.
c. Positively and democratically self-develop to be a society member based on
the Indonesian character in order to be able to live together with other nations.
d. Interact with other nations, directly and indirectly, making use of theadvancement of information and communication technology.
The scope of the Citizenship Education subject, according to the Standard of
Educational Content, includes human rights education, which covers “… child rights
and obligations, society member rights and obligations, national and international
human rights instruments, and human rights enhancement, respect, and protection.”
Various other subjects also deal with human rights education. Human rights education
content is integrated into social sciences and religion subjects at primary level. It is
integrated into the Citizenship Education and Religion subjects at junior secondary
level. At the senior secondary level, it is integrated into the Citizenship Education,
Religion, Geography, History, and Sociology subjects. While at the university level,
human rights education is generally integrated into the Citizenship Education course.
Some universities offer human rights education as an independent course.

3.

Programs for specific groups

From the access viewpoint, Government strategies and plans are directed at meeting
MDG targets by 2010, especially ensuring that the last 8 percent of primary-schoolage children and 35 percent of junior-secondary-school-age students are enrolled andretained at school. Key strategies include (i) an expanded junior secondary school
construction program in under served areas, (ii) expansion of non-formal and informal
primary and junior secondary school programs for school dropouts, (iii) reduction of
direct and indirect cost barriers through the expansion of school operational budgets(BOS), and locating schools close to home (e.g., integrated primary and juniorsecondary schools), and (iv) expansion of public information and communication
programs, which promote school enrolment.

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Key programs for enabling more equitable access include (i) expansion of
infrastucture programs, (ii) increased deployment of teachers to under served areas,(iii) expansion of early childhood education, (iv) expansion of ICT-based distancelearning and communication programs, (v) expansion of non-formal delivery ofprimary and junior secondary programs (Learning Package A and B), (vi) expansionof adult literacy programs, especially in remote areas, and (vii) increased community
involvement in the management and delivery of basic and post-basic education
programs incorporating capacity-building measures.
These serious efforts also involved the elimination of gender bias at primary andjunior secondary education. Educational provision at these levels is the same between
boys and girls. It is important to note that, from the education quality viewpoint,
Indonesian girls seem to achieve better than boys.
The revised education law of 2003 sets out the legal provision for ensuring that
unreached or disadvantaged groups are addressed by MoNE and the Ministry of
Religious Affairs, focusing specifically on equitable treatment for: (i) religious,
linguistic and ethnic minority groups, (ii) socio-economic classes and otherstratifications, (iii) males and females, (iv) students with disabilities or special needs,(v) residents of remote/rural, island and border areas, and (vi) the very poor, orphans,and street and working children.
Children of minority groups, those in remote areas, those who live in rural areas, andthose in marginalized sectors are classified under a common group of under served
children. MoNE has adopted a new strategy for reaching the unreached in 2005. This
strategy has four steps: (i) recognizing their characteristics, (ii) understanding theireducational needs, (iii) finding out whether there are needs unaddressed by theexisting system, and (iv) providing for their educational needs using the existingmodes or developing new ones if the need for alternatives is significant.
Human rights education and education as a human right can be seen as two faces ofthe same coin. Indonesia provides education as a human right using the Education for
All (EFA) viewpoint. EFA mandates the adoption of educational targets in the fields
of early child care and education, basic education, literacy education, life skills
cultivation, gender equity, and quality education. The first four fields can be seen as
individual fields with their own goals and targets, while the latter two are theoverarching principles that encompass the other four fields. The following concisely
describes the Indonesian achievement in providing education on human rights using
the EFA viewpoint.
Early child education in Indonesia is mostly provided (almost 99 percent) bycommunity members and private institutions. In concordance with the internationally
set target on quality expansion, the Government supports quality assurance efforts
while including various partners in sharing the early child care and education quality
improvement responsibilities. The key mechanisms include those run at the national
and policy level up to the grassroot and operational levels. The first mechanism is the62

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establishment of the Early Child Education Forum and the Early Child Care and
Education Consortium. The second is the mobilizaton of support from professional
associations. The third is the organization of programs through religious centers andwomen’s organizations, while establishing ECCE centers through various relevant
universities. So far, there has been a significant increase in access. The proportion ofchildren receiving the services increased from 27.8 percent in 2004 to 46.6 percent in2006.
Indonesia has an EFA target for the 2008/2009 period for at least 95 percent ofchildren under 7 to 15 years old, especially female, poor children, and other children
with difficulties, to receive the basic education service, which fulfills the quality
standard of education.
A number of key implementation strategies to bring the target into reality include thefollowing: i) implementing a national social movement for completing basic
education by involving all stakeholders that include parents, public figures, NGOs,
and business and industry leaders; ii) focusing on essential programs to increase theenrollment rate and mobilize supporting resources and aborting less essential ones; iii)
expanding educational opportunities to private schools and community-based
education to boost their participation in educational opportunity provision; iv)
handling more effectively difficult to reach community targets, such as the poor,
remote, and isolated children, through appropriate and innovative educational
provision means; v) empowering local educational authorities in order for them to beable to consider local challenges.
There has been an impressive achievement in basic education provision so far.
Primary education net enrollment rates (NERs) increased from 93 to 95 percent overthe period of 2003 to 2006. A growing tendency that younger children aged 5 and 6
years old entering primary education brought up the gross enrollment rate (GER)
increase from 111 to 114 percent. On the other hand, the transition rate from primary
to junior secondary education rose from 83 to almost 91 percent during the same
period. These achievements brought an increase of junior secondary school’s NERfrom 58 to 66 percent and GER from 75 to 89 percent during the same period.
Gender equality in education is gradually becoming widespread due to gendermainstreaming strategy employed since 2001. Gender discrepancy in primary, juniorsecondary, and senior secondary levels has decreased nationally, both in rural andurban areas. Equal access to universal primary education was reached in 2002.
Gender parity index (GPI) for both GER and NER of primary education has alreadyreached 1. At the junior secondary education level, an analysis using national GER
and NER indicators showed that participation of girls is higher than boys. The GER
and NER parity index for urban population shows a similar achievement, which is
1.01 for urban compared to 1.02 for rural areas. At the senior secondary educationlevel, the GPI for the general stream was 1.01 in 2006, with a greater proportion ofgirls enrolled in urban areas.

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Indonesia however, still faces some gender discrepancy and gender bias problems.
There are gender discrepancies found in the higher education level, education
management staff, and study programs and specialization. There is gender bias foundin the curriculum, teaching materials, and learning processes.
To achieve quality education, the Government adopted three strategies for quality
improvement. The first strategy is to improve student and school performance bystrengthening student examination and school acrreditation systems, setting up
institutional arrangements for standard setting, and strengthening national and subnational capacity in implementing these systems. The second strategy is to improve
the availability of key quality oriented inputs through setting the minimum standard
for those inputs, and setting up financial and management guidelines for the provisionof those inputs. The third strategy is to strengthen the quality assurance system andcapacity-building.
Overall student performance as indicated by the average score of the national exit
examination has improved significantly at both junior and senior secondary schools.
Furthermore, extensive progress has been made in setting standards and accreditation
for schools. Minimum standards for school performance were established anddisseminated in 2004 and capacity to undertake school performance accreditation has
been expanded through the Board of School Accreditation and provincial/district
accreditation and supervisory systems. Approximately 53 percent of the educational
institutions have been formally accredited at present.

B. Descriptive presentation of the curriculum
1.

Human rights education

The integration approach to human rights education in the Indonesian school system
has seemingly been selected due to the following factors. Firstly, to prevent the
number of subjects from increasing whenever new learning needs arise. There aremany new learning needs that came about during the past decades. In addition tohuman rights education, for example HIV/AIDS and environmental education, (thatlater developed into education for sustainable development [ESD]) are new learningneeds that arose recently. Secondly, there are overlaps by those new learning needs
with the existing curricular content in certain subject matters. For example, there is a
close relationship between HIV/AIDS learning content with some components of the
Biology subject, and Climate Change components of the ESD that have a very tight
relationship with some learning materials of the Natural Science subject. Without
employing this approach, there are possibilities for the growth of the number ofsubjects taught at schools.
Human rights can be taught in the Citizenship Education subject through thefollowing competencies:

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a. Primary level - living in peace and harmony, practicing child rights at home
and in school, manifesting cooperation in daily life, demonstrating a
democratic attitude, practicing Pancasila values, promoting individual dignity,
appreciating joint decisions, and understanding the role of Indonesia ininternational politics in the global era.
b. Secondary level - demonstrating positive attitudes toward protection andfulfillment of human rights, taking part in protecting, promoting, andrespecting human rights.
The human rights content in religious education subjects can be in the form ofrespecting other people with different ideas and viewpoints, respecting differences interms of ethnicity, religion, sex, and economic status. Religious education covers boththe Islamic and Christianity Education subjects for all educational levels.
The methods for cultivating human rights values through the integration approachvary. Teachers may lecture, discuss, have question-answer sessions, conductsimulation exercises, provide demonstrations, give special assignments, and use manyother methods. For the early grades of primary school, the teaching-learning processadopts the thematic approach: the teachers decide certain themes and discuss themfrom various viewpoints including human rights. In the later grades, teachers
commonly use lecture, discussion, question-answer, and simulation methods (e.g.,simulation of the decision-making process at the village meeting and district
parliament). In addition to these methods, another method (newspaper and magazine
study) is introduced at the junior secondary level. After a lecture, or discussion, or
question-and-answer session on a human rights topic, students are assigned to collectrelevant newspaper or magazine articles that are posted on the classroom walls. The
positive impact of this method prevents students from getting bored and keeping
students updated on recent events. At the senior secondary level, the most common
methods include discussion, group assignment, independent study, simulation, andcases studies. When using these methods, a group of students is assigned to collectarticles from newspapers, magazines, or television and radio news about a specifichuman rights issue. The group presents and discusses the material about the humanrights issue with the rest of the class.

2.

Issues related to religious education, co-curricular activities, the school
ethos, teaching/learning methodology and the school environment

Indonesia is a large and diverse nation where some of the major religions, i.e., Islam,
Christianity (Protestant and Catholic), Buddhism, Hinduism, and Confucianism, arepracticed. The country derives its identity from both homogeneity and heterogeneity.
The education system, therefore, needs to be responsive to religious diversity byincorporating dimensions of Islam, Christianity (Protestant and Catholic), Buddhism,
Hinduism, and Confucianism into the curriculum. The Education Law mandates thatall students shall receive religious education lesson based on their religion, regardlessof the type of school they enroll in. Schools, either public or private, are mandated toprovide religious teaching to all of their students based on the students’ religion. It is

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also mandated that a Muslim student enrolled in a Catholic school, for example,
should receive Islamic education, and vise versa. However, the country still faces the
problem of an inadequate number of religion teachers, particularly in rural areas.
Co-curricular activities have mushroomed recently. The type of activities held as cocurricular activities varies and so is the decision-making process. In the mostcommon cases, teachers are assigned by the school to supervise the activities. The
types of activities range from sport to science and from aero-modeling to marchingbands. The type of co-curricular activity decision-making process also varies fromthat heavily influenced by the school to those fully based on students’ interests. But
even in cases where the school decides the types of co-curricular activities,
participation in any activity is purely based on the students’ interest. The mostcommon practice, however, is that schools offer some activities in which students arefree to express interest. In such case, the school usually accepts the students’ request
when resources are available.
Rules and regulations enforcement varies depending on school level and school
quality. Senior secondary schools tend to treat their students as young adults withrights, while primary schools treat students as kids who should follow what teachers
say. Good schools tend to respect student rights better than schools with a lower
quality. Prior to the start of a school year, good schools require each student to sign acontract of obedience to the schools’ rules and regulations. Other schools simply
announce the rules and regulations and ask students to obey them. This tendency also
applies to senior secondary schools as opposed to primary schools.
On this attitudinal matter, there is a growing tendency among good schools to treat
their students better, starting from students’ arrival until they leave school for home.
The school headmaster and some teachers in good schools stand in front of the schoolgate to welcome each student by shaking his or her hand. At the end of the school day,they again stand in front of the school gate to say goodbye to their students. Anotherimprovement happens in the teaching-learning process of good schools. Students are
no longer treated as objects of curricular activities. They are treated as subjects andthe center of the teaching-learning process. This good ‘movement’ in the school
system however is still in its infancy. The proportion of good schools in relation to therest is still very small.
The Government requires all schools to have an institutional body or organization of
students. This body is called the In–school Students Organization (OSIS). This bodyaims mainly at preparing students for leadership roles and community member roles.
In certain schools, OSIS has become a kind of student parliament. It proclaims
students’ needs and feelings. It sends petitions to the school management regarding
student rights. The schools facilitate OSIS. OSIS gets involved in human-rightsrelated issues by taking up cases such as teachers’ ill treatment of students, use of theschool budget, school fees, etc. OSIS organizes meetings of all students to discuss theissues, and represents the studentry in asking the school principal for an explanation
about the issues.
Students’ enthusiasm to learn has recently become a growing problem. Since theirmain purpose for enrolling in school is to learn, the seemingly lower level of66

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enthusiasm to learn has to be addressed properly. There are two variables, at least, that
affect learning enthusiasm, i.e., students’ interest in subject matters and the way
teachers convey messages of the subject matter to their students. Most schools deal
with this issue seriously with a psycho-pedagogical approach. The teaching approachfor children in primary school is not the same for young adults enrolled at seniorsecondary schools. But while this approach is necessary, it is not sufficient.
Students’ interests on the subject matter should be addressed as well. Most schools
use textbooks as the only learning resource, while there are much more attractive
materials available outside the classroom, like television and the Internet for example.
Some schools are equipped with internet access so that students have various
resources available to them, while the other schools should depend on readingmaterials as learning resources.
Schools provide facilities for students’ activities during school time as part of the
MoNE financial grant to schools to cover all operational costs. In this case, thefacilities for student activities may not be sufficiently supported. The financial
contribution of parents for the improvement of the quality of education in schools(including support for such facilities) is used only when the funds from theGovernment have been exhausted.
The teaching of life skills is being done from kindergarten up to senior secondary
levels. The skills range from general life skills that stress psycho-social and character
development at kindergarten and primary schools to specific skills that focus onacademic skills for general senior secondary schools and on vocational-related skills
for vocational/technical senior secondary schools.
The Government makes efforts to strenghten the life skills orientation in primary andsecondary school pupils by incorporating various aspects from environmental,
HIV/AIDS, and social affairs. Schools are encouraged to include a “local component’to better accommodate the local learning needs and to cooperate with local health,environment, and business and industry, both in curricular and non-curricular
activities.

III. POLICY IMPLEMENTATION
1. Piloting human rights education in schools
In close cooperation with MoNE and the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the Ministryof Law and Human Rights has been seriously piloting human rights education inschools. Currently, several primary schools and Islamic primary schools, juniorsecondary and Islamic junior secondary schools, and general senior secondary andIslamic general senior secondary schools are piloting human rights education.
In 1998, MoNE and the National Human Rights Commission closely cooperated on a
project on a human rights education pilot model development using active learning
methods and involving twenty-two primary schools in Cianjur (West Java Province).
This model applied a student-centered teaching-learning process where the main

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actors were the students themselves, their teachers, and supportive supervisors.
Teachers acted as mentors or supervisors that provided support, not commands, tostudents’ learning activities. In doing so, teachers continously receive professional
support from school supervisors. One drastic change introduced by the project was thechange in the role of supervisors, from controlling administrative aspects of school
and classroom management to providing professional or technical support to teachers.
It is very important to underline that in this project human rights education wasprovided through an integration approach and applied only to primary schools.
This pilot study was extended to pilot a model for secondary level and teacher training
institutes in Kupang city (Province of East Nusa Tenggara). The teacher training
institutes were included to equip future teachers with human rights education skills sothat upon graduation, no further preliminary in-service training would be required.
The UNESCO Jakarta office supported the replication of the pilot model for primaryeducation and extended the model to the secondary education level including Islamic
schools at primary and secondary levels (madrasah) and vocational-technicalsecondary schools. Overall, this pilot effort included sixteen schools and a university(Sadli, Wignyosoebroto, Belen, 1997).
2. Teaching/learning materials development
Cultivation of human rights through school education does not only need a teachinglearning model but also teaching-learning materials and teachers’ preparation. It is
widely accepted that the relationship between the availability of learning materials
and teacher competence and student achievement in the developing countries is strong
and significant.
Several institutions in Indonesia actively take part in developing such materials. The
role of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, however, is worth mentioning first. It
published twelve human rights embedded religious education textbooks for pilot studyof human rights education through the Islamic Education subject lessons for primary,junior secondary, and senior secondary schools and their equivalent level in themadrasahs. Furthermore, the MoNE also published twenty-eight titles ofsupplementary books, modules, and films for primary, secondary, and tertiary
education levels and the general public. As of early August 2008, the materials wereready for distribution to the provinces and schools. In addition, the Human Rights
Center of the Indonesia Islamic University (Pusham UII) published a human rights
education book for teachers and a reference book for human rights education lecturers.
The Research Institute of Jakarta National University (UNJ) published readingmaterials. The MoNE, in cooperation with the UNESCO Jakarta office developed
human rights education lesson plans for primary and secondary schools. 2 They
include plans for integration of human rights education in religious education, civic
education, social science education, and physical education (Belen, 2004, Pusham UII,
2006, Pusham UII, 2007, Asplund, Marzuki and Riyadi, 2008, and Marzuki and
Riyadi, 2008).

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INDONESIAThe MoNE being an active participant-institution in the subregional project on thedevelopment of human rights lesson plans for primary and secondary schools inSoutheast Asia (2001-2003) that resulted in the publication entitled Human Rights Lesson
Plans for Southeast Asian Schools, its staffmembers translated this teaching guide into theIndonesian language (Rencana Pelajaran Hak Asasi Manusia untuk Sekolah-sekolah Asia
Tenggara) and printed it in 2004. A thousand copies were printed in September 2004, andanother six hundred copies were printed in 2007. The books were distributed to thefollowing:a. Many universities and colleges/academies, especially those universities thathave human rights study centersb. Primary, junior and senior secondary schools in various provincesc. Decision-makers in the central office of MoNE and the thirteen provincial
offices of the Office of Educational Quality Assurance.
Other materials such as the human rights curriculum from the National Commission on
Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) should be useful for the training of
education officials as well as school supervisors, school principals and teachers. Komnas
Perempuan developed a human rights curriculum entitled “Human Rights Curriculumfrom a Gender Perspective” (Kurikulum Pendidikan HAM berperspektif jender) during
the 2004-2006 period. The curriculum is designed for the training of government
officials, staff of university institutes, and also staff of non-governmental organizations.
Komnas Perempuan developed the human rights curriculum with the support of the
National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), and some university-based
human rights studies centers (Center for Human Rights Studies in Syiah Kuala
University [PUSHAM UNSYIAH], Center for Human Rights Studies in Universitas
Surabaya [PUSHAM UBAYA] and Center for Human Rights Research and Studies in
Hasanuddin University [PSP-HAM UNHAS]). Komnas Perempuan used it in its
module trial activities and gathered suggestions from participants on how to improve thecurriculum content.
The human rights curriculum highlights the gender perspective through the following
contents:
1. Mapping of the situation on violence and discrimination against women
2. Human rights principles, concepts and historical contexts
3. The women’s rights movement and its link to the history of the development of theinternational human rights standards
4. Human rights mechanisms, including the human rights treaty monitoring bodies
such as the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, its
General Recommendation No. 19 on violence against women, the United Nations
Security Council Resolution 1325 (S/RES/1325, 2000) on the impact of armed
conflict on women and girls
5. International human rights instruments (such as the Convention on the Eliminationof All Forms of Discrimination Against Women)
6. Case studies of violations of women’s rights such as cases of violence against
women in conflict areas, trafficking, and violence against women caused byinterpretation of religious teachings and cultural practices.

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Komnas Perempuan has been using the curriculum in twenty-four provinces in Indonesia.
The use of the curriculum is adapted to the needs and situation of the target participants.
Education officials (including school supervisors and school principals in the provinces)can participate in the training activities of Komnas Perempuan on using this human rights
curriculum, or use the curriculum in the training activities of MoNE.
3. Teacher training program/projects
Several institutions in Indonesia also actively take part in teacher preparation for humanrights education. Teacher preparation may be conducted through both pre- and in-service
training. Human rights teacher preparation through pre-service training is exemplified by
the provision of human rights education to Nusa Cendana University (Kupang) students
during the pilot implementation of human rights education adopting the active learning
approach mentioned earlier. Most teacher preparation activities for human rights
education competency, however, were done through in-service training. Training
providers include the Human Rights Center of Surabaya University that conducted (i)child-to-child training, supported by UNICEF, (ii) human rights training with gender
perspective for teachers in primary to senior secondary schools in Surabaya, supported by
AusAID, and (iii) human rights training with gender perspective to combat trafficking in
women and children, also supported by AusAID. Another provider is the Human Rights
Center of Airlangga University that conducts seminars for high school teachers on
education about democracy and human rights discourse with gender perspective, the
Human Rights and Terrorism Center of Sriwijaya University that conducts training forsenior secondary school teachers and university lecturers at Palembang, and the Centerfor Human Rights Studies, Islamic University of Indonesia (Pusham UII) that trainsteachers in Yogyakarta through a teachers group. Also worth mentioning are the efforts ofsome non-governmental organizations, such as Solidamor that held training for seniorsecondary school teachers in several places including Medan city (North Sumatra),Lampung province, Semarang city (Central Java), and Jakarta.
The 2006-2007 teacher-training program for teachers of religion subject (Christianity[Protestant and Catholic], Hinduism and Buddhism) in thirteen provinces included asession on human rights education. Copies of Rencana Pelajaran Hak Asasi Manusia
untuk Sekolah-sekolah Asia Tenggara were distributed to the teacher-participants for thissession.
Aside from this training program, there is no MoNE training program that includes
human rights education for other teachers.
4. Human rights centers
In the wake of reform agenda after the fall of President Soeharto in 1998, human rights
issues became popular subjects for discussion. Strong efforts of human-rights-oriented
academics, activists, officials of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, and the
Directorate General for Higher Education of MoNE led to the birth of two positive results
for the promotion of human rights in the country.

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The first result is the development of separate courses, or the content of such courses(such as Civic Education), in schools or faculties for human rights. Human rights
education in Indonesian higher education institutions became a responsibility mandated to
all law educators in the university. Human rights are taught as part of “soft skills
education”, and also as values that support the realization of teaching, education, andpublic servant missions of higher education institutions in Indonesia. This unique public
servant mission makes the direct link of the course content and real issues in the society
possible (Wiratraman, 2007).3
The second is the establishment of human rights centers. Some centers were establishedat the university level while others are at the faculty level. Examples for the first typeinclude centers at the University of Surabaya (private, East Java Province), Islamic
University of Indonesia (private, Yogyakarta Special Province), and at Airlangga
University (public, East Java). The human rights center of the Padjadjaran University(public, West Java) exemplifies the second type, which was established within its law
school. See Table 2 for a list of existing centers.
The objectives of these centers vary. The common objectives of the centers include: (i)promotion, awareness-raising, and socialization of human rights; (ii) development ofconceptual thought, and of the government and society systems that respect and protect
human rights; (iii) generating more sensitive policies about the sense of justice andstrengthening the fulfilment and protection of human rights, (iv) human rights problems
discussions, violations identification, and service provisions, (v) cooperation andnetworking of human rights stakeholders, and (vi) conduct human rights studies,development of centers of excellence for studies, and research cooperation.
The human rights centers act as human rights think tanks. They also play important rolesin the establishment of human rights programs at higher education institutions(Wiratraman, 2007). Cooperation between these centers and provincial human rights
committees may lead to stronger efforts for human rights activities. The establishment of
human rights study programs and courses in the centers provides the seed for future
human rights provision, including human rights education.
Common activities related to human rights education undertaken by human rights centers
include the following: firstly, the socialization of human rights concepts among students,
including their responsibility in realizing human rights and democracy; secondly, humanrights training and seminars for teachers, lecturers, and students; thirdly, the developmentof human rights curricula from primary to tertiary levels, teaching materials, guidebooks,
and teaching practices; fourthly, studies of students’ human rights, and learning models
for integrating human rights concepts into a competency-based curriculum.

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Table 2. University Human Rights Research Centers
1. Sentra HAM UI
19. Universitas Nusa Cendana
2. PusHam UNJ

20. Universitas Mataram

3. PusHam UIN Syahid

21. Universitas Pattimura

4. PusHam Univ. Islam Attahiriyah

22. Universitas Cendrawasih

5. Universitas HAMKA

23. Universitas Tanjung Pura

6. Universitas Trisakti

24. Universitas Tadulako

7. Universitas Nasional

25. Universitas Hasanuddin

8. Universitas Pakuan Bogor

26. Universitas Negeri Makassar

9. Universitas Syiah Kuala

27. UIN Alauddin

10. UIN Syarif Qasim

28. Universitas Satria Makassar

11. Universitas Negeri Padang

29. Universitas Islam Makassar

12. Universitas Riau Pakan Baru

30. Universitas Halu Uleo Kendari

13. Universitas Lampung

31. Paguyuban HAM Unpad

14. Universitas Islam Indonesia

32. Universitas Diponegoro

15. Universitas Gajah Mada

33. Universitas Pelita Harapan

16. Universitas Surabaya

34. Institut Ilmu Pemerintahan

17. Universitas Airlangga

35. STIH Iblam Jakarta

18. Universitas Jendral Sudirman

36. Universitas Mulawarman

IV. BEST PRACTICES
It is very difficult to rate whether the following practices may be included as best practices
or not because we do not have any benchmark to follow. However, the following areimportant activities conducted so far.
A. The development of the National Plan of Action on Human Rights
The National Plan of Action on Human Rights, or RANHAM in the Indonesian language,
was established with at least, three major goals. First, it was established in order to protect,promote, strengthen, fulfill, and respect human rights. Second, it is meant to guide all
stakeholders and orchestrate the activities to the targetted output in a specific year,
including those activities related to human rights education. Third, it aims to protect themembers of society from human rights violations. The members of society need special
attention so that their interests are well accommodated. RANHAM identifies those who aresusceptible to human rights violations including children, young adults, women, seniorcitizens, traditional communities, minority groups, the poor and people in need, disabled72

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persons, enforced disappearances, displaced persons, prisoners, farmers, laborers, andfisherfolk.
RANHAM is revised every so many years. The first RANHAM had the 2003-2008 period.
The period (2005-2009) of the current RANHAM overlaps with the first plan, as part of
the transitional plan under Presidential Decree No. 61/2003.
B. Close cooperation and synergy between the MoNE, the Ministry of Law and Human
Rights and various human rights institutions
Human rights education in Indonesia is blessed by the existing national structure ofhuman-rights-education-related activities. Cooperation and synergy between two of themost important stakeholders of human rights education, i.e., the Ministry of Law and
Human Affairs and the MoNE, constitutes a strong capital for human rights education
provision in Indonesia. The Ministry of Law and Human Affairs developed national
curricula for human rights education in 2004, held training for trainers, and many otherefforts. Furthermore, there is also good cooperation among other human rights institutions,such as the National Commission on Human Rights, National Commission on Child
Rights, National Commission on Violence Against Women, to name a few.
C. Establishment of human rights research centers, provision of human rights courses, andestablishment of human rights specialization and study programs.
V.

ANALYSIS OF THE LAWS, POLICIES, EDUCATION GOALS,CURRICULA AND PROGRAMS

A. Coverage
All students in Indonesia are treated equal under Indonesian laws, policies, and curricula.
Educational laws, policies, and curricula cover all schools, public and private, wherever
they are located. There is no intended distinction between private and public schools,
between rural, urban, and metropolitan schools, and schools belonging to different ethnic
groups. There is no planned educational discrimination practiced in the country. Any
existing differences between those who live in rural and urban or metropolitan areas arecaused by the variation in capability of parents in urban and metropolitan areas to provide
support for their children compared to their rural and remote areas counterparts. Limited
available educational resources prevent the Government from pouring much moreresources to those living in rural and remote areas using the same schooling system.
Central Government subsidies that go direct to schools are provided to all schools based on
the number of students enrolled. Teacher allowances are (apart from teachers’ salary paidby the Central Government), however, provided to the remoteness of a school’s location.
There is a positive discrimination system for under-served children. An alternative, nonformal education subsystem equivalent to primary, junior secondary and senior secondary
levels was introduced in the early 1990s. This equivalency education sub-system wascreated to provide similar educational opportunities to children and adults who are notserved by the formal system, due to age limitation, working status, non-availability offormal schools within a reasonable distance, and children of poor families. The certificatesissued under the Learning Packages A, B, and C are equivalent to primary, junior

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secondary, and senior secondary school certificates respectively, and have exactly thesame legal recognition as the formal schooling certificates.
There are special programs that positively affect the school environment. The inclusive
education program is one kind of such program. The introduction of the Inclusive
Education program provides students with special needs an educational experience andenvironment similar to that enjoyed by ‘ordinary’ students. The Inclusive Education
program is provided at primary, junior secondary and senior secondary schools. Once a
student with special needs is enrolled to an inclusive program, he or she has the right toeducation up to university level. This means that with the introduction of this program theeducational opportunities for students with special needs that were previously only
available at special schools have widened in two ways, in terms of entrance up to
university level, and the opportunity to have education in an environment similar to thatenjoyed by ‘ordinary’ students.
i. Content, Components, and Networking
Indonesia ratified most of the major international human rights conventions since they aretotally consistent with the national constitution.4 Because of this ratification, the content of
human rights education in Indonesia should be in total concordance with the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC),
and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women(CEDAW).
In practice, however, there are several issues that need to be taken seriously into account.
The first is the teachers’ readiness and second is the availability of learning resources atschools. Efforts conducted so far include: (i) development of a human rights curriculum
and teaching-learning materials, (ii) pilot implementation of human rights education at
schools and universities, and (iii) institution- and capacity-building.
The human rights education curricula for primary, junior secondary, and senior secondary
schools were developed as competency-based curricula. The curricula consist of general
concepts, specific concepts, and indicators. At primary school level, human rights
education is integrated into two subjects, i.e., social science and religion. At juniorsecondary school, human rights education is integrated into two subjects, i.e., citizenshipeducation and religion. At senior secondary school, it is integrated into three subjects, i.e.,
religion, geography, and sociology.
The materials developed by the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, the MoNE andKomnas Perempuan include textbooks, comic books, brochures, stickers and pamphlets.
Target audiences for those materials include students and community members in general.
The intended student-users consist of primary, junior secondary, senior secondary, anduniversity students.
Under close cooperation with the MoNE and the Ministry of Religious Affairs, theMinistry of Law and Human Rights has been seriously piloting human rights education inschools. Currently, several primary schools and Islamic primary schools, junior secondaryand Islamic junior secondary schools, and general senior secondary and Islamic generalsenior secondary schools are piloting human rights education.

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Furthermore, in a close cooperation with the Directorate General for Higher Education, theMinistry of Law and Human Rights advocated among university leaders the importance ofhuman rights education for university students. As a result, most public universities
already have human rights education either as a separate course or as content of an existingcourse, such as Civic Education.
There are several institutional- and capacity-building efforts conducted so far. First, theMinistry of Law and Human Rights campaigned for the establishment of human rights
research centers at higher educational institutions. This resulted in the establishment ofthirty-six university-based centers so far.
Secondly, the adoption of the plans of action on human rights that include human rights
education activities. The 2004-2009 National Plan of Action on Human Rights provides
for the basis for human rights education in the Indonesian school system. This planconsists of six main programs, one of which is on “Dissemination and human rights
education.” This special program was adopted due to the belief that protection, promotion,
fulfillment, and respect for human rights are greatly determined by nurturing human rights
culture and values through education.
ii. Mechanism for implementation including pedagogy
The high commitment of Indonesia in promoting human rights is seen in the number of
institutions that deal with human rights education in the country. The number of players inthis field allows the MoNE to network with key players, such as the Ministry of Law and
Human Rights, the National Commission on Human Rights, the National Commission on
Violence Against Women, the National Commission on the Rights of the Child, and the
National Ombudsman Commission, and higher education institutions. In fact, the Ministryof Law and Human Rights functions as a coordinating body for human-rights-related
activities conducted by other relevant government ministries and institutions. Within theministry, there is a special directorate general assigned for human rights implementation,i.e., the Directorate General for Human Rights, that is responsible for all human-rightsrelated activities. Specifically for human-rights-education-related activities, the responsible
body is the Directorate for Human Rights Dissemination. This means that the MoNE
should not develop everything itself as if there are no other institutions interested in humanrights education.
To implement human rights education, the National Plan of Action for Human Rights
Implementation (RANHAM) was adopted in 2003 (the first RANHAM). Based on thenational plan of action (RANHAM), operational activities have been developed including
the aforementioned curriculum and learning materials development, teacher training, andestablishment of university-based human rights centers. To finance all activities, annual
budgets are allotted within the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, MoNE, Ministry of
Religious Affairs, and at university level. The recent national financial situation, however,forced the latter two ministries to reduce their financial allotment.
Started in 2006, the curricula for schools have shifted gradually from the nationallydeveloped curricula to school-developed curricula. On one hand, the decentralization of
curricula provides wide opportunities for schools to adapt human rights education to theirrelevant school-environment-related educational content and activities.

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On the other hand, this shift in paradigm on curricular development makes the controllingmechanism a bit more complicated. The MoNE decides the standard for educational
content and graduates’ competence, while the translation into daily teaching plans is fully
conducted by schools and teachers. Since education management, including human rights
education, was transferred from the national level to the district level, the controllingmechanism for the implementation of human rights education relies on the district
education supervisors. There are supervisors for primary schools, junior secondary schools,
and senior secondary schools at the district level. These supervisors are responsible to thehead of the district office for education, who has no structural relationship with the
Minister of National Education at all.
Under the decentralized educational management environment the paradigm should beshifted. The MoNE should shift the “control paradigm” into an “assurance paradigm.” 5
Using the latter paradigm, the MoNE assures the adequate provision of educational input,
teaching-learning processes, and educational output. At the input aspect, the Curriculum
Center and other offices at the MoNE develop and distribute a manual for developing
school curricula, with examples of school curricula and the National Standards ofEducation. At the beginning, schools may simply adopt examples of the school
curriculum received from the MoNE and use them in the daily teaching-learning process.
After they become familiar with it, it is expected that they start to adapt it, make somealterations and changes, to make the curriculum more relevant to the existing school
environment. At a later stage, after they are able to alter many components and use it in thedaily teaching-learning activities, all schools are expected to develop their own curricula
based on the National Standard of Content and Standard of Graduate Competence.
In-service training on school curriculum development for teachers and supervisors is held
under the existing nationally controlled Teacher Training Centers (LPMP) in the provinces.
Employing their new knowledge on curriculum development, supervisors help
schoolteachers to adopt, adapt, or develop their own curriculum and use it in the teachinglearning process. Besides that, the Curriculum Center provides training for curriculum
development advisors who will assist individual schools in developing the curricula.
Another serious effort in this matter includes the nationally financed activities of the
Teacher Working Group (KKG) and Subject Matter Teachers Group (MGMP) for peertutoring. This peer-tutoring method fosters the skills and knowledge of individual teachers
on curriculum development as well as practicing the developed curriculum into the daily
teaching-learning process. This adult-style learning using peer-tutoring method proved tobe very effective in improving teachers’ competence on curriculum development andpedagogy as well as teaching content.
There are however other major problems regarding the integration of human rights
education into the curriculum under the decentralized system. A basic major issue is thelack of a mainstreaming strategy that would make all relevant teachers and schoolmasters
become aware of human rights education and the need to integrate it into the school
curriculum. There are also problems regarding support for the teaching-learning process aswell as proper instruction to school officials on the integration of human rights education
into the school curricula.
The development of human rights education curricula by the Ministry of Law and Human
Rights is an important initiative. But this initiative may not achieve its objective over time.

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These curricula must relate to the sample school curricula developed by the MoNE for theuse of schools all over the country. But it seems that this is not the case. Nationallydeveloped sample school curricula are distributed to all schools across the country, while
the curricula for human rights education developed by the Ministry of Law and Human
Rights remain at the national level office.
Under the integration approach to human rights education, the teaching-learning process is
crucial. While the teachers should be responsible for teaching human rights, it is possiblethat not a single teacher takes the responsibility for doing this. To gather together all thepieces spread over various subjects relevant to human rights concepts, package them into
human rights “messages,” and convey the messages to students requires extra andconcerted efforts by the teachers. Who takes the responsibility of orchestrating these
efforts?
Even though the human rights concepts and ideas and components of human rights
education are written into the national standards of curricular content, this does not
automatically translate into the school curricula on human rights that teachers develop. The
teachers still need a “decree”, an “order”, or a “request” to do so. So far, no such “decree”,“order”, or “request” exists.

VI. RECOMMENDATIONSIn order to improve the current situation of human rights education in the Indonesianschool system, there is a need to define the mainstreaming strategy of the Government inthis regard. Such strategy should be able to address the particular components of humanrights education in the school system. The following recommendations have been
identified to address specific issues that affect the current situation of human rights
education in Indonesian school system.
A. Stronger Cooperation and Synergy at the National Level
Coordination and synergy are two key factors for the success of human rights education
provision. The MoNE and other ministries, such as the Ministry of Law and Human
Rights, should aim at stronger coordination and synergy for better implementation of theinitiatives in this important area of education.
Unfortunately, it seems that the socialization of the concept of human rights education has
not reached the MoNE’s top level adequately. This is a basic recommendation for the
MoNE to achieve the goal of human rights education in the Indonesian education system.
B. Stronger Cooperation and Synergy at the Sub-National Level
The existing organizational and activity structure of those various institutions at thenational up to school level should be employed to their fullest potential. The existing
double organizational and activity structures of the MoNE and the Ministry of Law and
Human Rights are very strong assets. The Education Ministry has the organizational and

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activity structure that consists of (i) a national ministry and its various offices, (ii)nationally controlled Teacher Training Centers in the provinces, (iii) teacher andsupervisor training conducted by these centers, (iv) curriculum development assistants at
provincial and district levels readily assist curriculum development at school level, (iv)school supervisors who readily assist teachers in teaching-learning processes, and (v) the
two teacher groups with peer-tutoring activities which are financially backed by the
MoNE. On the other hand, the Ministry of Law and Human Rights has an organizational
and activity structure that consists of (i) a national ministry with a special directorate
general for human rights, (ii) A Human Rights Committee at the national level, (iii)
Human Rights Committees at the provincial level, (iv) human rights research centers atuniversities that are commonly located in the provincial capital, and (v) A Human Rights
Committee at the district level.
This double organizational and activity structure may be employed in a better orchestra ofhuman rights education provision. Those two streams of offices seem to work in isolation.
There are four offices in the provinces that seem to work under their own program thatseem to work with inadequate coordination and synergy, if any, i.e. (i) Human Rights
Committees at the provincial level, (ii) human rights research centers at universities thatare commonly located in the provincial capital (on the side of the Ministry of Law and
Human Rights), (iii) the nationally controlled Teacher Training Centers in the provincesand (iv) curriculum development assistants (at the Ministry of National Education side).
Furthermore, there are three offices and groups of staff at district level that also seem towork without adequate relationships with each other, i.e. (i) The Human Rights Committee
at the district level, (ii) curriculum development assistants at district levels, and (iii) school
supervisors.
Cooperation and synergy efforts at the provincial and district levels are needed to make thecultivation of human rights concept to all students become a reality.
C. Paradigm shift
It is important to make sure that teachers in the relevant subjects teach the human rights
concepts and messages to students. The weakest side of the integration mode of teachinglearning is on how to control or make sure that the actual human rights concept“cultivation” or teaching-learning activities are going on as expected. In the decentralized
Indonesia, a shift from a “controlling paradigm” to an “assurance paradigm” is needed, as
mentioned earlier, since the authority of the MoNE is limited to establishing the standard,
and teaching-learning practice is under the control of the district government. Since
education management, including human rights education, has been transferred from thenational to the district level, the controlling mechanism for the implementation of humanrights education relies on the district education supervisors who indirectly report to the
district mayor. District mayors do not have any structural relationship with the MoNE.
Under the new paradigm of quality assurance, it is important to make sure that the input
and process for human rights education are of a good quality. The minimum educational
input consists of learning materials and teachers. The MoNE has to make teachers
understand the components of human rights education within the national standard ofeducational content, capable of translating it into school level curricula, and also capable of78

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cultivating the concepts with students. This means that, at least, i) a special manual should
be developed in a teacher-friendly mode and distributed to all teachers in the country; ii)
using the existing structure at the sub-national level mentioned in the previous pages, amethod should be developed to assure that all teachers know what to do and have thenecessary knowledge in the cultivation of human rights; finally, iii) another method should
be developed to assure that those teachers really conduct human rights cultivation efforts
properly. This requires energy, time, willingness, and financial resources.
D. Formal instruction from the MoNE
Publishing a “decree”, an “order”, or a “request” to teachers to mainstream the cultivationof human rights within the education system is the authority of the Minister of National
Education. It is therefore clear that the Minister of National Education and the relevant
directors-general 6 have to be properly introduced to the importance of human rights
education. With the blessing of the Minister of National Education, human rights
education may be nationally mainstreamed to all levels of education. Harder efforts should
be undertaken for stronger cooperation and synergistic ways by all human rights education
stakeholders to mainstream it into the teaching-learning process at schools in the more thanten thousand islands in Indonesia.
E. Creative and alternative human rights education resources
Limited national, provincial, and district financial resources should be faced with a morecreative strategy. In the wake of Corporate Social Responsibility, the road to use company
resources to finance educational activities, including human rights education, is becoming
wider. In fact, from the company viewpoint, a coordinated effort from the relevant
ministries are awaited and welcomed. The question is simply “who should start it?” It isclear that the ministry responsible for education has to do this. But the ministry that deals
with human rights issues has a responsibility as well.
F. Teacher Preparation and Teaching-Learning Materials Distribution
Since Indonesia passed the era of national-level curricular development and entered themore advanced school-level curricular development in 2006, the teacher should develop
the curriculum to be used at daily teaching-learning activities. The power of the national
authority is standard development, including standard of teaching/learning contents andstandard of learning outputs. To make teachers able to interpret the human-rights-related
component in the National Standard of Contents and the National Standard of Learning
Outputs into the school curricula, a manual should be developed and distributed timely to
all teachers throughout the country. The manual should be user-friendly because it will be
used as the sole method of teacher preparation.
The teachers’ manual is more preferred for the teachers’ preparation rather than teacher
training due to the size of teacher population (2.2 million) that makes training a time andbudget consuming process. It is very useful to learn the past experience in preparing theteachers during the 1980s and 1990s curriculum when, partly due to financial resources
availability to the huge number of teachers in a country of 17,000 islands, the training took

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almost a decade to finish. In fact, a new curriculum was ready for implementation when
the teacher-training program was about to end.
Beside the teachers’ manual for school-level curricular development, the teachers’
resource book and the students’ book on human rights should be available as well. Humanrights books developed by various institutions mentioned earlier are good sources for bothteachers and students to choose from. After evaluating them, the selected good books
should ready for distribution. The recent policy of the Minister of National Education on
provision of low-priced books will help schools make the books available at schools’
library and parents are likely capable of purchasing them.
G. Teaching Learning Process and Evaluation
It is important to make sure that human rights education efforts are properly undertaken.
Human rights education should affect more than the cognitive domain, which is commonly
the case at school setting. Human rights education includes and actually targets theaffective domain. But in achieving teaching-learning effects on the affective domain, thecognitive domain of human rights education should be taken cared of as well. Based on
this argument, the correct term to be used should be “cultivation” rather than “education”.
Teachers, instead of employing teaching-learning processes that aimed at merely cognitive
knowledge acquisition, should develop the teaching-learning processes that target theaffective domain.
Evaluation of the teaching-learning outputs of the affective-domain-based processes isclearly different to that of evaluation of the cognitive domain teaching-learning outputs. It
is likely that the changed behavior is the target of human rights cultivation. Even though
the evaluation of the learning outputs of the affective domain is much more difficult thanthe pencil-and-paper objective tests that are widely used for evaluation of the cognitive
domain evaluation, serious efforts should be conducted to make teachers capable of doing
the correct evaluation process. The National Examination Center, with its expertise inmeasuring learning achievement at the affective domain should publish the guideline of
the needed learning outputs evaluation and distribute it to all teachers and supervisors.
The role of school supervisor is very important in providing professional support toteachers. The support that can be provided includes teaching-learning process and learningachievement measurement. In order to be able to provide professional support, supervisors
should know human rights more than the teachers. He or she should achieve the mastery
level of human rights cultivation methods and affective domain achievement measurement.
Training for school supervisors in human rights cultivation is either worth financing or
financially feasible due to their small number. Properly trained, they will act as ensurer ofquality human rights cultivation efforts at schools.

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Endnotes
1

Agung Purwadi, Dimas Samodra Rum, Iskandar Agung of the Ministry of National Educationand the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, Indonesia presented the previous version of thisreport in the Sub-Regional Conference on Regional Mapping, Collection of Best Practices, andCoordination of Initiatives to Promote Human Rights Education in Schools in Asia, Bangkok,
Thailand, 17-19 July 2008. Philip Suprastowo and all members of the Policy Analysis on Human
Rights Education at the Policy Research and Educational Innovation Center, Ministry of National
Education, Indonesia prepared the earliest version for the Bangkok Conference, while Dimas
Samudra Rum provided some excellent contributions. Dimas and Usman Surur of the Ministry of
Law and Human Rights provide excellent contribution to this version.
2
These lesson plans, in Bahasa Indonesia, are available online: www.pendidikandamai.org/gid/index.php?go=downloads
3
Wiratraman, HP (2007). The Dynamics of Human Rights Education in Indonesian Law Schools.
In Human Rights Education in Asian Schools 10.
4
As of 2007, Indonesia has signed the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (30March 2007) and the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All MigrantWorkers and Members of Their Families (24 September 2004). These Conventions are awaiting
ratification. Indonesia has ratified the following: the International Covenant on Economic, Social
and Cultural Rights, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention on the
Rights of the Child (CRC), International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial
Discrimination, Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or
Punishment, and the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination against
Women (CEDAW).
5
The quality control paradigm mainly controls the outputs of the process, to fulfill thepredetermined quality standard. Quality assurance paradigm, on the other hand, controls inputs
and process in order to cultivate products that fulfill the predetermined outputs. Decentralizationof education reduces the power of the national authority to standard and norm setting. The
establishment of National Standard of Education enables the MoNE to control the input andprocess of education in order to deliver educational outputs that also fulfill the establishedStandard of Educational Outputs. There are seven standards of education established so far,including the Standard of Educational Contents and Standard of Educational Outputs.
6
There are four relevant directors-general relating to the Management of Basic and Secondary
Education, Higher Education, the Non-Formal and Informal Education, and the Teacher and
Educational Personnel Quality Improvement.

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National ReportOn
Human Rights Education in the School System of the Lao PDR
Yangxia Lee and Somthavinh Nanthavong
Ministry of Education

Historical Context
Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) is a small landlocked country locatedin the central Indo-China peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China in thenorth, Cambodia in the south, Vietnam in the east, Myanmar in the northwest, andThailand in the west.
Lao PDR gained independence and declared the country as the Lao People
Democratic Republic on 2 December 1975. The Lao Government has always had afair policy that protects and promotes the rights and benefits of Lao citizens. It also
promotes gender equality as stated in Article 22 of the 1991 Constitution, “Laocitizens are all equal before the law irrespective of their gender, social status,
education, beliefs and ethnic group.” Article 24 of the Constitution states that
“Citizens of both sexes enjoy equal rights in the political, economic, cultural andsocial fields and family affairs.” In 2003, the National Assembly (NA) adopted
revisions to the Constitution including an article that affirmed that “the State, society
and families attend to implementing development policies and supporting theadvancement of women, and to protecting the legitimate rights and benefits of womenand children.” To make sure that the Constitution is implemented, the NA enacted in
2004 the “Law on Development and Protection of Women.” The President of Lao
PDR issued a decree to enforce this law. Based on the law and policy mentioned, theGovernment pays attention to human rights as shown in its ratification of the humanrights instruments of the United Nations (UN).
The UN was established in 1945, immediately after the World War II ended, withaims including the maintenance of international peace and security and international
co-operation in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for
fundamental freedoms for all without distinction of race, sex, language, or religion.
Three years later, in 1948, the United Nations adopted The Universal Declaration of
Human Rights (UDHR) covering political, civil, social, economic and cultural rights.
While the UDHR is not a legally binding document, it requires political and moral
commitment from UN member-states to respect human rights. To implement thisHuman Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

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declaration, the UN saw the necessity of adopting human rights treaties, which werebinding legal instruments, and have monitoring mechanisms. In 1966, the UN adopted
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International
Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) that were enforced in
1976. The UDHR has become the greatest inspiration and aspiration of all humanbeings. On 7 December 2000, in line with the policy of the Lao People’s Party and theConstitution of the Lao PDR and to stress the importance of the international humanrights instruments, Lao PDR signed the ICCPR and ICESCR.1 The signing of theseinternational human rights instruments was also meant to ensure respect for the rightsof ethnic groups for their development and ultimately to lift the country out of theleast developed status by 2020. In 1979, the Lao PDR ratified the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and started to
implement it in 1981.
Lao PDR acceded to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) on 8 May 1991
along with more than a hundred other countries. In 1992, the National Committee forMother and Child was established to lead the implementation of the CRC in the
country.
Lao PDR has sixteen provinces, one municipality and one hundred forty-two districts
and 10,500 villages (Census 2005). There are 953,000 families in the total populationof 5.6 million, with an annual population growth rate of 2.08 percent. Forty-seven
districts have been identified as the poorest districts of the country. Majority of theLao people believe in Buddhism. Lao PDR is a culturally diverse nation. Census 2005
categorizes the population into forty-nine ethnicities that can be grouped into fourmain language families, in which the Lao-Thai group accounts for sixty-four percent
and Chinese-Tibetan accounts for the smallest percentage of the total population.

Lao-Thai

No. of ethnic
groups8

64.9% of population
aged 0-16
59.8

Mon-Khmer

32

22.6

25.1

Chinese-Tibetan

7

2.8

3.0

Hmong-Iu Mien

2

8.5

10.7

1.2

1.5

Language family

Other/no answer
Source: Census 2005

% of population

The 2005 Census also shows a large average family size in Lao PDR with an averagerural family size of 5.9 members. Around 1,600 villages have no road access and 83%of the population live in rural areas and rely on subsistence agriculture. In order toimprove the socio-economic situation, the Government places rural development as a
key to poverty reduction and the improvement of living standards. Through ruraldevelopment, Gross Domestic Product reached US$ 511 in 2005.

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With the New Economic Mechanism introduced in 1986 and based on a marketoriented economic system, the growth rate of the industrial and service sectors
significantly increased, while the agricultural sector rapidly declined. However, in
2005, the agriculture sector still accounted for forty-five percent of the national
income, as shown by Figures 1 and 2. It covers seventy percent of the total working
hours and eighty percent of the labor force.
Figure 1: Share of GDP %, 2000

Figure 2: Share of GDP %, 2005

Agriculture

Agriculture

Industry25%

1%

Industry

Services
Import duties

25%

1%

Services
Import duties

45%
51%
23%

29%

High quality education plays an important role in socio-economic and ruraldevelopment, and thus contributes to reducing poverty. Hence, the Government
identified three main key programs in education, namely, (i) improving justice andaccess/opportunity, (ii) ensuring quality and relevance, and (iii) education
management. Various programs, projects and activities have been launched underthese three main programs.
The Government expanded the education program in remote and ethnic areas in orderto ensure equal access to education by all school-aged students, and to reduce adultilliteracy in the whole country. Since 2000, improvement of private education (whichis rapidly growing in all provinces and will extend up to tertiary level) gained more
attention from the Government. The education system is gradually being developedand improved to meet the international educational standards, especially in terms of
quality. Article 22 of the Constitution states that the Government shall make an effort
to develop education, and implement compulsory education to equip Lao people withmorality and capacity. The State promotes and supports private sector investment in
the development of the education system in the country. There is a need to identify
priority areas in education, especially for ethnic areas. In addition, Article 22emphasizes the right to education for all Lao citizens, particularly those in remoteareas, women, ethnic groups, children, and disadvantaged people.

The formal education system
The formal education system of Lao PDR comprises several levels:
1. Kindergarten and pre-school (three months old to six years old) - six-year
duration.
2. Primary education (six to ten years old) - five-year duration.

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3. Lower secondary education - three-year duration (the duration will be expanded
to four years starting in 2011).
4. Upper secondary school - three-year duration.
5. Vocational training and higher technical college - three to four-year duration.
6. Undergraduate level - five-year duration.
7. Master degree, research and PhD – up to six years duration.
Graph of the Education System in Lao PDR:

The Ministry of Education (MOE) has the overall direct management responsibility
for the education system. There is a vertical coordination from the ministry to theprovincial, district and school education levels. The educational policy on
decentralization is acknowledged and enforced by the Government since 2002 toincrease the ownership and responsibility for each education level. At the same time,
responsibilities of each level are clearly laid out. Training has been provided toeducation managers at all levels to ensure that they implement activities required bytheir responsibilities. The structure is revised and improved from time to time toreflect the developments and growth of international and domestic fields of education.

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The Constitution and the educational strategies of the MOE provide the educational
principles and goals in Lao PDR. The most recent educational strategy (2000-2010)provides that primary education should focus on five aspects of education: moral,
intellectual, vocational, physical, and the arts. Primary education should develop
students to become patriotic, to love people’s democracy, and to acknowledge thenational tradition and the revolution. It builds students’ knowledge, skills and thecapacity to continue to higher education. It develops the students’ basic competency
in general vocational skills to improve local living conditions. It also emphasizes theeducation of students to live in society by training the spirit of patriotism; loving theirhometown, village, family and their school; admiring leaders, parents, seniors andfriends; having patience to study; basic knowledge of nature, society and people; andhaving basic knowledge on social-natural sciences and humanity.
Secondary education, comprising of lower and upper levels, aims to enhanceknowledge, capacity and talent of students. It generally emphasizes learning how toaccurately use the Lao language and to have basic knowledge of mathematics, naturalsciences and social sciences, laws, information system, international language,technology and vocational skills.
In line with the 2005 Education for All National Plan of Action, the Government isinitiating education reform that will lead to more pre-school education, extension ofbasic education from eleven to twelve years, construction of more school buildings,
teacher education, development of curricula and teaching-learning materials,
empowerment of all universities, and establishment of technical and vocational
colleges in all provinces.
There will also be specialized education centers for various purposes. One relevant
center is the Centre of Education Promotion for Women, Ethnic Groups and People
with Disabilities. The objective of this center is to gather all activities that are related
to the promotion of education for women, girls, ethnic groups and people withdisabilities. It aims to assure equality in education in society. This education reform
also focuses on creating female and ethnic staff at all educational levels, a strategy
that enhances equality, justice and fulfillment of human rights in the education sector.
The Government is working to achieve the educational objectives of international
initiatives including the Education For All (EFA) and Millennium Development Goals(MDGs). To implement and achieve the goals of EFA, the Government focuses on
expanding education into rural, ethnic and remote areas to make sure that all ethnic
groups, both sexes and all ages, have equal access to education, aligned with humanrights education. The Government has always seen the solidarity among ethnic groups
as central to the peace and sustainability of society.
General government policies
Based on the current situation and the current educational concerns, the Lao People’s
Party and Government give priority to the development of education and consider

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education as central to human development. To achieve the goals of EFA, MDGs andNational Strategies for Growth and Poverty Eradication (which focuses on lifting thecountry out of the least developed status by 2020), the goal of the Government is tomake sure that the Lao population from all ethnic groups and both sexes can read andwrite, achieve educational attainment, and have the knowledge to apply modern
technology-sciences to the production process, so that they can participate in thedevelopment of the national socio-economy and can contribute to the competitivenessof the country at the regional and international levels. The promotion of education for
women is also viewed as a priority. The National Strategy on the Promotion of
Education for Girls and the Advancement of Women in the Education Sector (20062010) was adapted from the national policy of the Lao People’s Party andGovernment under the Constitution, laws and agreements that ensure gender equality
in terms of quantity and gender roles. In achieving equality in education, thedevelopment of quality human resources for both sexes to support the socio-economic
development of the country is needed.
The Government views education as having a vital role in reducing poverty.
Education can improve the living standards of the people and provide a basis for thegrowth of the economy. The National Strategy on Poverty Reduction states that
education is a key feature to reduce poverty. Under this framework, illiteracy must be
eradicated, and the people should have the opportunity to access modern technologythat can be applied to agricultural production. Thus, it is significant to ensure equal
access to education for all ethnic groups. The equal opportunity in education willallow Lao people to use their knowledge to improve their economic conditions thatwill then contribute to the reduction of poverty by 2020.
The resolution of the 5th National Conference of the Lao People’s Party in 2007
requires the MOE in collaboration with the social sciences research center to conduct
further research on the development of the Lao alphabet to match ethnic verbal
languages and support quality teaching of the Lao language within ethnic groups. The
MOE has implemented the resolution through different approaches. For example, theinitial consultation meeting was organized in June 2008 to provide quality education
to ethnic children and adults.
These policies and programs are based on the policy direction of the Government
under the Constitution, laws and decrees that ensure qualitative and quantitativeequality, particularly to ensure the achievement of equality in education in order tosupply quality female, male and ethnic human resources to the socio-economic
development of the country.
Educational policies and projects
To ensure that all Lao citizens receive education, the Government enacted the Law on
Education through Decree no. 149/LaoPDR dated 17 July 2007. Article 6 of the law
states that Lao citizens, irrespective of their gender, social status, education, beliefs
and ethnic group have the right to education. Article 17 states clearly that primary88

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education is compulsory, consists of basic necessary knowledge, and is free of charge
for Lao citizens who are six years or older and from all ethnic groups. Article 35
states that students have equal rights to study, conduct research, and seek personal
development. Each school, education center and institute, and education management
organization at all levels must ensure the implementation of rights to gender equality.
Articles 36, 37 and 38 also identify the need to support and provide assistance tostudents who are from poor families, are disadvantaged, especially women, ethnic
groups, talented students, people with disabilities, and people with special needs.
Furthermore, private education has been expanded as part of the Government’s policy
stated in the Article 22 and Article 60 of the Constitution, Article 24 of the National
Education Law provides that the Government has a role in promoting and supporting
individuals, groups, and domestic and international private sectors in investing inbuilding schools, centers and institutes at different levels.
The Education Strategic Vision (up to the year 2020) clearly points out that all Lao
citizens must complete a compulsory basic primary education and continue their study
at the lower secondary level. This is to ensure that the Lao people can participate in
the socio-economic development of the country.
To apply the international human rights instruments into the Lao context, theGovernment in 2007 developed a Draft National Action Plan on Human Rights thatconsists of four main action plans as follows:o Plan of Action I: The preparation for the ratification of the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
o Plan of Action II: The implementation of the International Covenant on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, as well as the other international
human rights instruments to which Lao PDR is a party.
o Plan of Action III: Human Rights Education, including the dissemination of
information about human rights.
The basic purposes of the four main Plans of Action are under the responsibility of allparties in the public agencies to take into broad and effective practice. The MOE is
responsible directly for Plan of Action III. There are two targets under the education
plan of action which are (i) to ensure teaching and learning for general education andhigher education levels in both public and private sectors providing knowledge,
understanding and basic awareness of Human Rights (ii) to develop a plan for the
dissemination of the citizens’ rights as adopted in the laws of the Lao PDR andinternational human rights instruments for all citizens.

Policy implementation
Due to increased investment in education by both government and private sectors,
including international investors, children of all ethnic groups have increasingly beenable to receive education and have increasingly seen the importance of education. As

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a result, the number of students and teachers in the final year report of the education
sector, 2007-2008, has increased.
The mid-term evaluation in the EFA report illustrates that the adult literacy rate (aged15+) in 2005-2006 was 72.7% (females - 63.2%, males - 82.5%). The literacy rate foryouths (aged 15-24) is 83.9% (females - 78.7%, males - 89.2%). The indicator ongender equality in literacy (aged 15+) is 0.76.
However, the expansion of education at all levels has mainly occurred in urban areas,
especially for the pre-school education level. There is a need to fully implement the
EFA program particularly in relation to early education for ethnic children, girls andchildren from the poorest families.

Gender equality
The Government has a policy to promote the involvement of women in all sectors andin capacity development. In the past, a number of female educators have participatedin training and capacity-building activities within the country and overseas. In
addition, the promotion of the advancement of women in career development is one of
the Government’s priorities together with greater efforts of female officials indeveloping themselves. To date, a number of women have increasingly held a higher
position in the education sector.
Moreover, a number of females within the MOE have been upgraded in terms oftechnical expertise and capacity to be able to participate effectively in their careerdevelopment. So far, a number of females have received training and technicalupgrading in the country and overseas.
Although the Government has increasingly promoted the advancement of women in
upgrading their knowledge and skills and in career development, the number ofwomen in higher positions and receiving higher education remains low. In the MOE,
only a small number of women hold decision-making positions. Another issue is thevery few representatives of ethnic groups among officials in the whole education
sector. Within the MOE, there are six Hmong ethnic staff with only one female; andother ethnic groups have fewer or no representative.
To achieve the objectives of the Constitution, and the laws and decrees mentioned
above, the MOE has implemented different projects supported by internationalorganizations, non-governmental organizations and donors. These projects help
construct schools, support teachers, support students from poor families, support girls
and those in rural areas, establish facilities for ethnic students (such as boarding
schools) and students with physical and visual disabilities (schools and dormitories),
provide health and nutrition support to students, train communities to support
education, promote women’s empowerment, and develop curricula and teachinglearning materials. These projects have been implemented in many provinces in the
country.

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The MOE actively raises funds from various international organizations, such as
UNICEF and UNESCO Bangkok to support several activities including the provisionof training on gender to education managers from the ministry level to the provincial,
district, school clusters, teachers and teacher training school management levels; andresearch on various topics for planning purposes related to gender equality. In every
training workshop, “child rights” is a vital topic to increase the knowledge of theparticipants, and support the mainstreaming of child rights principles into theteaching-learning process and education management. The discussion of child rights
focuses on the CRC (mainly the forty articles and the four basic rights such as theright to survive, the right to protect, the right to full development, and the right toparticipation) to make sure that the participants are aware of these rights, able todistinguish the differences between the rights and the responsibilities of the child, andcan apply and mainstream them into the teaching and learning process as well as ineducation management as part of their daily work.

Child Friendly School
The Child Friendly School Project has been implemented for several years in the
country in order to ensure that children receive equally similar education with thesame appropriate school environment. The project focuses on improving the learning
environment and quality of education by emphasizing six aspects, namely, i) access toschooling for all children, ii) effective teaching and learning, iii) children’s health andprotection, iv) gender responsiveness, v) participation of children, parents and thecommunity, and (vi) effective leadership and administration. The project began as apilot program from the second semester of the 2004-2005 school year in three primaryschools in Salavan, Vientiane and Xiengkhouang provinces. With satisfactory results
during the pilot period, the project was expanded to twenty-four more primary schools
in seven provinces (Phongsaly, Oudumxay, Luangnamtha, Luangprabang,
Xiengkhouang, Vientiane and Salavan). The MOE and UNICEF cooperated in thisproject, which constitutes a significant component of the cooperation plan with themfor the 2007-2011 period.
With effective results during the pilot period, the project was expanded to cover more
schools. However, the implementation of the project has been limited for many years
only to the primary level and in limited target sites in thirty-eight districts of nine
provinces. At present, there are seven hundred and sixty-five Child Friendly Schools.
Even if the project is expanded up to 80 percent of the total schools in the target
districts as mentioned, there is still a huge need because there are a total 8,830
primary schools, of which 4,242 are complete primary schools in one hundred fortyone districts across seventeen provinces. When an evaluation is done at the end of the
project in 2011, it will neither have covered all the primary schools in all provinces,
nor expanded to secondary schools.
At the same time, the MOE also cooperates with Save the Children-Norway (SCN) topilot the inclusive education for children with disabilities project in Bolikhamxay

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province. Training on human rights and child rights is provided under this project.
The training program contains i) orientation on the child-friendly school projectfocused on the rights of the child to make sure that participants are able to distinguishthe difference between rights and responsibilities of the child, (ii) school selfassessment by applying the school quality development standard which consists of six
aspects and thirty-two indicators, iii) education administration and management, iv)
school management information system, v) participatory teaching and learning andthe classroom and school environment organization.

Human rights teaching and learning
The Law on National Education (Article 28), National Education Reform Strategy(2006-2010) and the strategies of each department have a clear policy and direction on
developing local curricula to ensure that the content of the teaching-learning materialreflects the real need and situation of the local communities. The formal education
curriculum specifies twenty percent for local curricular development, while the nonformal education curriculum sets aside forty percent for local curricular development
to integrate into curriculums local knowledge related to economic and socio-cultural
aspects of the communities and their important local persons. This is meant to teachthe younger generation the spirit of patriotism and to love their hometown and respect
their ancestors. However, in reality, no province or district has been able to develop a
local curriculum due to limited technical capacity.
To make sure that education reflects the current socio-economic situation of thecountry and the world, teaching-learning curricula are vital in developing students
who love peace and solidarity. At the tertiary level, students of the Faculty of Law,
National University of Laos, learn both domestic and international law. They also
have three hours per semester to learn the international human rights instruments thatwere ratified by Lao PDR. Lecturers are invited from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
and Regional Experts in every two to three month period. Even though the twointernational human rights instruments (ICCPR and ICESCR) have not beendeveloped as a specific curriculum, almost all teachers and lecturers of the Faculties
of Law and External Relations attend different three week training workshops inThailand supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency(SIDA), so that they gain confidence in lecturing and being able to mainstream thebasis context of the two international human rights instruments into their different
teaching topics. The curriculum will be revised and improved to ensure theinternational human rights instruments are completely integrated. Besides the regularlearning schedule, to make sure students gain more awareness on the international
human rights instruments, a special two-week workshop was conducted for students
in which there are in total fifty participants, with half from the Faculty of Law and theother twenty five students are from the Faculty of International Relations.
At the primary school level, the curricula for Grades 4 and 5 mention human rights byintegrating them into the General Knowledge subject (Lesson 46 for Grade 4 and92

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Lesson 39 for Grade 5). At the upper secondary level, human rights are also taught tostudents at Grade 11 through a philosophy subject (Lessons 9-13), which is acompulsory subject for a national final examination and which has a focus on therights of citizens, laws, and the Constitution. For example, the Grade 4 textbook of
the World Around Us subject, topic 46 content focuses on the basic knowledge on thelaw that consists of (i) what is the law? (ii) laws affecting daily life (birth, death,migration, family registration, identity card and tax payment), (iii) how the roles andresponsibilities of Lao citizens apply to the law, such as protection of the country
from any domestic and outside security threat, being a volunteer soldier, receiving
training, paying tax and guarding the country, exercising voting rights, and so on. As
students and the country’s youth, their main roles are to pay attention to education,
being good citizens, respecting parents and teachers’ advice. Another example is
Topic 39 in Grade 5 of the World Around Us textbook that talks about the law and theroles of Lao citizens. It consists of some important contents like (i) summary of Lao
PDR Laws (Civil Law and Criminal Law), (ii) role of Lao citizens about
responsibilities adopted by the Constitution of Lao PDR, (iii) the role of students insociety (roles in school, family, society and road traffic). An additional example of
the Population Study subject of Grade 11 (M6) in Part III about Government andLaws, Topics 9 to 13 address the meaning of government and its role, law and its rolein the Lao PDR Government organizational structure, and main contents of theConstitution adopted in 1991. The main objectives of the topics mentioned are toprovide basic knowledge related to laws, roles, rights and responsibilities for Lao
students and citizens, and to ensure they recognize the exact role of the laws andConstitution to be able to apply them in their daily life; and also to be the foundation
for their continuing education at higher and university levels.

Teaching-learning materials
Although the education system is currently being reformed, teaching-learning
curricula, such as the teacher training curriculum, teacher manuals and textbooks,
have also been developed and improved through various projects. For instance, the
Lao-Australian Basic Education Project developed supplementary curriculum (withtwenty-two teacher guides and student textbooks) to specifically assist the teaching of
ethnic students and which was distributed to all schools within the fifty-four districts
across eleven provinces that have a large number of ethnic groups. The curriculum
focuses on promoting gender equality and equality among ethnic groups. It also
portrays the tradition and culture of each ethnic group. Extra-curricular activity
focuses on the new teaching technique, which places students or learners at the centerof the learning process. This is to ensure the involvement of both girls and boys invarious activities and change in the attitude toward promoting the rights especially forgirls and ethnic groups. For example, the Lao literature textbook for Grade 2, Lesson
6, page 2 mentions a game called “Tiger following pigs” played during class breakand shows pictures of students from different ethnic groups. This shows theinvolvement of all ethnic groups in learning, and motivates them and creates solidarity

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among ethnic groups from a young age. An example of teaching and learning materialis shown below:

Moreover, the Second Education Quality Improvement Project-Teacher Training
Enhancement and Status of Teachers (EQIP II-TTEST) revised, improved anddeveloped the teacher training curriculum, while the Education Development Project
II (EDP II) projects revised, improved and published primary education textbooks.
These projects also mainstreamed gender, culture of ethnic groups, human rights and
HIV/AIDS protection concepts into the content of the textbooks. The EQIP II is an
ongoing loan project from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). According to theoriginal Agreement between the Government and ADB, the project ran from 2002 to
early 2008. However, the project has been extended to 2010 to ensure all activities
would be completed as planned. The long term goal is to contribute to poverty
reduction in Lao PDR by assisting the Government in achieving quality education forchildren. The objectives of the project are (i) to improve the relevance, quality andefficiency of primary and secondary education (ii) to expand access to and improve
retention in primary schools, especially of girls in poor, under served areas of thecountry (iii) to strengthen the institutional capacity of the Government at center,
provincial, district and village levels to plan and manage the decentralized education
system and implement the project. The project covers 61 districts in 9 provinces. The
key activities of the project are to build Teacher Training Systems and Teacher
Development Capacity, Teacher Educational Strategy (2006-2015) and Action Plan
(2006-2010) Development, construction and upgrading of training facilities, primaryand secondary education pedagogical advisors upgrading, delivering provincial anddistrict level capacity on education management, new primary schools’ construction
and upgrading including furniture, existing primary education core textbooks
reprinted for the target schools and other non-target primary schools in sixty five
districts of the country, and so on.
Similar to the EQIP II-TTEST, the EDP II Project is a loan project from the WorldBank (WB). The Objectives of the project are to achieve universal completion of94

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primary education for all in the long term. The short term objective is to increaseprimary school enrolment and completion. The project covers the nineteen poorest
districts in the six poorest provinces of the country. The project implementation
period is a five-year cycle that started in 2005 until 2010. The main activities of the
project are construction of new complete primary schools by applying a communitybased contracting approach, providing school grant assistance to ensure children inpoor families can complete primary education; strengthening the capacity for policy
analysis and management; strengthening the information systems for data collection,
analysis, reporting, filing, storing and maintenance; strengthening the capacity forbuilding education management for all levels of the target areas; supporting key
policy and institutional reforms; improving the educational quality by evaluating,revising, publishing and distributing new primary textbooks and teacher guides;
training of trainers for applying multi-grade teaching classrooms and developing theuse of the new curriculum; recruitment of teachers for remote areas, etc. The new
textbooks and teacher guides for Grades 1-3 will start to be used in the 2008-2009
school year and the new textbooks and teacher guides for Grades 4-5 will be used in
the 2009-2010 school year.
The reproductive health project has also developed a curriculum. There was a pilot
project on the implementation of the curriculum on HIV/AIDS, UXO (unexploded
ordnance), and so forth. In general, the content of extra-curricular or additional
curricular activities has been improved and incorporates pictures that portray equality
in a better way. Under the new education reforms, all curricula (primary, secondaryand partially the tertiary levels) require to be improved in terms of content in thesciences and to make sure that these curricula reflect the needs of students. In
particular, the programs and projects for basic education development emphasize therevision of the curriculum for the upper secondary level. This curriculum will be
implemented in 2011 and will incorporate various illustrations on gender equality,
ethnicity and the right to education. In addition, non-formal education curricula have
improved with the focus on the Convention on the Eradication of All Forms ofDiscrimination Against Women (CEDAW) to enhance understanding of learners on
the implementation of gender equality. Students in the economics and law faculties
also received information and knowledge on CEDAW that enhances theirunderstanding and implementation of human rights in the future.
Up to now, the incorporation of human rights and child rights into teaching-learning
curricula has been limited and the dissemination of knowledge on human rights andchild rights to teachers, students and the media has not yet been widely involved.
Since the Government has signed several international human rights instruments, it isnecessary to disseminate the knowledge on human rights and child rights to all
citizens, especially students in basic education as the basis for further education atuniversity, or higher technical and vocational levels.
The National Committee of Human Rights was established under the Prime
Ministerial Decree no. 84/PM dated 9 December 2003 to implement the ICCPR and
ICESCR, chaired by the Vice Prime Minister, the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The

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Committee consists of the Organization of Justice, Lao National Front, National
Commission for the Advancement of Women, Lao Women’s Union, Trade Unions,
Youth Union, the National Commission for Mothers and Children and the line
ministries. Then based on the guidance of the National Committee for the
implementation of the ICCPR and ICESCR, an official meeting among different
concerned stakeholders was held on 5 August 2004 to discuss coordination of theirefforts to implement the international human rights instruments. As a result, the MOE
was required urgently to develop a supplementary curriculum and teaching-learningmaterials on human rights and child rights. The Research Institute on Education
Sciences was the key institution for this task.
Some content of the international human rights instruments was incorporated into theformal education curriculum that was piloted in the 2005-2006 school year. Hence,the development of curricular and teaching-learning materials in the content of theinternational instruments on human rights and the rights of the child became theurgent task for the MOE.
In March 2005, the MOE curriculum development, textbook and teacher manualdevelopment team collected information from three targeted provinces (Vientiane
Capital, Champasak and Bokeo) and analyzed the knowledge of teachers and students
on human rights and child rights. The results showed that teachers and students have avery general understanding of these rights. Thus, the team developed a textbook andteacher manual to be piloted in these three provinces. Seventy thousand textbooks andfive hundred teacher guides were printed for the primary education level (Grades 4
and 5) and for the secondary education level (Grades 6 to11). These textbooks andteacher manuals include the content of human rights issues in education. The content
of the two human rights instruments and the history of their development areincorporated into these textbooks and manuals to embed the spirit of patriotism andsolidarity among ethnic groups, neighboring countries and countries around the globe
and thus ensure peace in the world.
Following are some contents of these textbooks and teacher guides:
Student textbook for Grades 4 and 5: Topic 1: The protection of a child who
has no family consists of these key items i) protection from abuse and neglect,(ii) protection of a child who has no family, (iii) child adoption, and (iv) a
story of a twelve-year old a boy named Phone who was abused while livingwith an aunt, and who was helped by the village committee.
Teacher guide for Grades 4 and 5: Topic 1: Protection of a child who has nofamily. The objectives of this topic are to make sure students are able to i)recognize and understand that all children have the right to protection and care,ii) know how to help a person who has no family. This topic also contains key
content such as the protection of a child who is abused and neglected, a childwithout a family, and child adoption. The description of this content focuseson the role and function of the public in protecting children by setting
appropriate social programs. Such programs should be guided by the rule thatin protecting abused children and taking children to any institution for theircare, the public agency should pay attention to the children’s culture.
Moreover, this topic also addresses the teaching and learning materials by

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discussing Articles 19, 20 and 21 of the CRC. There are also some activities
using illustrations for discussion, etc.
Student book for Grades 6 to 9 (Lower Secondary Education Level): Topic 2:
Each child has the right to education, and a story entitled “My Dream.” This
story is about a girl named Mai who has no opportunity to receive an
education due to lack of school in her village, who tried to earn money in thecity to be able to go to school but was abused, and who finally escaped withthe help of two girls. This topic teaches the rights of all children to education,
to development of oneself, to make their own decisions and propose ideas in aproper way. Students also discuss how the other two girls are going to help thepoor girl, Mai. Moreover, Articles 28, 29 and 32 of the CRC, Article 22 of theConstitution of Lao PDR, revised version in 2003, and Articles 22 and 47 of
the Education Law are discussed by the whole class.
Teacher guides for Grades 6 to 9 (Lower Secondary Education Level): Topic
2: Each child has the right to education and a story entitled “My Dream.” The
guide mentions the objectives, key content, teaching and learning materials
and activities, and some discussion questions. Finally, the topic is ended by anevaluation of students’ understanding.
Primary and secondary teachers were given training on these textbooks and teacher
guides with the support of UNESCO and the Australian Government. In 2005, theproject was put on hold due to lack of support.
Below are examples of the textbooks and teacher guides on the basic knowledge on
the rights of the child, Grade 4, Grade 5, Grade 6 to Grade 8 at the lower secondary
level, and Grades 9 to 11 at the upper secondary level.

Student Textbook for Grades 4 and 5
Basic Knowledge of Human Rights

Teacher Guide for Grades 4 and 5
Basic Knowledge of Human Rights

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Student Textbook for Grades 9-11 (M4-M6)
Basic Knowledge of Human Rights

Teacher Guide for Grades 9-11 (M4-M6)
Basic Knowledge of Human Rights

Student Textbook for Grades 6-8 (M1-M3)
Basic Knowledge of Human Rights

Teacher Guide for Grades 6-8 (M1-M3)
Basic Knowledge of Human Rights

At the same time, to make sure that knowledge on the rights of the child are
disseminated in society, the National Commission for Mothers and Children produced
a training manual and a book on the rights of the children in Lao language, entitled
Our Rights. The content of this manual and book are derived from the CRC. The
content includes forty articles including several articles referring to “The right toeducation” (Article 28), “The goal of education” (Article 29), and “The rights of
ethnic children” (Article 30). The inclusion of these articles illustrates theGovernment’s efforts to promote human rights and the rights of ethnic groups. To
emphasize the rights of ethnic groups, pictures of ethnic children are portrayed on the98

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cover page and under Articles 4 and 30. Our Rights implements the project on “rights
for all,” promotes the CRC to create awareness among education officials, teachersand students and ensures that they understand the content and principles of the rightsof the child. It also applies to training programs as well, such as for the integration ofhuman rights into the education program for each sector. The content of this manual
include songs, plays and stories that are derived from real life childhood experiences
and memorable stories related to the content of the CRC. The content helps teachers
who have been trained to understand the manual easily. However, reconsideration or
improvement of some aspects of the manual and textbook is still necessary. A numberof pictures portray boys more than they portray girls. For example, pictures used in
Article 32 “Protection of the Child from Child Labor” and in Article 33 “Protection of
the Child from Drugs/Alcohol,” are only about boys.

Picture from the book Our Rights

Article 30: The rights of ethnic children
Our Rights (Vientiane, 2005)

An illustration in the manual Our Rights

Our Rights
Vientiane, 2005

Article 32: The Protection from Child Labor

Article 33: The Protection ofChildren from Drugs/Alcohol

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Evaluation of knowledge and understanding of human rights
The Lao Committee for Human Rights Education in Schools, established by the MOEat the end of 2007 for this research, assessed during the June-July 2008 period theknowledge and understanding about the international instruments on human rights andthe Convention of the Rights of the Child of students, teachers and parents in someprimary and secondary schools in Vientiane Capital and Vientiane province.
Following are the results of the survey.
a. Primary level, Grades 4 and 5
Based on the responses to a survey questionnaire, 83.33 percent of the respondents(eighty-four male, forty-six female students) in Grades 4 and 5 at the primary schoollevel answered that they would like to learn and understand the international law onchild rights. Their responses reveal limited knowledge and understanding of theinternational law on the rights of the child.
The results show that respondents could not answer questions very well especiallyabout a basic knowledge of child rights. The least understanding is for question 1“The definition of a child” with only twenty respondents (23.8 percent) having thecorrect answer. Students might have difficulty in giving the correct answer since theymight be confused between the words “child” and “infant” in Lao language. Based on
the Convention on the Rights of the Child, a child is a person below 18 years of age.
Hence, there is a need to explain this provision to students.
There are three levels of understanding and knowledge on the rights of the child: thelowest level (nineteen people, 22.62 percent), middle level (fifty people, 59.52
percent), and highest level (fifteen people, 17.86 percent). Regarding sex differences
and the understanding and knowledge of child rights: lowest level - nine girls (19.57
percent), ten boys (26.32 percent); middle level - thirty girls (65.22 percent), twenty boys
(52.63 percent); highest level - seven girls (15.22 percent), eight boys (21.05 percent).
In general, primary students do not have sufficient knowledge and understanding of
the rights of the child.
b. Lower secondary level (Grade 8 or M3) and the upper secondary level (Grade 11 or
M6)
The survey at the secondary level (one hundred forty nine respondents with sixtyseven females) shows that 80.54 percent would like to learn more about the

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international law on human rights. Their perspective on the law about human rights isgood but only in a very general sense as illustrated by the uncertain answers to manyquestions.
The knowledge on the international law on human rights is still low. Only eightquestions out of fifteen were answered correctly by fifty percent of all respondents.
The levels of understanding and knowledge are as follows: lowest level - ten people,
15.44 percent, middle level - one hundred sixteen people, 77.85 percent, and highest
level - twenty-three people, 15.44 percent. Regarding sex differences in theunderstanding and knowledge on child rights: lowest level – five girls (7.46 percent),
five boys (6.10 percent), middle level - fifty girls (74.63 percent), sixty-six boys
(80.49 percent), the highest level – twelve girls (19.91 percent), eleven boys (13.41
percent). In general, students’ understanding and knowledge of the law on humanrights can be classified to be at the middle level. Students learn about the internationallaw on human rights from social studies subjects.

c. School principals and teachers
A total of seventy-eight respondents consisting of fifteen school principals (sevenfemales) and sixty-three teachers (thirty-five females) participated in the survey. The
results show a general understanding and knowledge about human rights by the
respondent-principals and respondent-teachers. This is due to lack of information,materials and training on the subject. Their understanding of human rights is based on
their knowledge of Lao law. All teachers (100 percent) see the necessity of incorporating
the international law on human rights into the teaching-learning curriculum.
Up to now, there is no specific school curriculum focusing on human rights. Teachers
mainstream their basic knowledge on human rights (received from training in othersubjects such as history, geography, political studies, literature and foreign languages)
in different subjects to broaden the knowledge of students.
Teachers also apply human rights principles to address various issues involving
students within the school, such as drug use, quarrels, and violation of school rules.
Teachers often address the problems by talking with students, consulting with parents,
issuing warnings and punishments according to school regulations. For students witha poor academic performance, teachers also set up extra tutoring classes after school,suggest peer study, provide emotional support, and set extra homework.

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Teachers also organize additional activities within the school, such as promotion ofgirls’ education and solidarity among ethnic groups. Girls and boys participate inthese activities. There is also cultural exchange. Students can speak their own
language, girls are encouraged to participate in these additional activities, and areseated together with boys.

d. Parents and guardians
Parents and guardians of students (forty-five respondents, thirty-three females) wereinterviewed. Through discussion, the parents and guardians expressed the view that
education is important and beneficial to the improvement of the living standard of theindividual, family and country. They stated that children receive various informationand skills from school such as reading, writing, moral studies, good behavior andliving with other people. Parents hope that their children continue to study up to thehighest level. However, due to inadequate financial means, many parents are not able
to support the further education of their children to the expected level.
The parents and guardians have a very broad understanding of the international law onhuman rights. According to them, children do not like the following aspects ofschools: the behavior and personality of some teachers who sometimes use impoliteand curse words to students, and express bad moods (caused by factors outside theclassroom) to students. Parents would like teachers to lead the learning activities more
and use polite words with students.
The majority of the parents and guardians hope for a healthy life, happy family,
wealthy family, improved living standards, and better economic standing to be able tosupport the education of their children up to the highest level and have better
prospects for good jobs in the future.

Analysis and Recommendations
Analysis of policies
General policies and human rights
The Constitution and laws of Lao PDR have numerous provisions that are in line with
the international instruments on human and child rights as in the following:

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1. Article 32 of CRC on the right of the child to receive protection and carefrom family and society - also provided in Article 32 of the 1991 Lao
Constitution (as amended in 2003), in Article 42 of family law (1997), andalso in a labor law that protects minors, etc.
2. Article 28 of CRC on the right of the child to education - in line with
Articles 6 and 53 of the Education Law of Lao PDR (as revised).
3. Article 26 of the ICCPR, Articles 34 and 36 of the CRC on the protectionof the rights and the benefits for women and children – related to Article
29, 1991 Constitution of Lao PDR (as amended, 2003), the law on thedevelopment and protection of women (2004), and the labor law (1994)
4. Article 27 of the CRC on the right to care – related to Articles 43 and 45 of
the family law (1997)
5. Article 28 of the CRC, Article 11(1) and Article 15(1,2,3) of theInternational Convention on the Elimination of All Forms ofDiscrimination Against Women (CEDAW) - in line with Articles 29 and
37 of the 1991 Lao Constitution (as amended, 2003), and Article 35 of the
Education Law (as amended).
6. Articles 1 and 2 of ICCPR and ICESCR on right to non-discrimination reflected in Articles 8, 43 and 44 of the 1991 Lao Constitution (asamended).
8. Article 25 of ICESCR on the right to development, and Article 6 of the
CRC on right to life, survival and development - in line with Article 6 of
the Education Law (as amended).
9. Article 23 of the CRC on the rights of children suffering disabilities toreceive care and education - reflected in Articles 37 and 38 of the
Education Law (as amended).
In general, child and human rights are acknowledged by the Constitution and laws of
Lao PDR.

Educational policies
The Government as a policy considers education as central to human resource
development, especially in terms of developing patriotism, intellectual and scientificvision; and continue to create human resource equipped with skills, ability to express
perspectives and gain employment in order to shift step-by-step the society to a newsociety of learning, intellectual- and knowledge-based economy.

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LAO PDRThe Government pays attention to expanding pre-education and makes the effort toachieve the target of compulsory primary education. Furthermore, the Government
has increasingly invested in education as a priority in the allocation of the government
budget.
The Government together with the society has put great efforts in ensuring the qualityof national education, creating education opportunities for the population, especiallyfor those in remote areas, women, children and the disadvantaged, and creating agreater vocational education opportunity for the population. The Government has also
promoted and encouraged the involvement of individual, domestic and internationalorganizations in the development of national education through a credit policy, tax
exemption or reduction.
To implement the policy of the Lao People’s Party and the Government under theConstitution, laws and international agreements that ensure gender equality in both
quality and quantity, especially in the education area, the Government has drafted theeducation strategy from the present to 2020, national education program for all (20032015), national policy on the advancement for women (2006-2010), the national
education development program to promote the education of girls and promote theadvancement for women in the education sector (2006-2010). These programs aim todevelop both female and male human resources to ensure a quality input into thesocio-economic development of the country.

Analysis of policy implementation
Although the international agreements on child rights, human rights and eradication of
all discrimination against women and children are reflected in the Constitution andlaws of the Lao PDR, including the national education law and so forth, thedissemination of knowledge about them has not yet been widely undertaken. Some
specific approaches to address issues such as the cultural practice of early marriage,that limit particularly women’s opportunity and access to education are lacking. The
national education law does not specify the meaning of discrimination as stated in
Article 1 of CEDAW on eradication of all forms of discrimination against girls,
particularly in rural areas, that affect their access to education. The network ofcompulsory education should be expanded throughout the country. The Government
should ensure that schools will not take advantage of students by collecting school
fees and promote the involvement of local authorities to achieve EFA goals by 2015.
In addition, people should become aware of their rights.

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In implementing the education development program, the Government makes theeffort of ensuring that all children of school age regardless of their sex, situation,
status, geographic location and ethnicity are all equally enrolled in school. However,in reality, the ability to expand opportunities for both girls and boys is still unequal.
At the higher level of education, there are only a small number of female students.
This is due to the economic difficulty of families and some cultural practices (such aspreference of boys over girls) which need to be addressed urgently by the Government.
The Lao-Australia Basic Education Project (LABEP-AusAID Project), whichdeveloped a supplementary curriculum, (particularly to help teach ethnic students andtrain ethnic teachers, especially females) identified several lessons learned, such ascontinuing the recruitment of ethnic teachers and building multigrade schools forchildren in remote and isolated areas. These measures are meant to prevent the highrate of dropout and improve retention. There are needs for training more ethnic
teachers to teach in remote areas and to assist ethnic children who are not yet able tospeak the Lao official language. However, the implementation of therecommendations has been a very slow process and the recommendations have not yet
been included in the educational policy.
Proper promotion, learning and realization of human rights of the citizens areimportant in raising awareness of the law and ensuring effective enforcement of laws
to administer the country. However, human rights are new to the Lao people. Thus,
everyone has to learn about human rights to make sure that national and international
the laws on human rights are implemented properly. The study of human rights will
not only increase the understanding and knowledge of the individual rights, but also
make sure that these rights are properly implemented and enable people to respect therights of others and transfer the rights information to others. The dissemination ofknowledge on human rights and the rights of the child, as a result of signinginternational human rights instruments, to all citizens, especially students in theformal education system, is a necessity.
The dissemination of the knowledge on human rights instruments to schools and toethnic areas is limited. The research on the knowledge and understanding ofinternational laws on human rights and the child rights confirmed that theunderstanding and knowledge of students on these rights are limited. The level ofunderstanding for primary and secondary students is classified in the middle level(Primary level - 59.52 percent, and secondary level - 77.85 percent). This means thatstudents’ understanding is only of a general nature and uncertain. Only 47.62 percent
of teachers understand the laws on human rights, and their understanding is also of ageneral nature. This is due to lack of information, documents, materials and training,

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which could be used to increase their knowledge and understanding and mainstream
the knowledge into other subjects. Hence, there should be teaching-learning texts onthese rights and teachers should receive human rights training. Various methods willneed to be applied in order to disseminate widely the information on these rights tovillagers and students’ parents.
The MOE has a number of projects that promote human rights, such as the childfriendly school project, a boarding school project for ethnic students, an inclusive
education project for children with disabilities, and children with special needs, and ahealth promotion in schools project. Furthermore, there is a project developing a
textbook and teacher manual on human rights and the child rights.
These projects, however, have been implemented only in a limited area of the country
and have yet to expand to other parts the country and at all levels of the public andprivate educational institutions. They are in the following situation at present:- The Child Friendly School project is about three years old and has just started
to reach the provinces. Thus so far it has yet to reach all primary andsecondary schools in the country.
- The inclusive education project for disabled children and children with special
needs has been implemented for many years but only in limited targetedschools and the focus on the students with disabilities is not clear. While datafrom the targeted project schools are collected, the general data on people withdisabilities in the country, especially data on people with hearing, vision andphysical mobility and mental disabilities are not yet available. Services
provided to people with disabilities, especially those who cannot help
themselves are not widely available. At the present, it is difficult to tell the
total number of children with different disabilities or children who would likespecial assistance. Furthermore, there is also a need for policy to guide thisactivity.
- The ethnic boarding school program is one of the Government’s main
strategies and has received continuing financial support. It is important tocontinue expanding the project to all provinces to make sure that ethnic
children in remote areas and disadvantaged children can access education.
However, the collection of data on ethnicity and sex-disaggregated data on
ethnic linguistic groups is not sufficient. And so far, there has neither been any
assessment or follow up on the implementation of the program to improve theteaching and learning process, and other aspects of the program, nor any
program to promote ethnic students to higher education or achieve needed
professions.

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The project on the development of textbooks and teacher manuals abouthuman rights and child rights, with the support of UNESCO and theAustralian Government was put on hold in 2005.

Apart from the above projects, the MOE also implements activities that have anindirect link to human rights in school, such as EQIP II, EDP II and BEGP. Based on
the development of education in three main prioritized areas, the construction ofschools, the creation of the environment and provision of facilities to mobilize parents
to send their children to school, and encouragement of the participation of thecommunity in education are also approaches to reach the goals of the international
human rights instruments.
Although there is a decree issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (number 018/PM
dated 10 January 2005) on the collection, dissemination and use of sex-disaggregateddata, the implementation in some cases is not satisfactory. The data collection and useof sex-disaggregated data remains limited.

Recommendations:
General Recommendations:
1. The existing human rights curriculum for primary and secondary education
should be applied in the teaching and learning process.
2. Teachers need to be trained in order to increase their knowledge andunderstanding of all the human rights instruments, and also ensure that theteachers can transfer the rights information and mainstream the content of theinternational human rights instruments into all school subjects.
3. The content and concepts of human rights education, and the international
human rights instruments should be mainstreamed into the teacher training
curriculum, and training workshops should also be conducted for teachers toensure they have a clear and in-depth understanding of human rights to be able
to transfer such understanding into every subject taught and the teaching andlearning process.
4. There is a need to establish a Human Rights Committee at school level toensure effective human rights education practice and concrete outcomes.
5. There is a need to allocate sufficient budget for producing different education
communication materials on international human rights instruments, which
can be used to raise the awareness of students at all levels of schooling.

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Specific Sector Recommendations:
Policy developers:
1. Documents or research papers relevant to human rights education should becollected as reference materials for policy development.
2. The content of human rights should be mainstreamed into teacher training
curricula and teacher manuals and textbooks at all school levels to help
teachers teach. Separate supplementary materials may cause difficulties andhas the risk of not getting integrated into teaching practice due to the length ofthe existing curriculum.
3. Effective activities and best practices in different projects related to humanrights in education should be continued.
3. Effective activities under the projects related to human rights education should
be continued.
4. Coordination between the MOE and other ministries, sectors and organizations,and donors, should be improved in order to implement human rights education
throughout the education sector.
5. Policies related to human rights education should be disseminated by using
various methods, such as radio, television, brochures and posters.
6. Information on model projects illustrating the implementation of human rights
education should be made available.
7. Budget should be allocated for the implementation of specific activities related
human rights education.
8. The MOE should discuss with development NGOs about support activities
related to human rights education. The NGOs in Lao PDR are ready andpleased to support such programs.
9. School environmental organization is very important to provide a goodenvironment and hygiene for children so that they have a good and warm
feeling, and also to attract them to school. Different facilities could bearranged such as separate toilets for male and female students, covered
playgrounds, places for reading, libraries, laboratories that are appropriate forboys and girls, etc. The MOE should apply a standard qualification for school
construction for both public and private education.
10. Human rights education assessment should apply to all levels, not only forprimary and secondary education.
11. All children should enjoy equal rights and opportunity to quality education
within the same school environment as that of Child Friendly Schools. The
concerned departments of the MOE should make this a practical policy to bemainstreamed into the education system, and used for strengthening the local
capacity in applying it to other primary and secondary schools that are notcovered by the Child Friendly Schools Project and ensure its expansion acrossthe whole country.

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Implementers
1. There should be training for responsible people and implementers of humanrights education programs to ensure that they understand the policies, content
and direction of actual program implementation.
2. Curriculum developers in the formal and non-formal education system shouldhave human rights training before developing curricula.
3. All teachers and education managers should receive a regular training on
human rights education.
4. Parents and local authorities should receive training on human rights and childrights.
5. There should be an evaluation and monitoring of the progress made in theimplementation of human rights education in schools.
Stakeholders:
The Government of Lao PDR pays attention and respects its citizens’ rights
and has already implemented different projects, activities related directly tohuman rights, and matched with the two international human rights
instruments in cooperation with different stakeholders, donors, internationalorganizations and NGOs as follows: the Personnel Administration-Prime
Minister’s Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Health, Ministry ofJustice, Ministry of Information and Culture, Research Institute for Education
Sciences, National University, UNICEF, UNESCO, the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Population Fund
(UNFPA), the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), theAustralian Government Overseas Aid Program (AusAID), WB, ADB, SIDA
SCN, CRS, and so forth.
1. There is a need to allocate specific budget to support and strengthen the
educators’ capacity in terms of human rights activities at all levels: policy andaction plan development, training, advocacy, information dissemination,
research, and so forth.
2. In general, human rights are a cross cutting issue. However, specific programs,
projects and activities related to human rights in education still need to be
developed and implemented to have concrete outcomes that can be measured
and monitored for progress.

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Endnotes
1
The ICESCR was signed by Lao PDR on 7 December 2000 and ratified on 13 February 2007.
The ICCPR was also signed on 7 December 2000 and awaiting ratification.

References
National EFA Action Plan (2003-2015).
National Strategy on the Advancement of Women (2006-2010), January 2006.
Education Development Plan for the Promotion of Girls’ Education and of Women’s
Advancement in the Education Sector (2006-2010).
Draft ‘Education For All Mid-Decade Assessment and Fast Track Dissemination Report’, 2007.
Report on the Implementation of Basic Girls’ Education Project No. 1621-Lao (SF) Report on
the Lao-Australia Basic Education Project 2007.
Education Law of Lao PDR, revised version, March 2007.
CEDAW Committee Remarks, 28 January 2005, Lao PDR.
Basic Knowledge on Child Rights Textbook for the Primary Education (Grades 4 and 5), 2005.
Basic Knowledge on Human Rights Textbook for Secondary Education, 2005.
National Strategy for Growth and Poverty Eradication, June 2004.
National Constitution of Lao PDR, revised version 2003.
Education Strategic Plan 20 Years (2001-2020), August 2001.
Primary Education Curriculum, Ministry of Education, 1998.
Universal Declaration on Human Rights, United Nations, 10 December 1948.

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National ReportOn
Human Rights Education in the School System of Thailand

Suwitra Wongvaree

The current study of the state of human rights education in Thailand focuses onhuman rights education in basic formal education (twelve years) which covers about
8-11 million children nationwide. The study explores the policy, implementation andprovides initial assessment of human rights education in the school system. The
finding is expected to be used for further development of strategic planning topromote human rights education in the country.
This study of the state of basic education management in Thailand defines humanrights education as learning and activity management to develop knowledge, skills,
and values related to human rights. This includes the study of democracy, a civilian’s
duty and morals, and the school environment that encourages respect for human rights.
This study reviewed the education policy and system in Thailand through the study of
relevant documents, e.g. policy papers, the school curriculum, textbooks of the
Ministry of Education and other organizations working on human rights education. In
terms of curriculum analysis, the study mainly looked at the human rights content in
the Social, Religion and Culture Subject area as described in the 2001 Basic
Education Curriculum. It also reviews some of the textbooks of the subject area inorder to understand the content of human rights taught to students.
In order to understand the actual practice of human rights education in schools
including its limitations and challenges, the above findings are compared to
information gained from teachers and students in basic education. The researchers
observed teaching methods and conducted focus group interviews between students
and teachers in sixteen schools throughout the country. 1 Research questions were
designed to assess the output of human rights education through the teachers’ andstudents’ understanding of human rights. The schools selected were a mixture oflarge/small schools and private/public schools to ensure different factors affecting
human rights education were covered.

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I. Context
Historical and Legal Context
Since the 1980s, when the country was under semi-democracy rule, Thailand
witnessed the growth of civil society and the people’s participation in politics. The
political reforms in 1997 are often regarded as a turning point in modern Thai political
history. Through a participatory process, the 1997 Constitution was drafted with many
provisions that guaranteed basic human rights and community rights. The 1980s is
also the starting point of Thailand’s entering into the international human rights
paradigm. Eight major international human rights laws and their optional protocols
have been signed by Thailand since 1985 until now. The details of Thailand’s
ratification status are presented below (in chronological order).
Date
08 Sep 1985
26 Apr 1992
29 Jan 199705 Dec 1999
14 June 2000
27 Feb 2003
11 Feb 2006
27 Mar 2006
2 Oct 2007

Convention
Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
Convention on the Rights of the ChildInternational Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination ofDiscrimination against WomenInternational Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Racial Discrimination
Optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on
the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography
Optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on
the involvement of children in armed conflict
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or
Degrading Treatment or Punishment

Human rights education policies and related laws were developed under theframework of the 1997 Constitution, the so-called “People’s Constitution”, which isthe basis of the National Education Act 1999 and the National Scheme for Education.
The Thai 1997 Constitution guarantees people’s equal rights to free basic, quality 12year education provided by the State under Section 43. It also guarantees the rights of
the underprivileged, the disabled and the poor to care and education, as well as genderequality in Section 53 Paragraph 2. All these provisions are maintained in the 2007
Constitution (Section 49, the right to free basic education).
There is no specific provision on human rights education in both the 1997 and 2007
Constitutions, though we may find some provisions in the content of education, which
is more or less related to moral and ethical education.
Section 81 of the 1997 Constitution obliged the State to “Provide education to achieveknowledge alongside morality, enact a law relating to national education, improveeducation in harmony with economic and social change, create and strengthen

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knowledge and instill correct2 awareness with regard to politics and the democratic
regime of the government with the King as Head of State”. The similar provision in
the 2007 Constitution uses terms that can be seen as reaffirming the idea of cultural
relativism when it says the State must “Instill learners with an awareness of Thainess,discipline, care for common interests, and upholding the democratic regime of theGovernment with the King as Head of State” (Section 80 paragraph 3).
Both constitutions also emphasized the need to decentralize education to the
management by local administrative organizations and local communities.
The first National Human Rights Master Plan (2003-2005) also suggested humanrights education be integrated into formal and informal educational systems andrecommended human rights training for education-related personnel, production ofteaching materials and adequate funding allocation for the cause. However, theimplementation period of the Master Plan has passed without much knowledge about
it both among government officials and civil society. The second Master Plan is now
being drafted through a participatory process and the first Plan is to be used during
this interim period.
Educational Context
According to Section 6 of The Compulsory Education Act B.E. 2545 (2002),3 parents
are obliged to send their children to school when they are seven years old. Section 17of the National Education Act stipulates that compulsory education shall be for nine
years. This is an extension from the previous six-year period for compulsory
education.4 As a result of the advocacy for education for all, children with special
needs will receive compulsory education in the appropriate form and method.5 This
includes facilities, media, services, and support as necessary to ensure the opportunityand equality according to Section 12 of The Compulsory Education Act (2002).
Special education is also arranged for children who are disabled, incapacitated,dependent, orphans, or poor.
Education for All policy is still in focus continuously as stated in the current National
Scheme of Education (2002-2016). The policy guidelines of the National Scheme of
Education target that all children will complete nine-year compulsory education andall Thais will have access to twelve-year basic education.6
According to the report presented to UNESCO about education for all, there are six
categories of assessment.7
1. Extend children’s education, especially for poor children.
2. Provide all children, particularly non-national native tribes, quality primaryeducation.
3. Provide children and youths with life skills and vocational training.
4. Encourage adults to learn and access education continuously for their whole life.
5. Eradicate differences between male and female students in secondary schools.
6. Develop the quality of education, especially in skills necessary for living.

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Based on the indicators identified in the National Scheme of Education, including rateof school enrolment, percentage of kindergarten, primary, and secondary school
students, the amount of budget, students’ literacy ratio, and gender equity, Thailand
claims to have achieved the objectives of education for all.
Recently, the Thai government also allowed children of irregular migrant workers freeenrollment in public schools for basic education.
Formal education in Thailand covers twelve years of continuous education startingfrom pre-primary school to high school, classified by the Ministerial Regulations on
Basic Educational Classifications, 20038 as three major levels:
1. Pre-primary school for children from the age of three to six years to provide afoundation for life and prepare the children in terms of physical and mental health,intellectual, emotional, personality, and social relationships.
2. Primary school is an education that focuses on developing desired personalities interms of morals, ethics, basic knowledge, and basic abilities. It usually takes six years
according to the Compulsory Education Act, 2002. 9 Children who attend thiseducational level are seven years old or above.
3. Secondary school education is classified into two levels.
3.1 Junior secondary school education focuses on further development of desired
personalities in various aspects. It aims to enable the students to be aware of their own
academic and professional interests and abilities. This usually takes three years. Theage for youth study at this level is from 12 to 14 years.
3.2 Senior secondary school education focuses on encouraging students to study
according to their ability and interest as the foundation for higher education or aprofession. It also aims to develop moral, ethical and necessary social skills. This
usually takes three years.
The current core basic education curriculum was developed in 2001 by the
Department of Academic Affairs10 following Section 27 Para. 1 of the 1999 National
Education Act, which states that ‘The Basic Education Committee formulates the corecurriculum for basic education to promote Thai identity, good citizenship, livelihoods
and professions as well as further study.’ 11 A Sub-Committee on Curriculum
Development was set up comprising of experts, educators and teachers from various
schools.12 The national core curriculum provides a framework for the development of
the school curriculum, from primary education grade 1 to grade 12.13 The schools,
then, can develop the detailed curriculum based on the core curriculum.
At present, the OBEC is now updating the core curriculum. Only a preliminary draftof the new curricular is available at the time of the writing this report. Therefore, thecurriculum used for the analysis here is the one of 2001.

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Basic Education Administration and Management
The Ministry of Education is the major department managing educational matters.
The Ministry of Education’s work is divided into three government levels. These are,the central administration, the educational service area, and schools. The central
administration is authorized to determine policies, strategies, and educational
standards. It contributes educational resources, support, and coordinates activities forreligion, art, culture, and educational sport. It also follows up, inspects, and assesses
the teaching process. The National Education Council is the main department forpolicy management and education planning. The Council consists of ministers andrepresentatives from relevant departments, private industry, local government,
professional groups, The Central Islamic Committee of Thailand and other religions,and a qualified committee.14 The Education Council shall consider all policies andeducational plans in a manner that links all interests and levels within the Ministry of
Education.
The Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC) is in charge of theadministration and management of basic education in the 32,340 schools15 for which
it is responsible, covering approximately 11 million16 students. The administration isdivided into 185 zones for the entire country. The division into educational zones is
aimed to facilitate the administration, budget allocation and scrutiny, and is in linewith the policy of decentralization, to be inclusive of various sectors in the provisionof education. In each educational service area, there shall be an Area Committee andOffice, which shall have the powers and duties for establishing, dissolving,
amalgamating or discontinuing educational institutions at the basic level in the
educational service area, the promotion and support for private educational
institutions in the educational service area, co-ordination and support for local
administration organizations so as to be able to provide education in accord with theeducational policies and standards and overall promotion and support for education. 17
The Area Committee shall comprise of representatives from the community, private
sectors, and local administration organizations, teacher associations, educational
administrator associations, parent-teacher associations, religious leaders, and scholars.
This has led to participation of relevant people from many interests for thedetermination of the local education management policy.18
Since 28 November 2006, the Bureau for Educational Development for the special
administrative zone in the South was set up covering Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat, Satun,and the four sub-provinces of Songkhla (Jana, Natawee, Sabayoy, Thepa).19 Its duty
is to coordinate, support, and promote specially designed basic education in thespecial zone in the southern border provinces to support the needs of thecommunities.20 It focuses on the study of religion, Thai language, local history, andkey foreign languages. Religion and general courses can be transferred. It supports
education management in two languages (Thai-Native Malay), private school
development, improves religious education in common private schools, basic Islam
teaching (Fultuine) in Muslim temple (Tadeka) learning centers. It is open for

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religious leaders in the area to participate in curriculum development and publish
school textbooks. Cooperation with relevant departments shall increase security
measures for government teachers and relevant personnel.21
Other institutions also work in collaboration with the Office of the Basic Education
Commission. The Office of the Private Education Commission is a governmentorganization responsible for private school education for formal education, nonformal education, and education for people with special needs, e.g. schools for blind
people and schools that offer education for poor people.
With the policy to decentralize educational management, the schools in the area wherea local administration office is ready would be transferred to the care of the local
administration. The Department of Local Administration is now in charge of 1,388
schools throughout the country. As a city with a special administration system, theDepartment of Education, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Office, takes care of
education in Bangkok.
In the border area, the Border Patrol Police Bureau offers educational services to
distant schools. At present, there are 170 schools from all over of Thailand under its
responsibility.
Basic Education Curriculum
The current core basic education curriculum was developed in 2001 by the
Department of Academic Affairs22 following Section 27 Para. 1 of the 1999 National
Education Act, which states that, ‘The Basic Education Committee shall formulate thecore curriculum for basic education to promote Thai identity, good citizenship,
livelihood and professions, as well as further study.’ 23 A Sub-Committee forCurriculum Development was set up comprising experts, educators and teachers fromvarious schools. 24 The national core curriculum provides a framework for thedevelopment of the school curriculum, from primary education grade 1 to grade 12.25
The schools, then, can develop a detailed curriculum based on the core curricular.
Each school can also develop their own local curriculum provided that 70 per cent ofcore curriculum is retained.
At present, the OBEC is now revising the core curriculum. Only a draft of the new
curricular is available at the time of writing this report. The new core curriculum(2008) will be used by selected pilot schools in the academic year 2009 for grade 1 to
6 and grade 7 and 10; in grade 1-8 and 10 in academic year 2010 and to a fully
fledged version in 2011. A similar interval is applied to other schools starting fromacademic year 2010. As such in 2012, every school in Thailand will work on the basisof the 2001 core curriculum.
The curriculum used for the analysis here is the one of 2001.

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II. Human Rights Education: Laws and policies, the curriculum, and programs
Laws and Policies on Human Rights Education
Thailand has worked to promote human rights education for over 50 years. The
concrete initiatives related to human rights education in Thailand was started under
the UNESCO Associated Schools Project Network (ASP Net), 26 which Thailand
joined as a partner in 1958 with two participating colleges, namely Suan Sunandha
Teacher’s College and Ubon Ratchathani Teacher’s College. In 1963, the project was
extended to cover basic education schools in Bangkok and other provinces. Currently,
there are over 100 schools participating in this project, implementing activities related
to UNESCO’s focus issues, i.e. peace and respect for cultural diversity, human rights,
and culture, among others. Activities run under this framework include developmentof teaching materials, extra curricular activities, and academic exchanges. 27 The
Ministry of Education also set up a Committee on the UNESCO Associated Schools
Project Network to supervise work under this project.
In response to the UN Decade for Human Rights Education, the Thai National
Commission for UNESCO, the Ministry of Education in cooperation with the
UNESCO Associated Schools Project in Thailand initiated a Human Rights Education
Program. Several activities were conducted under contract No. 848.124.7 (97/2576)(483) signed between UNESCO and the Thai National Commission for UNESCO andbecame the foundation for further development of human rights education in Thailand
after its launch in December 1997. Eight lesson plans were developed to integrate
human rights into the secondary school curriculum. The lesson plans were later tested
in selected ASP schools and three schools in different regions were asked to be thefocal point in organizing workshops for teachers and testing the plans.28
At the time when UNESCO initiated this Human Rights Education Program, it wasobserved that human rights was still a sensitive issue in Thai society and that themember schools preferred other global issues, like international understanding,intercultural learning, and the environment.29
Concern for child rights is more welcomed and there have been initiatives on the
promotion of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the child-friendly
school environment. Several NGOs and UN agencies have provided training andpublished materials related to CRC. In November 1998 the Office of the Basic
Education Commission (OBEC) launched the Thailand Child-Friendly Schools
Program (TCFSP) in 23 primary and secondary schools in six provinces.30 It aims tocreate rights-based child-friendly schools that promote quality learning outcomes,
physical and mental health, and development of essential life skills. These initiatives
were mostly focused on the physical safety of children.
The formal attempt to mainstream human rights education into the school system wasstarted with the 1997 Constitution. The National Education Act 1999 was enacted tobe the organic law of the 1997 Constitution.31 It was to serve as the main mechanism
in implementing the State’s educational policy. 32 The articles in the National
Education Act correspond to the rights guaranteed in the Constitution mentioned

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above 33 with provisions related to human rights education when referring to theobjectives and principles of education.
“Section 6: Education shall aim at the full development of Thai people in all aspects:
physical and mental health; intellect; knowledge; morality; integrity; and desirable way oflife so as to be able to live in harmony with other people.
Section 7: The learning process shall aim at inculcating a sound awareness of politics
and the democratic system of government under a constitutional monarchy; the ability toprotect and promote the rights, responsibilities, freedom, respect for the rule of law,equality, and human dignity; pride in Thai identity; ability to protect public and national
interests; the promotion of religion, art, national culture, sports, local wisdom, Thai wisdom
and universal knowledge; inculcating the ability to preserve natural resources and theenvironment; ability to earn a living; self-reliance; creativity; and acquiring a thirst forknowledge and capability for self-learning on a continuous basis.”(Emphasis added)
The current National Scheme of Education (2002-2016) was later developed by the
Office of the National Education Commission, the Office of the Prime Minister to“Serve as a strategic plan to ensure harmonization of the efforts for education reform
throughout the country during the 15-year period of 2002-2016.” 34 The Scheme
specifies 11 policy guidelines to meet three main objectives: 1) To develop an allround and balanced human development to enable harmonious living; 2) To build asociety with morality, wisdom and learning; and 3) To enhance the development of asocial environment.
The 1997 Constitution, the National Education Act 1999 and the National Scheme for
Education together provide the framework for human rights education in Thailand.
They are also used as guidelines for human rights education initiatives, i.e. thecooperation between the Sub-committee on Human Rights Education under the
National Human Rights Commission and the Ministry of Education to launch a pilot
project on the development of human rights education in schools in Bangkok
Metropolitan area.
The Sub-committee on Human Rights Education under the National Human Rights
Commission has been working to develop an Action Plan on Human Rights Education.
In 2007 and 2008 it organized a workshop in different regions of the country toprovide a forum of discussion among communities, educators and the general public
to ensure the Plan meets the needs of the community. It is now in the drafting process
and is expected to be completed in early 2009.
Integration of Human Rights Education into the School Curriculum
Section 24, paragraph 4, of the National Education Act can be considered as providing
a basis for an integrated approach to human rights education when it says that inorganizing the learning process, educational institutions and agencies concerned shall“Achieve, in all subjects, a balanced integration of subject matter, integrity, values,
and desirable attributes”. As a result, human rights can be said to be mainstreamed
into Thai basic education. The situation in higher education is different. Vitit
Muntarbhorn, et al35 have examined human rights education at university level where

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each university is allowed to design its own courses and content. Human rights issues
are taught as a subject mainly for a law degree as part of courses dealing withinternational law. There is only one specific postgraduate degree on human rights at
Mahidol University.36
The 2001 Basic Education Core Curriculum is divided into 8 subject areas, namely 1)
Thai language; 2) mathematics; 3) sciences; 4) social, religion and culture; 5) healthand physical education; 6) the arts; 7) occupations and technologies; and 8) foreign
languages.
Human rights content is found in the following three subject areas:
1. Social, Religion and Culture Subject area – Covering issues related to child rights,
definition of human rights, domestic mechanisms, human rights organizations, and the
Universal Declaration on Human Rights.
2. Health and Physical Education Subject area – Covering the topic of consumer rights.
3. Occupations and Technologies Subject area – Covering the study of consumer rights
and the right to work.
In the Social, Religious and Culture Subject area, where human rights content is foundthe most, human rights-related content is about the rights and responsibilities of agood citizen according to Thai law, traditions and culture. Under this same theme, thescope of content gradually expands from self and family-centered at the primaryschool level to a national context in the junior secondary school level and to aninternational context in the senior secondary school level.
Details of human rights-related content in the Social, Religious and Culture Subject
area’s curriculum are described below.
First level (Grades 1-3): The Second Learning Standard (out of three at this level) is
about understanding one’s own and the others’ status, role, rights, freedoms and duties,
and the rights which should be protected, and learning to abide by the laws related tooneself and one’s family. At the end of each grade, the students are expected to:
Grade 1: Understand one’s own and the others’ status, role, rights, freedoms
and duties, as good members of families, classrooms and schools; Understand childrights including the right to life, the right to protection, the right to development andthe right to participation; Have awareness of personal protection of.
Grade 2: Learn, understand and function according to one’s own and theothers’ status, role, rights, freedoms and duties, as good members at the village level;
Understand child rights including the right to life, the right to protection, the right todevelopment and the right to participation; Have awareness of protection of personalprivacy; Recognition of living within a family, and according to human rights’principles.
Grade 3: Learn, understand and function according to one’s own and theothers’ status, role, rights, freedoms and duties, as good members at the sub-districtlevel; Understand child rights including the right to life, the right to protection, the

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right to development and the right to participation; Have awareness of one’s humandignity, recognition, reputation and security according to human rights principles.
Second Level (Grade 4-6): The Second Learning Standard of this level is about
understanding one’s own and the others’ status, role, rights, freedoms and duties, as
good citizens in the locality and the country; understanding children’s rights to protect
oneself and others, and abiding by the laws pertinent to oneself, the family and thecommunity. At this level, students are expected to recognize and function according
to one’s own and the others’ status, role, rights, freedoms and duties, as good citizens
in the community, province, region and country and understand children’s basic rights.
Students start to learn about laws starting with those pertinent to themselves, forexample, children’s legal status and hereafter extend study to a broader area, such as
laws related to the community.
At the end of each grade students are expected to:
Grade 4: Recognize and function according to one’s own and the others’ status,role, rights, freedoms and duties, as good citizens in the community, locality at the
district level; Understand children’s rights including the right to life, the right toprotection, the right to development and the right to participation; Abide by the laws
pertinent to oneself, laws concerning individuals’ names, laws concerning nationality
in order to understand children’s rights and personal protection and others according
to human rights principles.
Grade 5: Recognize and function according to one’s own and the others’ status,role, rights, freedoms and duties, as good citizens at the provincial and regional
level; Understand children’s rights including the right to life, the right to protection,
the right to development and the right to participation; Abide by laws pertinent tofamily affairs, children’s legal status, rights and duties of parents and rights andduties of children.
Covered in the textbook of this grade under the section of “Being Good Citizens”,
different roles are elaborated for people of different status in the society, some ofwhich are human rights-centered. For example, the employer’s role is to provide“Wages suitable to the work and living condition; good welfare; generosity on every
occasion; and holidays and leisure time” to their employees. The book also goes on
about the acceptance of people with different cultures.
Grade 6: Recognize and function according to one’s own and the others’ status,role, rights, freedoms and duties, as good citizens of the country; Understandchildren’s rights including the right to life, the right to protection, the right todevelopment and the right to participation; Follow child rights principles to protect
oneself and others according to human rights principles; Abide by the laws pertinent
to the community, natural resources and environmental protection, National Education
Act, and traffic laws.
Third Level (Grade 7-9): Human rights education at this level focuses on being good
citizens, living together as citizens of the state and on understanding human rights forprotection of oneself and the others in order to live peacefully in society. It also

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focuses on abiding with laws relating to oneself, the family, community and nation,
based on moral integrity according to one’s own religion.
At the end of each grade students are expected to:
Grade 7: Recognize the status, role, rights and freedoms and duties, as good
citizens of society with moral integrity according to one’s own religious faith; Be
good citizens according to democratic rule; Capable to do good for the local
community; Discern the conformity and non-conformity of good citizens according
to democracy; Recognize and understand the meaning and importance of humanrights.
Grade 8: Recognize the status, role, rights, freedoms and duties, as good
citizens of democratic society; Capable to do good for the province and region;
Discern the conformity and non-conformity under democratic rule; Know how toprotect oneself and others according to human rights principles.
In the textbook for this grade, being a good citizen is also linked to human rights. The
content in the textbook focuses on the importance of being a good citizen according to
the rights and freedom guaranteed and the responsibilities entailed as a citizen in a
democratic state.
Grade 9: Recognize the status, role, rights, freedoms and duties, as good
citizens of society; Be good citizens under the democracy with capacity to do good forthe nation; Discerning the benefits of being good citizens of society and the nation;
Participate in the protection of oneself and others according to human rights
principles; Understand and abide by laws concerning oneself, the family, community
and the nation; Understand the definition and significance of the law, basic forms
and types of laws, laws related to themselves and family, national identification cardlaws, basic civil laws such as laws related to youth, family laws, laws related to thecommunity, laws related to environmental protection, significant national andcriminal laws, laws related to drugs and narcotics.
Fourth Level (Grade 10-12): Students of this level are expected to recognize thestatus, role, rights, freedoms and duties, as good citizens of the nation and global
society; Uphold human rights in Thai society and the global level; Abide by the laws
concerning oneself, the family, community, the country and the global society.
The content for the 4th level is not broken down into each grade, but a combination of
those of the first three grade levels. It focuses on learning about being a good citizenof the country and global society, practicing one’s religious faith, understanding
human rights including their concept, importance, principles, UDHR, the role of the
National Human Rights Commission, participation in human rights protection,knowledge of laws including the meaning, importance, types, background of the laws
concerning oneself, the family, community and the country, military service laws, tax
laws, and intellectual property laws.
From a textual analysis of the course outline of the Social Studies courses in one
secondary school in Bangkok,37 it was found that the Social Studies course is meant tocover a wide range of areas including geology, economics, citizenship, history, legal

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studies, world studies, technological development, population studies, politics, anddemocracy and culture. Human rights-related topics, in addition to one separate
session on human rights, child rights, freedom and citizenship, are found in thesessions on democracy, the Thai Constitution and laws.
Among human rights laws and mechanisms mentioned in the primary and secondary
school textbooks is the Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR), theConvention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the Thai Constitution 1997, the United
Nations and the National Human Rights Commission. Most of the time the content ofrelevant laws or the CRC is mentioned only briefly.
As for the rights of the child, which is one core component of this subject area, while
not necessarily mentioning the CRC, it is clear from the detailed curriculum on social
studies shown above that the content on child rights follows the core theme of the
CRC, namely, the right to life, the right to protection, the right to development and theright to participation. In one textbook on Social, Region and Culture for Grade 5,38 thesection on the rights of the child listed all the rights guaranteed by the CRC, without
referring to it, by putting them as 28 rights under four groups as the “Right to life,
right to be protected, right to receive development and right to participate”.
These four pages of text reveal several interesting interpretations of both the conceptof child rights and the text of the CRC. While this might partly be the result of theattempt to translate from the English text or the attempt to summarize without
explanation, it reflects not only the understanding of the writer(s) of the book but also
reflects the general connotation of human rights in the context of what is valued inThai society.39 Such interpretations, some of which post a risk to the understanding of
the core value of human rights, are cited below:- Right to life: the book says, “Adults do not have rights to kill a child before
birth” (page 79)- Right to development: the book says that a child who does not receive
development may “Cause problems or be a burden to society”. (page 80)
Human Rights Education in Other Subject Areas
Human rights content is also found in the Health and Physical Education Subject area
curriculum. In this subject area, the students would learn about consumers’ rights andright to be free from sexual abuse.
The curriculum of Occupations and Technologies Subject area is quite open andallows students to choose vocational training/information according to their interest.
In some schools, the time allotted for this subject area is used to engage students inlearning about human rights’ situation in real life.
In 2007, the Office of Basic Education Commission (OBEC) and the Office of theConsumer Protection Board (OCPB) made a plan to provide education on consumer
rights protection according to the 1979 Consumer Protection Act, to be integrated into

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the 2001 Basic Education Curriculum for Grade 7-12. A sub-committee was set up,
consisting of qualified and knowledgeable persons, to contribute to the content for
consumer protection.40 Workshops were then organized to train representatives ofteachers from schools across the country. The developed consumer rights curriculum
was launched in schools that joined the consumer rights core network group and thisis planned to be developed further for use in other schools as well.41
Similarly, the Election Commission has worked with the OBEC in developing a“Manual on Organizing Democratic Learning Activities” based on the 2001
curriculum for teachers. The Manual for level 1 and 2 is already finished and 10,000
copies were published for each level. The manual focuses on embedding democraticvalues into the daily lives of students.
Curriculum Content to be Developed by Educational Institutions
One of the major Thai educational policies is decentralization of educational
management to the local level. As a result, the Ministry of Education is to provide
only core curriculum as mentioned earlier. The Ministry also published core readingmaterials and manuals, for example, a curriculum management manual, manual on
how to teach the eight subject areas, and a monitoring and evaluation manual.
Recognizing the importance of decentralization of educational management to satisfy
the local context and need, each educational institution can develop its own curricular
content on the basis of a core curriculum provided by the Basic Education
Commission. 42 Each school can formulate its own course syllabus and methods toteach the core curriculum. This allows schools to bring knowledge from the local
community into the classrooms. However, the OBEC does not have a regulation thatallows the use of curricula other than the core curriculum formulated by thecommittee.
With such flexibility, this study found different levels of engagement in human rights
education in different schools. It depends very much on the commitment and supportof school executives, the participation of communities and the interest and ability ofteachers (see details from case studies).
Teaching/learning methodology
The National Scheme of Education states that education should use an integrated andholistic approach. This approach is to be applied to the content of education, theteaching methodology and the goals of education.
This holistic approach is best described in Section 24 of the National Education Act:
Section 24. In organizing the learning process, educational institutions andagencies concerned shall:(1) Provide content and arrange activities in line with the student interests andaptitudes, bearing in mind individual differences.

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THAILAND(2) Provide training in the thinking process, management, how to face various
situations and application of knowledge for obviating and solving problems.
(3) Organize activities for learners to draw from authentic experience, drills inpractical work for complete mastery, enable learners to think critically andacquire the reading habit and a continuous thirst for knowledge.
(4) Achieve in all subjects a balanced integration of subject matter, integrity,
values, and desirable attributes.
(5) Enable teachers to create the ambiance, environment, instruction media, andfacilities for students to learn and be well rounded people and able to benefit
from research as part of the learning process. In so doing, both students andteachers may learn together from different types of teaching-learning media
and other sources of knowledge.
(6) Enable individuals to learn at all times and in all places. Co-operation withparents, guardians, and all parties concerned in the community shall besought to develop jointly the students in accord with their potential.
In practice, the integrated learning process can be arranged in different ways, forexample, infusion of the content of different course into the teaching; Parallel
instruction with two teachers of different subjects working together based on one
theme; Multidiscipline instruction where teachers of different courses base theteaching process on one project assigned to students.
With this principle, human rights content is supposed to be “integrated” into different
subjects. As a result, this depends very much on the understanding and awareness ofteachers and school executives (see details in case studies).
Publications and Teaching Materials
The Ministry of Education only publishes the text of the core curriculum and leaves
room for the educational area or schools to develop detailed lesson plans. The
Ministry recognizes and recommends a number of textbooks that each school canchoose to use.
The key documents with content on human rights being used in schools are:
- Basic Education Curriculum B.E. 2544 (A.D. 2001), published by the
Department of Curriculum and Instruction Development, Ministry of
Education.
- Instruction in social studies, religion and culture substance for First and Second
level-primary education grades 1-6, published by the Department of Curriculum
and Instruction Development, the Ministry of Education.
- Instruction in social studies, religious and culture content for First and Second
level-secondary education grades 1-6, published by the Department ofCurriculum and Instructional Development, the Ministry of Education.

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THAILANDThe Ministry also, in collaboration with other institutions, published somematerials with content related to human rights, for example:- A translation of the UNESCO Handbook for the Teaching of Social Studies:part I in 1995 published by UNESCO and the Academic Department, theMinistry of Education for 8,500 copies.
- A translation of the Primary School Kit on the United Nations published by the
Textbooks Development Center, Academic Department, the Ministry of
Education in 1997 for 8,500 copies.
- A translation of the Secondary School Kit on The United Nations published by
the Textbooks Development Center, Academic Department, the Ministry of
Education in 1997 for 8,500 copies.
- A translation of the Intermediate School Kit on The United Nations publishedby the Textbooks Development Center, Academic Department, the Ministry of
Education in 1997 for 8,500 copies.
- A translation of UNESCO’s “Tolerance: The threshold of peace” published by
the Academic Department, the Ministry of Education in 1999.
It is important to note here that school textbooks in general are scarce in rural areas.
Not every child has textbooks of their own. In many cases schools cannot afford tobuy up-to-date textbooks for teachers.
Human Rights Education by Other Sectors
Apart from the Ministry of Education, other government agencies, non-governmentalorganizations, and the National Human Rights Commission contribute to thedevelopment of human rights education both in the school system and among children
at large.
To promote and support activities of schools which promote human rights education,
the Office of the Basic Education Commission and the National Identity Board’s Subcommittee to Promote Democratic Development under the Office of the Permanent
Secretary to the Prime Minister have introduced a programme to select model
democratic schools, to be in line with one of the government’s policies; that is, topress for educational reform which stresses on virtue ahead of knowledge,
development of educational quality and standard at all levels, and raises the awarenessof the values of the Sufficient Economy, reconciliation, non-violence and democracy.43
Interested schools are invited to submit reports on their democracy-promoting
activities for selection as examples of democratic schools each year.
The King Prajadhipok Institute, which provides education on politics and democracy
for civil servants and individuals, and Center for Civil Education (US) have held
training on democracy for youths at the secondary level under the so-called “Citizen
Project”. The King Prajadhipok Institute provides financial support for training andthe contest to find the ‘Schools for Civic Value’. The objectives are to encourageteachers and students to understand public policies, to encourage schools toparticipate in solving the problems of communities in line with democratic principles,

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and to raise awareness of participatory democracy among youths. The project hascontinued for two years, involving 44 schools in the first year and 37 in the second.
In response to conflicts and violence in schools, the Non-violence and Good
Governance Institute of the King Prajadhipok Institute and the Office of the Education
Council (OEC) have initiated a project to promote a culture of peace in schools, andto raise understanding among personnel in the Ministry of Education for
mainstreaming the culture of peace in Thailand’s educational system. The project’s
duration is two years, with the first phase involving training for teachers to be coreresource persons. The training covers the fundamentals for conflict resolution by
peaceful means, and mediation. In the second phase, 80 schools were selected toparticipate in the project, and attended a One-Day Workshop: Conflict Resolution
Education – A World of Possibilities. Manuals, educational materials and research
papers were produced. The project will expand to cover the wider educational system.
On a similar line, Amnesty International (Thailand) also launched the “Stop Violencein School” campaign in the past few years.
Since 1997, the UNESCO ASP Net has developed into a ‘School Twinning’ network,
as suggested by Princess Sirindhorn. The ASP Net schools have provided training forteachers for marginalized schools, particularly those run by the Border Patrol Police,with the aim to strengthen communities to achieve self-reliance, and to implant virtue
and ethics into the mind of children, in line with Article 1 of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, which says, ‘All human beings are born free and equalin dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act
towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”44 In addition, there are also joint
student activities between the twinned schools, which give opportunity to middle classstudents in towns to learn about the lives of rural communities. This is expected tohelp students instill sharing value and human rights awareness between students.
Currently, there are over 200 schools participating in the project, and interested
schools can join by contacting the Bureau of International Cooperation.
Non-governmental organizations have a vital role to play in development of humanrights education in Thailand. Two key organizations in this field, i.e. Amnesty
International (Thailand) and the Peace and Justice Commission, will be discussed here.
Founded in 1977, the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace, under the Catholic
Bishops’ Conference of Thailand, which is a counterpart of the Vatican’s Commission
for Justice and Peace founded in 1967,45 promotes human rights and peace, working
on human rights issues both internationally and nationally, such as the campaign
against violence in war, the ban of landmines, and issues of migrant workers andminority groups, within the framework of catholic principles.
Human rights education is one of the Justice and Peace’s core activities. It provides
human rights training for teachers and schools twice a year and also organizes
workshops for school executives, especially those at Catholic schools, and publishes
human rights education manuals. “The Path Towards Human Rights Education” (Sentang suu sithimanusayachon suksa) was published with support from the Office of the

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National Human Rights Commission as the manual for human rights education
activities. After the training, the Justice and Peace continues to monitor, evaluate andgive further advice to teachers who participated in the training. It also organizes
human rights youth camps every year.
Amnesty International (Thailand) has provided training on human rights education
since 2004, with financial support from the Rights Education Action Programme(REAP) of Amnesty International (Norway). It has cooperated with various
governmental and non-governmental agencies including the Ministry of Education,
the National Human Rights Commission and the Children Foundation. So far there
have been 15 training sessions, participated in by teachers, representatives of localorganizations and NGOs, about 360 people in total. The training includes basic
human rights training and comprehensive training of trainers (TOT) for those whohave passed the basic training. During the TOT, participants have the chance topractice different educational techniques, share their experiences in human rights
education and work together to make individual plans to develop human rights
education work in their locality. Amnesty International also organizes yearly youth
camps for students.
It is reported that from 1999 to 2008 the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peacehas organized training courses for 2,011 teachers from 70 schools while Amnesty
International covered 80 teachers and non-formal education personnel from 50
schools and non-formal education centers.46 AI also translated and published a humanrights education manual, “First Steps” and distributed it to its teacher network.
The Role of the National Human Rights Commission
The Thai National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has a mandate to promote thestudy, research and dissemination of knowledge on human rights.47 It plays a key rolein the promotion of human rights education. The NHRC has set up a Sub-Committeeon Human Rights Education. The Sub-Committee has approached the Ministry of
Education to work together on the development of human rights education. In 2003,
the Sub-Committee and the Ministry set up a Committee to Develop a Human Rights
Education Curriculum comprising experts on human rights education, the NHRC andrepresentatives from different departments of the Ministry. 48 The Committee ismandated to work out an action plan to develop the curriculum, to raise human rights
awareness among educators, and to research and collect the information necessary forthe enhancement of knowledge on human rights.49
As part of the collaboration, the OBEC has set up an Educational Management
Committee on Human Rights Education in School comprising human rights education
experts, educators50 to plan activities on human rights education in schools based on
the core curriculum.
The Sub-Committee on Human Rights Education at the NHRC also organized regularseminars and workshops on human rights education throughout the country.51 It also
launched a pilot project on integrating human rights content into basic education withcooperation from the Bangkok Education Area, Section 1.52

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As mentioned earlier, the Sub-Committee is now drafting a Human Rights Education
Strategic Plan through a participatory process.
III. Case Studies
Although human rights education is integrated into the school curriculum, the actual
practice of human rights education in schools varies, depending very much on several
factors. Details of human rights education in the following five selected schools will
elaborate how human rights are actually taught in school and identify some of the
facilitating factors and challenges of human rights education in schools. Some bestpractices can also be drawn.
The information about human rights education in the five selected schools mentioned
here is drawn from the result of focus group discussions with the teachers and thestudents and classroom observation in 16 schools done in May and June 2008. While
not claiming to represent all human rights education efforts in Thailand, the findings
can be said to provide an overall picture of human rights education, which can befurther analyzed for improvement.
School A
School A is a Catholic private school for girls in Bangkok. It offers education fromkindergarten to Grade 12.
The School’s administrator is very supportive of human rights education. Everyteacher in the school has attended at least one human rights training session organizedby the school itself or by the NGOs. Consequently, human rights content is integrated
effectively into every course taught here. The school also uses a multidiscipline
approach by raising one theme of study that can be used in every course. For example,
when learning about equality in the social science course, the English language course
will also talk about equality and may assign students to write an essay on the topic.
Teachers in the school actively engaged in human rights education activities. They
always stimulate the students to think about human rights in their class and alsoorganize extracurricular activities on human rights, for example, quizzing contest,
human rights exhibition and participation in human rights-related activities organizedby other organizations. The school, through its teachers, places human rights high on
the agenda on its own initiative driven by the recognition of the importance of humanrights.
As a private school, the school is better equipped with financial and personnel
resources compared to a public school. Human rights activities in the school can,therefore, run continuously.
One factor that contributes to enthusiasm in human rights education is the school’s
philosophy for education, which is based on Catholic teaching. The school is run
based on the principle that education should reflect the core values that everyone has their own dignity. With love and care given to each student, students will recognize

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their personal values and respect others’ values and dignity. All these principles must
be practiced from the heart, the school’s administrator says.
Although this is a Catholic school, not every student/teacher/staff member in theschool is Catholic. All have to follow the same philosophy without discrimination.

School B
School B is a public school in Chonburi Township, a city about 2 hours east of
Bangkok. It covers kindergarten and primary education for about 3,000 students per
academic year.
The School follows the core curriculum developed by the Ministry of Education.
Teachers sit together to work out the lesson plan according to the curriculum before
the start of each semester. Teachers from the same department meet to evaluate thelesson plan to ensure up-to-date content at least once a year.
Human rights-related teaching is done mainly by emphasis on the “Eight Fundamental
Merits” 53 promoted by the Ministry of Education and the four key aspects of childrights. The school interlinks the Eight Fundamental Merits to the human rights
principles specified in the core curriculum.
The teaching on human rights in this school focuses on civil rights and refers to thoselaws mentioned in the curriculum. Teachers are always well prepared for the classwith complementary activities. Some activities are designed by the students and theteachers together. The teaching methods also try to apply the content in the textbooks
to extra-curricular activities, sometimes in coordination with other subject courses, orwith neighbouring communities.
However, additional information or explanation on human rights beyond that alreadyincluded in the textbooks is rarely given to students. Teachers also are not updated
about human rights content since one teacher may have to teach several courses whichtakes up most of their time. Moreover, some teachers still do not have a clear
understanding about human rights. Even for teachers who have participated in humanrights training earlier, the teaching may still be restricted by the curriculum content
which is limited in definition and scope.
Explanation about human rights beyond the textbooks is thus based on the issues ofsexual harassment and children’s rights. These two topics are considered by teachers
as easier to understand as they focus on daily life and have clear legal provisions.
For primary school students, the research found that they view human rights, learned
under social studies, as what everyone should know for their lives according todomestic laws. Human rights, according to them, are difficult to understand but they
have heard about them before from their teachers, though they were not muchemphasized when compared to religious studies.

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School C
School C is a primary public school in Phuket Township, a tourist city in southern
Thailand. It is now providing pre-primary education and primary education toapproximately 3,000 students. There are six classrooms in each grade and this makes
it a rather large school.
The school emphasizes child rights considering this subject as most relevant to thestudents. The school invited lawyers and officials from the Department of Correction
to give training on child rights in 2006. In 2005, the school’s administrative staff also
attended child rights training co-organized by UNICEF and the local education area
office.
Furthermore, the School conducts integrated human rights-related activities in courses
on Citizen’s Responsibilities, Religion and Culture. Activities include the practice of
the Student Council to which representatives are elected. The previous student
election was supported by Phuket's Election Committee that lent actual election
facilities to the school. Students from grade 2 upwards can run for Council seats. The
Council will participate in making the school’s regulations.
The main responsibility of the Council is to participate in activities related to students
and the school, for example, consumer rights awareness campaigns, monitoring offood safety in school, issuing warnings to school food vendors who sell toxic food.
Teachers are knowledgeable about child rights, and are able to pass on this knowledge
to students. They can use case studies to explain each right and let students exchange
their ideas. Students and teachers also work together in monitoring child rights
protection in the community. Teachers focus on preventing sexual abuse against girls
and provide information to the girls on how to protect themselves.
Teachers tend to avoid discussing issues considered sensitive, for example, violencein the southernmost provinces. They focus mainly on what they think is needed to bea good citizen, i.e. how to live together with others, knowing one’s own rights andrespecting the rights of others. Teachers perceive that one’s rights should becontrolled, because children should learn how to behave according to the school’s
regulations.
Students from the sixth grade interviewed by the researcher are well-informed aboutchild rights. The answers to exercises given by teachers show that students can
explain the meaning of human rights and freedom. They can analyze a simple humanrights violation case. In the exercise asking students to compare children from two
families with different economic status, the students identified that it is a violation ofhuman rights when a child cannot go to school or has to work in a dangerous
environment. Most of the students linked good citizenship with recognition of one’s
own rights and responsibility and respect for child rights.

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School D
School D is a small size public school in the southern part of Thailand. Due to theconflict and political situation in the area, the state of human rights education here isdifficult to assess. The conflict severely affects the teaching and learning process inthe school. While the school follows the core curriculum of the Ministry of Education,it also adds elements of Islamic teaching as permitted by the Ministry to integrate
Islamic teaching by religious teachers into the core curriculum.
The school has to close down from time to time due to the violence. As a result, it isvery difficult to cover all the core content obliged by the core curriculum. Part of thecontent has to be omitted.
Teachers in this school view that the content covered in human rights education isdifficult and too abstract, thus not easily understood by children. Teachers also
indicate that language is another barrier for local students speaking only the local
language to study the curriculum in the central Thai language and thus the information
on human rights in the textbooks is difficult to understand for them.
The violent situation in the area also causes problems for teachers, as many of themare outsiders, to access the school safely without the security guards provided by thegovernment.
When talking to students in grades 5 and 6, they identified human rights as the law.
School E
School E is a big public secondary school in Hat Yai district, Songkla province insouthern Thailand.
The school follows the core curriculum and takes initiatives in producing teachingmaterials, applying current news to studies and organizing extra-curricular activities.
There is no specific teaching on human rights, but the issue is integrated into social
studies. Whenever there is current news related to human rights, teachers wouldinterweave the news into classroom discussion. For example, news is used to start theclass and teachers would stimulate students to think and analyze the situation. This isa widely-used method to urge students to participate in the classroom as part of achild-centered policy. It helps develop the students’ learning process and leads tofurther interest in a more specialized field.
Human rights issues that are often raised in the classroom include violence in thesouthern provinces, and consumer rights and laws. Teachers select the current news
interesting to the general public to make it easier for students to follow the matter.
In discussing human rights in the classroom, teachers mostly base the explanation of
their understanding of human rights as the principle of equality between humanbeings. Even when teachers conduct some extra research on human rights, they cannot
include that much in the class because the core curriculum does not cover muchcontent on human rights.

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Students to whom the researcher talked are from higher secondary classes studying
sciences and languages majors. They indicated that they mainly learn about humanrights from the social studies classes. For other courses, it is highly dependent on eachindividual teacher whether to include human rights issues in the class. They also thinkthat since human rights are part of social sciences study, if they do not plan to do
further study in the social sciences field, there is no need to learn about them. They
just know that human rights, as one kind of knowledge, are useful to know, but they
do not know how to use them.
According to this group of students, human rights are about the rights guaranteed bylaw. Everyone is under the law and must follow the law in the same manner, nomatter what religious or national differences there are. Since the school is in thesouthern region, students are interested in the violence in the southern provinces.
They also clarified that the violence does not affect their friendship with those withdifferent religions.
Most students are Buddhists. Similar to other schools that do not follow otherreligions’ minority teaching, the school’s regulations mainly follow the Buddhist line.
There is no reference to the practices of other religions. For example, the school
strictly follows the dress code of the Ministry of Education without any exemption forstudents of other religions. There is no space provided for other religious practices,like a Muslim prayer room. But in practice, implementation of these regulations
depends on individual teachers.
From the five case studies presented above, it is interesting to note that most students
interviewed from both primary and secondary education levels have only a fairenthusiasm about human rights education. Their understanding and interest in humanrights are mainly referring to laws, freedoms guaranteed by the law and equality.
When discussing about applying human rights principles learnt in the class to real life
situations, students’ answers show a real limitation. Most students only emphasize on
acknowledgement and acceptance of the differences of others. While this can beconsidered as one of the achievements in human rights education, it also emphasizes
the need to expand human rights understanding to a wider range of issues.
Most primary school students understand that human rights are the law, but law isdifficult to understand. Moreover, they cannot identify human rights implications withwhat happens in their daily lives. Nevertheless, they have accepted the human rights
laws and principles they have learnt and put them into practice. On the contrary,
secondary school students are able to understand human rights implications in daily
life events. For students in the secondary levels, their opportunity to gain informationand knowledge about human rights is far beyond that of younger students. Apart fromthe information in schools, newspapers, television and friends, there are other media
that they are exposed to that can influence their perception of human rights.
Unfortunately, secondary school students have less opportunity to attend extra
curricular activities, let alone those on human rights, due to the highly competitive
educational environment.
As for teachers, those who have not passed human rights training, which constitute themajority of them, would interpret and teach human rights according to their132 Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

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understanding. Some may limit their teaching according to the school textbooks andcore curriculum, which sometimes merely addresses the legal aspect of human rights.
In sum, the findings from case studies implies that, while the education policy andcurriculum provide broad guidelines for integration of human rights into theteaching/learning process, the effectiveness of human rights education in schools isconditioned upon:
1. The understanding, interest and commitment of individual teachers.
The system of core curriculum and integration approach leave large room forindividual teachers to devise teaching techniques and include human rights in theirteaching. While most teachers merely follow what already exists in the curriculumand standard textbooks, others are active and engage in creative learning methods.
What is very important is also the teachers’ own understanding of humanrights which is passed onto students. Case studies found different connotations andfocus on human rights taught to students.
2. Political will and support from a school’s administration
The implementation of human rights education in schools requires the extra
resources and time of teachers, i.e. additional budget for extra curricular activities,
and opportunities for teachers to attend training provided by other organizations.
These are made possible only by supportive administrators. School A is a good
example where the school’s administration is very supportive of human rights
education that result in active human rights education activities in the school.
This finding is in line with the findings of similar research on the state ofhuman rights education in the country. In 2001, with the support from the Thai
National Human Rights Commission, Valai na Pombejr, a leading human rights
educator, reviewed human rights education in primary and secondary schools in
Thailand.54 Twenty-five schools from three categories were studied. The first groupof schools includes catholic schools that recognize the importance of the human rights
issue, and encourages their teachers to acquire further knowledge to teach students.
The second group includes those in the UNESCO Associated Schools Project
Network (ASP Net) which focuses on the issues of international solidarity and global
peace. The last group includes schools which do not teach human rights in theirformal curriculum but encourage and promote it through, for example, teachings ofchild rights and ethical training.
Despite the fact that the MOE 2001 basic education curriculum also includes
human rights issues, Valai found there is still a lack of understanding in teaching
human rights in schools, especially if there is no recognition from school executives
and teachers.55

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3. Availability of time, textbooks and other resources
Human rights content is still very limited in textbooks. From a textbook
overview, it was found that human rights issues are addressed mainly as part of legal
issues and civic education, except the more elaborate parts concerning child rights. In
addition, schools in remote areas would, in general, face difficulties getting enoughtextbooks for their students.
Other human rights education materials produced by the NGOs are still not
widely distributed.
With so many issues to cover in the Social Studies-related classes, it is very
difficult to include human rights content/issues into an already tight teaching schedule.
In particular, this is relevant to secondary school teaching where more attention byboth teachers and students is on preparation for the university entrance exam.

IV. Analysis of Laws, Policies, Education Goals, Curricula and Programs
The Thai Constitution 2007, the National Education Act 1999 and the National
Scheme of Education provide the crucial policy framework for the development of
human rights education in the Thai school system. The Ministry of Education is
responsible for setting up, monitoring, and auditing as well as evaluating its policies,
plans and the standard of education. Meanwhile, the Office of the National Education
Council is responsible for managing and planning the overall policies for every
educational level and institution under the Ministry’s control. Such a framework wasalso considered when the Sub-Committee on Human Rights Education, the National
Human Rights Commission and the Ministry of Education worked together to launcha human rights education program with a pilot project in several schools under thesupervision of the Bangkok Metropolitan Office.
The system of the “Core curriculum” allows teachers to bring in any information andteaching methods according to the core curriculum. There is, therefore, room toinclude human rights content and activities in the school system. Human rights
education or human rights-related activities run by other government agencies, nongovernmental organizations and the National Human Rights Commission, can alo be
integrated into schools with collaboration and support from the school’s
administration or with the Ministry of Education.
The existing framework, therefore, constitutes an attempt to mainstream human rights
education into the educational system with every teacher holding responsibility toinclude human rights in their teaching. On the contrary, the integration approach also
poses a challenge for the implementation of human rights education. It is not possible
to expect every teacher in every course to be well versed in human rights principles
and be able to integrate human rights values into their teaching.
It was observed that catholic private schools have relatively more involvement in
human rights education and their students have been encouraged to apply human134 Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

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rights principles with activities outside the classroom. Fundamentally, these schools
have rules and regulations based on religious teachings which directly or indirectly
relate to human rights. This makes teachers and students familiar with the applicationof such principles in their daily lives.
In addition, these catholic schools are privately owned institutions with effective
fund-raising for alternative course management as well as outside-the-classroom andcommunity-bonding activities. Private schools, with their bigger funding, also havemore flexibility to organize alternative learning methods. The difference inadministration between state and privately-owned schools has thus led to thedifferences regarding the perception of teachers about human rights and the way tocontinuously integrate human rights into the existing curriculum.
The core curriculum for basic education developed in 2001 includes human rights as
one component. The content about human rights has been featured in social andreligious subject areas, health and physical education subject areas as well as thetechnology and vocational studies subject area. Social and religious studies havecovered the four basic rights for children, human rights protection, respect for therights of others based on the basic law, principles and meaning of human rights basedon the Constitution, international human rights, human rights conventions andinternational agenda, development of human rights by local constitutions, and the
National Human Rights Commission, as aforementioned.
While the Ministry of Education developed a manual on how to teach the corecurriculum, which includes human rights issues, it has not published many books
focusing on human rights or human rights education. Nor does it publish a manual on
how to teach human rights. But this does not mean human rights education
publications are unavailable. The Ministry is supportive in translating, publishing andmaking available books on human rights education and other related subjects. There
are also examples where individual teachers developed teaching materials on humanrights to be used with the core curricular outline and get it recognized by the local
Basic Education Office.56
NGOs and international organizations in Thailand, UNESCO and UNICEF for
instance, sometimes in cooperation with departments in the Ministry of Education,
have also published books and manuals on human rights education. However, thelimited production and distribution budget, both on the part of the government andNGOs, plays a vital part in hindering the widespread acknowledgment of humanrights study as well. In addition, some teachers cannot access materials in English
language or web-based materials.
The Thai educational system uses the so-called “holistic approach”, or integrated
learning process, where teachers are expected to integrate the teaching of two or moredifferent courses together. Human rights are supposed to be integrated into every
course. As a result, this depends very much on the understanding and awareness ofteachers and school executives (See details in the case studies).
When dealing with human rights, the majority of teachers simply follow theframework of the core curriculum, which is designed for each educational level.

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Based on class observation and interview with teachers and students, this study findsthat there is almost no additional information or research provided to students, owing
mostly to course time constraints. Also, no matter how energetic a particular teacher is,there are limitations on the understanding of the meaning of human rights and on
conveying the message to students. Besides, there is a lack of continuous support fromthe state to provide enough facilities and disposable budgets for relevant learning andtraining courses for teachers.
As a general practice, when the national curriculum is revised, the Ministry of
Education would provide training to teachers. However, when the 2001 corecurriculum was designed, only limited training was provided.
At present, only a few teachers have passed training courses or attended seminars on
human rights, mostly organized by NGOs. Unquestionably, teachers from otherprovinces have less opportunity than those in Bangkok.
There is no separate assessment of students’ human rights knowledge or behaviour.
The assessment is done based on the curriculum outline.
Of crucial factors affecting the implementation of human rights education in schools,
public schools in particular, the most critical is budget limitation. No specific budget
is allocated to human rights education. There is still a limited budget to develop
learning materials or lesson plans, and to provide training to enhance teachers’
knowledge on the matter.
This study found that primary schools have more diverse human rights education
activities than secondary schools. This is mainly due to more time allocation for otherknowledge beyond academic knowledge. In secondary schools, the schools and thestudents focus more on academic excellence, especially in the upper secondary level
where most concern is put on the university entrance examination.
Private schools show more flexibility in accommodating different teaching pedagogy.
This is partly due to their available resources. Catholic schools, with their religiousgrounded practice already existing in the school, have shown greater potential inorganizing a human-rights-friendly school environment and to instilling human rights
awareness among students.
In 2005, the Ministry of Education issued a Regulation on Punishment of Students
which prohibits violent punishment. The Regulation urges teachers to use advice andextra activities to correct the behavior of students. This is a big step forward to theprotection of children in the education system. However, news reports about severe
punishment of students still come up from time to time.
The curriculum and textbooks in Thailand mainly focus on Buddhism. School
regulations and practices also follow the Buddhist line. However, it is important tonote here that religious discrimination against religious minority students is rarely
reported. Although most school regulations do not specifically guarantee nondiscrimination on the ground of religion, it is found that teachers have followed the136 Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

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principle of acceptance of the differences of others. In this aspect, we can say that
educational institutions in general support a positive human rights environment.
Non-governmental organizations, the National Human Rights Commission andinternational organizations have played a vital role in developing human rights
education in Thailand, both in the school system and as separate human rights
education programs. They actively engage the Ministry of Education in human rights
related activities. In some ways, they have complemented what is still limited in the
Ministry of Education’s efforts by providing teacher training and producing manuals
and learning materials.

V. Recommendations
Based on the above analysis, the following recommendations were developed toaddress some limitations of human rights education in the Thai school system.
Educational Policies and Curricula- Human rights mainstreaming efforts should be complemented with a detailed
curriculum development. It is crucial to ensure that the curriculum instills humanrights values and awareness in addition to substantive human rights learning.
- Knowledge on human rights should be made simplified with concrete case studies.
This would enable both teachers and students to understand the issue more easily.
- There should be a substantial budget allocation to support and promote human rights
education both inside and outside the classroom to ensure that efforts are carried out
continuously. Activities that should be given priority are the development of teaching
manuals and lesson plans, the publication of teaching materials and teacher training
on human rights.
Teaching/learning Materials- Manuals on how to integrate human rights in different subjects should be produced
to enable teachers to effectively mainstream human rights into their teaching.
- Study materials, especially textbooks, should be reviewed to ensure that they are
human rights-friendly.
- Learning materials and textbooks must be distributed widely. There should be a
special measure to guarantee that small and/or remote schools can get access to
textbooks.
Pedagogy- Human rights should not be designed to be learnt by memory. Further support on thedevelopment of integration techniques should be provided.

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Teacher Training- The content and concepts of human rights should be mainstreamed into the teacher
training curriculum.
- In addition to training to introduce new curricula, the teachers must be trained
specifically on human rights. This would enable teachers to go beyond the limited
content on human rights already existing in the curriculum.
Assessment System- Assessment criteria on human rights knowledge/understanding/value gained by
students should be developed. The criteria should not be based rigidly on
remembering certain content or provisions about human rights.
- There should also be a system to monitor and assess teachers’ understanding of
human rights. This indicator should be used as a general indicator in assessing overallteacher performance too.
Extra-curricular Activities- Exchange programs between schools should be encouraged to provide a forum forexchanging experiences on human rights education.
- Extra-curricular activities should enable students to learn human rights from real life
situations or from direct experience.
School Environment- Students should be encouraged to participate in building and monitoring humanrights-friendly schools.
Role of Stakeholders- More systematic cooperation between different stakeholders, i.e. the National
Human Rights Commission, NGOs, other relevant Ministries, should be explored anddeveloped. The existing cooperation is already of high value and needs to be sustained.

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Endnotes
1

Schools visited were Had Yai Wittayalai, Phuket Wittayalai, Chonkanyanukul, Yuparatch
Wittayalai, Benchamarachutit, Anuban Phuket, Anuban Cholburi, Anuban Chiang Mai, Anuban
Ratchaburi, Ban Wang Him Bunnang Star, Gabung Pithyakhom, Mater Dei Wittayalai, Saeng
Thong Wittaya, Thida Anukroa, Darasmuth, and Daruna Ratchaburi.
2
The official translation uses the terms “Instil right awareness” here. To avoid confusion, thisresearch deliberately replaced the word “right” with “correct”.
3
The Compulsory Education Act
4
Section 3, paragraph 5 of the National Scheme of Education Strategy states the educational
policy for a “Secondary school education to be basic education for the public. The government
should accelerate and expand basic education for all in order to improve people’s quality of life”.
5
UNESCO Education for All report : Thailand, 2000
6
Conclusion of the National Education Plan, pages 11-12.
7
Ibid.
8
Ministerial regulation regarding the classification of basic education, 2003
9
The Compulsory Education Act, B.E. 2545 (2002)10
Currently known as the Bureau of Academic Affairs and Educational Standards under the Basic
Education Commission
11
Section 27, National Education Act. B.E. 2542, Office of the Council of State.
12Department of Curriculum and Instruction Development, Basic Education Curriculum B.E.
2544 (A.D. 2001) Guide: Social studies, religion and culture strand, Bangkok: Ministry of
Education, page 243.
13
Ministry of Education Decree, Ref. DCID 1166/2544 on The Implementation of the Basic
Education Curriculum B.E. 2544.
14
Section 33, National Education Act B.E. 2542 (1999) and Amendments (Second National
Education Act B.E. 2545 (2002)
15
Including pre-primary schools
16
Educational tendency and state research center, Office of Educational Development andResearch, Office of Secretary General of the Education Council
17
Section 38, National Education Act. B.E. 2542, Office of the Council of State.
18
National Education Act
19
Announcement of the Office of Basic Education Commission, 29 November 2006.
20
Reference for the establishment of office for the special administrative zone in the South, Officeof Basic Education Commission, Ministry of Education, page 8.
21
Op.cit., page 17.
22
Currently known as the Bureau of Academic Affairs and Educational Standards under the Basic
Education Commission
23
Section 27, National Education Act. B.E. 2542, Office of the Council of State.
24
Department of Curriculum and Instruction Development, Basic Education Curriculum B.E.
2544 (A.D. 2001) Guide: Social studies, religion and culture strand, Bangkok: Ministry of
Education, page 243.
25
Ministry of Education Decree, Ref. DCID 1166/2544 on The Implementation of the Basic
Education Curriculum B.E. 2544.
26
http://www.bic.moe.go.th/index.php?id=526&L=1, retrieved on March 1, 200827
Presently known as Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University and Ubon Ratchathani Rajabhat
University respectively.
28
Summarised from Valai na Pombejr. 1998. “Associated Schools Project in Thailand” in Human
Rights Education in Asian Schools 1.
29
Ibid.
30
Kreangkrai Chaimaungdee. 2001. “Child Rights in Thai Schools: Participatory Learning
Processes” in Human Rights Education in Asian Schools 7.

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

139

THAILAND

31

The 2007 Constitution no longer requires organic laws to implement its provisions on right toeducation and education-related rights.
32
Office of the National Education Commission. Summary of the National Scheme on Education
2003-2016. Bangkok: Office of the Prime Minister. September 2002. P4.
33
Ibid.
34
Office of the National Education Commission. Synopsis of the National Scheme of Education of
B.E. 2545-2559 (2002-2016). 2nd. ed. Bangkok : 2003, page 2.
35
Vitit Muntarbhorn 2003, Study of Human Rights Education in University Level, Office of The
National Human Rights Commission of Thailand: Bangkok.
36
MA in Human Rights (International Program) offered by the Office of Human Rights Studies
and Social Development, Mahidol University. Currently, the Office is also offering a PhD in
Human Rights and Peace Studies (International Program) and MA in Human Rights andDevelopment (in Thai language). Still, Mahidol is the only university in Thailand offering a
specific degree in human rights.
37
From website of Social, Religion and Culture Study Area, Patumwan Demonstration School at
http://social.satitpatumwan.ac.th/38
Institute of Academic Development. Core Curriculum Textbook: Social Studies, Religion andCulture (Grade 5). Bangkok.
39
Quick review of school textbooks reveals much emphasis on traditional culture and values (forexample, repect for elders, the use of central Thai language) and the respect for and upholding of
the Three Pillars of the Thai society, namely, the Nation, the Religion and the Monarch.
40
Office of the Consumer Protection Committee. Integrative Learning Lesson Plan: Consumers
Rights Protection under Consumer Rights Protection Act 1979 for the Third and Fouth Education
Levels According to the 2001 Core Curriculum for Basic Education. Office of the Prime Ministerand the Office of the Basic Education Commission
41
Ibid., page 2.
42
National Education Act, Section 27 paragraph 2.
43
Democracy Model School Project. Photocopy
44
Bureau of International Cooperation. The Origin of the Twinning School Project. Photocopy.
45
www.jpthai.org
46
Valai na Pombejr. 2008. “The Work of the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand on
Human Rights Education in Thai Schools” in Human Rights Education in Asian Schools 11.
47
Article 15 paragraph 4 of the National Human Rights Commission Act 1999
48
Ministry of Education’s Order No. 240/2546 on The Appointment of a Committee on theDevelopment of Human Rights Education Curriculum
49
Ibid., page 2.
50
Office of the Commission on Basic Education’s Order No. 1604/2547 on Appointment of
Educational Management Committee on Human Rights Education in School according ot the
Basic Education Curriculum
51
Summary of the cooperation between the Sub-Committee on Human Rights Education, National
Human Rights Commission and the Ministry of Education, page 2. photocopy
52
Ibid., page 2.
53Namely, diligence, being thrifty, honesty, sense of discipline, politeness, cleanliness, unitedspirit, and generosity. The Ministry of Education announced these eight attributes to be corevalues that the schools should teach and encourage the students to practice.
54
Valai Na Pompetch 2003, Reporting on an evaluation of human rights education in basic
education system, Office of The National Human Rights Commission of Thailand: Bangkok
55
Ibid.
56
Lalita Krabou. Teaching Material on Human Rights: Teaching Material for Second Social
Studies Module, Grade 8. Kalasin Pityasan School. 2003.

140 Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

BEST PRACTICESBest Practices in Human Rights Educationin the School Systems in Asia

Introduction
This report compiles some of the best practices in human rights education in theschool systems in Southeast Asia and other subregions of Asia. The experiences
included in this report are drawn from various documents available to the Regional
Project Team. These documents include teaching and learning materials, publishedreports on human rights education in schools experience, reports on studies andevaluation projects relating to human rights education in schools in the broad sense,and communications between the Regional Project Team and contact persons indifferent countries.
The concept of best practices is broadly defined. The educational practices referred toin this report generally relate to the different components of human rights education in
the school system found in the first phase plan of action of the World Programme for
Human Rights Education (as well as the action plan of the United Nations Decade for
Human Rights Education – 1995-2004). Thus the stress is on practices that promoteinternational human rights standards in consideration of the context of the students
and the school in general, emphasize participatory pedagogies, involve various
stakeholders in program implementation, and include the practice of human rights
concepts within the school and in the community as part of the learning process,amongst others.
The best practices included in this report cover both past and current experience. Past
experience are still valuable for providing concrete examples of putting into practicehuman rights education ideas that the United Nations promotes.
Best Practices in the Asian School Systems
The following best practices in human rights education in the school system are someof the experiences found in a number of Asian countries. They represent the variety of
initiatives in the region supported by governments, non-governmental organizations,schools, and even by the students themselves. They are presented according to thefollowing categories:• Teaching/learning materials• Pedagogy

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BEST PRACTICES
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Community involvement
Textbook/curriculum analysis
Program development and implementation
National processes
Supporting initiatives
Regional initiatives
Evaluation.

Each best practice case is described in a short but informative manner to facilitate
appropriate understanding of the characteristics and components that make up eachcase.
I. Teaching/learning materials
It has become common for educators to speak of human rights education without
using the words “human rights” or reference to international human rights instruments.
There are valid reasons that can explain this situation ranging from the stage ofdevelopment of the students to restrictive policies of the government, to a political orsocial climate that does not support discussion of human rights in general. It can bealso due to the age of the users. For very young users, the learning materials have to
be simple.
a. Kaleidoscope Primers
A non-governmental organization in Pakistan, named Simorgh,1 provides examples ofmaterials for very young learners. This organization produced a set of materials called
the Kaleidoscope Primers and Readers, which contain games, exercises, quizzes, andstories based on folktales, fables, poems, and incidents from history. The primers arefurther described as follows:2
The motivating idea behind the Kaleidoscope Primers… is to enable children to develop (i)a spirit of caring for others, (ii) the ability to understand points of view other than their own,(iii) the capacity to accept the right of others to think differently, and (iv) the ability to seethat as members of the human family we all have the same rights and responsibilities.
The basic premise of these primers is that all human beings, regardless of differences basedon sex, class, caste, race, religious belief, skin colour, physical disability or ethnicity, havethe right to develop their potential as human beings. To realize that other than the right tolife, security, health, education and work, we do, as individuals and members of society,have different needs and beliefs and, that as long as we do not harm others or violate theirrights, we have the right to choose the way we live.
As rights are never one sided the primers focus on certain basic ground rules. Theseemphasize the fact that rights are closely linked to responsibilities, which include tolerance
and understanding of those who think differently as well as the ability to care for and lookafter others.

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BEST PRACTICESThe primers present familiar tales in a different light in order to stimulate thinking
about rights. Thus in the case of the popular tale of Ali Baba, the primers contain aseries of stories consisting of the adventures of Ali Baba, and Marjana and theirfriends, and these stories were used to provide information and raise different rights
issues. However, the issues are woven into the story and the ‘moral’ is neither overt
nor explicit. Critical thinking is encouraged by the fact that the questions appended tothe stories are open-ended and there is no one ‘correct’ answer and the exercises
enable students to make the distinction between facts and opinions. At a time when
globally, nationally and locally, opinions dressed as facts are used to invent andmarginalize peoples and individuals, these exercises are geared to encourage children
to think for themselves and also to release them from bondage to the unifocal world
where a single point of view either subsumes and irons out the diversity and richnessof the material world and its cultures or relegates differences to the margins of the licit.
The stories are multifocal, thus in ‘Ali Baba Shares his Toys’ the issues raised include
sharing and caring for others, the importance of teamwork and our responsibility
towards special children, and in the ‘The Long Lane’ issues about development,
political participation and democracy are raised.3

The primers have very nice colored drawings and well-written adaptations of stories.
There are five primers. Each primer corresponds to a year-level. Thus the whole set ismeant for Grades One to Five, starting with 5- to 6-year-old children.
The primers are accompanied by Teachers Guides, which contain the lesson plans thatprovide the objectives, materials, and procedure for teaching the stories. They contain
important questions for the students to respond to in each story and the respective
assignments, which allow students to take action on what they have learned. The
Teachers Guides also explain the rights contained in the stories.
The primers are meant to help integrate human rights concepts into the different
subjects in the school curricula. They supplement existing textbooks by providing a
different perspective on the topics of the subjects in terms of content and pedagogy.
The primers are in fact conceived as a means to “counter the culture of intolerance
and violence that was generated by officially produced school texts”.4 They are atpresent in the English language but the Teachers Guides suggest that the teacherstranslate the texts into Urdu and other languages whenever appropriate. The Urdu

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BEST PRACTICES
version of the primers is also planned subject to acceptance of the materials by publicschools.
b. Fair and Square5
The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (also known as SUHAKAM) produced
in 2004 a learning material for primary school students that discusses human rights
using simple stories. The material entitled “Fair and Square” has a collection of morethan twenty stories that deal with the following themes:- Meaning of human rights- Right to food, shelter and education- Right to privacy, health, peace and safety- Respect and ownership- Freedom- Discrimination- Rights and responsibilities- Practicing rights.
The stories with accompanying illustrations are simple
and interesting for primary school students to read andponder on. Each story is accompanied by three sections:Think (which asks questions to help the students
analyze the story), My thoughts (which asks students toreflect on the story), and either Do (which asks thestudents to do something about the story) or Your Right(which explains the human right involved).
The very first section of the material discusses the ideaof human rights. It also has appendices containing thesimple version of the Convention on the Rights of theChild and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

c. Child rights lesson plans
An example of lesson plans that directly mention human rights are the lesson plansfrom a school in India. This private school for girls is named Loreto Day School or
Loreto Sealdah.
Loreto Sealdah was established 1857 in Sealdah, Kolkata, India. In 1979 it started anexperiment in education born of a certain uneasiness felt at being part of a formal
school system imparting ‘quality education’ to a privileged few, while millions of
their less fortunate peer group get virtually nothing at all.
This started opening up the school more and more to underprivileged youngsters fromslum areas and pavements, to produce a healthy mix of children from all social,

144 Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

BEST PRACTICES
financial and religious backgrounds. This resulted in a school population of students
almost half of which are from the nearby slums and given totally free education.
In 2005, Loreto Sealdah had 1,500 female students of which more than 700 are from very
poor families whose every need has to be taken cared of – food, medicine, rations, shoes,
books, uniforms, even money to meet the rent which eviction threatens. In many instances
the school has also helped families set up a small-scale business, by providing interest-freeloans in order to become self supporting. Sometimes it reached out to the family as awhole, be it a drug addict father, or an errant sibling or an ailing member. 6
The school’s human rights education program is linked to curricular and extracurricular activities – theoretical or knowledge input within the classroom andpractical activities in the community. In teaching the rights of the child, the school
examines child labor in its own community. Thus it has lesson plans such as below
focusing directly on this issue.7 The lesson plans are published in a series of ten
booklets entitled We are the World – Teacher’s Edition (2005).8
The lesson plans discuss the issue (such as child labor), the rights involved, and theactivities that students can do regarding the issue and the rights. This is based on the“reflection leading to action and action followed by reflection” approach, which isfound to be “a very effective tool in education and especially in education on humanrights.” This approach most importantly makes sure that when students are exposed“to situations of injustice, we need to challenge the less motivated and give an outlet
for the frustration the compassionate student feels, on being confronted with asituation about which she can do nothing.”
Lesson Plan on Child Rights

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BEST PRACTICES
d. Meljol series
A group of teachers, parents, educationists, and concerned adults met in 1991 todiscuss their concerns about children inheriting a discriminatory value system,heightened by stereotypes, prejudices, and classism. They felt the need to increasechildren's awareness and change their attitudes toward participatory, non-hierarchicalmethods of learning. This led to the establishment of Meljol: Hum Bacchon Ka, a
non-profit organization run by a team of dedicated and professionally trained social
workers and child development professionals. Meljol's mission is to nurture ageneration that truly believes in equal rights, opportunities and respect for all.
It has the Twinkle Stars program that reaches out to children between the ages fromfive to ten years. The program encourages children to analyze their own behavior andresponsibility towards everyone and everything in their environment. It teaches
children to recognize and respect the efforts of people in their environment, especiallythose who make their life comfortable. It introduces the values of equity, respect, andacceptance to children aged 6 to 9 years old through camps and Meljol activity books.
In order to create a children's movement, Meljol started to streamline its messages
into the formal educational stream through a series of textbooks on values education.
The child-friendly series includes the Meljol Twinkle Star Textbooks for Grades I IV, and the Meljol Explorer Series for Grades V - VII. The series were developed inconsultation with principals and teachers of the Meljol-associated schools. It is also
based on the syllabi of federal and state education boards.

Both Meljol Twinkle Star textbooks and Meljol Explorer textbooks are designed ascoloring books with illustrations on each page and include various activities likesongs and games to communicate value-based messages. Interactive and childfriendly, the textbooks emphasize the concept of learning through doing. Messages
are communicated through innovative puzzles, quizzes, games, and other interactive
methods. The self-action component at the end of each section encourages children to

146 Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

BEST PRACTICES
question, explore and discover the meaning behind each exercise. To ensure thatlearning is not restricted to the classroom, each book includes a center page pull out –a refreshing reminder of Meljol’s messages. Also at the end of each Meljol textbook isa teacher’s manual designed to help in the use of the books effectively and creatively,
making both teaching and learning a fun experience.
The Meljol Explorer Series acts as a foundation on which a child builds a sense ofrights and responsibility.
One report on the impact of the books states the following:9
Dhanivali is a village in Thane District, about 100 km from Mumbai. The majority of its
residents are tribal. All the children go to the Meljol community-based school. Meljol
uses its textbook for the sixth and seventh standard, which contains the process forelecting club officers (secretary, treasurer, and president). A chapter explains thedemocratic process of elections and the children’s responsibility to vote. The election
described in the textbook is similar to that conducted in villages or cities. Thus, it includes
multiple candidates, submission of a manifesto by candidates (to explain what they will
do if elected), campaigning, and secret voting.
This is the most popular program in schools as children enjoy the process and learn about
their most important civic responsibilities. Students form Meljol clubs then approachother children in the villages (school dropouts, child workers, etc.) to invite them to join.
The clubs hold elections. In the club meetings, children discuss their issues, decide on theaction they want to take, and also evaluate themselves. This is Meljol’s first step toward
establishing a children’s movement for their rights in the villages.
The children elected the club officers, conducting the election process as described in thebook. They filed applications to contest an election and campaigned. Some tried to bribe
the voters but did not succeed. The children voted conscientiously.
The seventh grade book also includes the story of an alcoholic father who abuses hischildren. It helps children understand the idea of the right to protection. Club members, inconsultation with their elected representatives, decided to campaign against drinking
alcohol. They conducted the prabhat pheri (a long march) and met with the villagers,
explaining the harmful effects of alcohol. The sarpanch (secretary of the village council)
supported the children and tried to stop the distilling of alcohol. He gave loans to the
producers to start some other small-scale business. The villagers also stopped drinking for
15 to 20 days. The children were unhappy that some of them started drinking alcohol
again. Now they are thinking of different ways to stop alcoholism.

e. Advancing Equal Opportunity
The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) is a statutory body established by theHong Kong Special Administrative Region in 1996 to implement the Sex
Discrimination Ordinance (SDO), the Disability Discrimination Ordinance (DDO)
and the Family Status Discrimination Ordinance (FSDO). EOC works towards theelimination of discrimination on the grounds of sex, marital status, pregnancy,
disability and family status. It also aims to eliminate sexual harassment, andharassment and vilification on the grounds of disability. It also promotes equality of

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BEST PRACTICES
opportunities between men and women, between persons with and without a disability
and irrespective of family status.
To commemorate its tenth anniversary, EOC published Advancing Equal Opportunity,
a collection of fourteen enlightening stories about overcoming barriers anddiscrimination. The short stories are written in easy language and portray the lives of“everyday” heroes. They provide stories of people who are hopeful, courageous anddetermined to face problems that are ordinarily occurring in various levels andsections of society. They present the stories of people making their lives meaningful
as parents, professionals, people with disabilities, and artists, and who all have tostruggle to break the barrier to reach an equal playing field. As the publication
explains;
Many men and women, girls and boys out of a sense of fairness, personal need, or simply
courage, have helped level the playing field, so that others may follow. They havechanged the landscape for equal opportunities, one of the essential hallmarks of a worldclass city. While there is only space in this chapter for a few to share their remarkablestories, they represent the collective experience of all who have contributed to the causeof working towards a fair and inclusive society.

The stories are real-life experiences of peopleor their kin who have suffered discriminationand have sought the help of the EOC.
It is a supplementary material under the
Human
RightsSeries–
Personal
Development and Interpersonal Relationships– within the Liberal Studies subject. But it isvery appropriate for the use of the generalpublic.
Each story ends with a “Q & A” section thatcovers three sets of questions: 1) Points toconsider, 2) What’s your view, 3) Learn
from experience. The questions within each set are meant to facilitate the readers’reflection - their impressions about the stories, the implications of the stories forHong Kong society and on an individual’s decisions, and actions that can be taken
regarding the issues raised by the stories. The questions are designed as “suggestions
for teachers and students to facilitate interactive and experiential learning.”
The publication has many forms and languages. There are printed, audio (compactdisc) and Braille versions. The audio version is in Cantonese, Putonghua and English
languages.

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BEST PRACTICES
Significance of the examples
The Kaleidoscope Primers are examples of materials that encourage thinking among
students about social issues, which teachers can guide toward the understanding andpractice of human rights. The well-crafted texts and excellent drawings provide
interest for students who are likely used to reading materials that have dry texts andunattractive photos or drawings. The accompanying guides for teachers provide thenecessary support for an appropriate interpretation and use of the primers. The whole
set provides a refreshing approach to countering the serious problem of intolerance
and discrimination in society.
The same can be said of the Fair and Square and the Meljol series. Simple yetinteresting stories bring out issues with human rights implications. With question
guides, the students are encouraged to think clearly about the issues and the humanrights involved, and the practical action that is possible.
The Loreto Sealdah lesson plans are examples of teaching materials that practice theschool’s social philosophy by making education relevant to the community. Thesematerials are designed as an integral part of the school curriculum. The lesson plans
are likewise good examples of teaching materials that explicitly mention international
human rights standards. Finally, the lesson plans include practice of human rights
concepts. The combination of these characteristics constitutes a best practice for an
integration approach to human rights education.
The Advancing Equal Opportunity publication is a good example of presenting humanrights in ordinary, daily situations. They speak of issues that are faced by many
among the general population. They portray actions that are concrete and within thecapacity of people who have hope and determination to protect their right against
discrimination. The stories in the publication make human rights real and useful - notideas waiting to be fulfilled with the help of heroes (who come from institutions suchas non-governmental organizations and human rights bodies of governments, and who
are normally preoccupied with “big” social problems).
II. Pedagogy
The process of teaching and learning human rights has always been described as
participatory, learner/student-centered, active, and action-oriented. It is difficult tofind a human rights education program in any school that does not proclaim the use of
these types of teaching/learning process. Some experiences are shown to have
employed these pedagogies as the means to address particular situations, and not
merely the general objective of subscribing to the current view on pedagogies.
It is therefore important to appreciate best practices in pedagogies within the context
of human rights education addressing specific issues affecting children or students.10
As anti-discrimination/human rights educators in Japan would describe theexperience: “It is the result of encounters with discrimination, not an abstract, empty
theorizing.”11

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BEST PRACTICES
a. Child-centered process
Dowa education12 started more than fifty years ago due to discrimination in Japanese
schools.13 It is an earlier form of human rights education. It evolved its pedagogy
based on traditional learning systems and the need to protect discriminated children.
Dowa educators developed a group process as pedagogy in human rights education.
The group process is meant to help discriminated students express themselves andallow other students to empathize with them. Two experiences are presented here toillustrate the group process.
A general description of the group process14 is stated in the following manner:
Teaching actual cases of Buraku discrimination15 is not sufficient stimulus for students toreflect seriously on what they learn, or relate themselves to the problems. In the final
analysis, if the students do not have the sensitivity to grasp the nature of the issue, theknowledge and interpretation of the teachers do not really empower them. A systemcalled group process was therefore given much weight to lay the foundation for education
about Buraku issues.
There are a number of key principles to observe in dealing with the group process in
DOWA education. First, the group process is in the context of the life of children outside
the school. Children are agents of their lives, and bring their lives at home and in thecommunity to school. They show only some aspects of what they are in school. Thosechildren who tend to cause problems in school may have trouble at home. It should beeasier for the teacher to work on such children if he or she knows more about their lives athome and in the community. Similarly, if children know about each other’s lives, theirrelationships can be developed in a mutually supportive manner.
Secondly, the group process proceeds by placing the teihen no ko (children at the bottom)
in the center. In DOWA education, teihen no ko refers to children who belong to adiscriminated group and children who have serious problems in their lives (relationships
with friends, academic performance, etc.). These children tend to suffer from adisproportionate weight of the various contradictions in society. They may show poor
academic performance because they do not have adequate support conditions bothmentally and physically. They may get disorganized since they see no meaning in theirlives. Or they may feel intimidated in the school environment. Placing teihen no ko in thecenter of the group process encourages the children in the whole class to recognize theproblems of the “bottom” children as their own, and motivates them to grow together withthe “bottom” children.
Another method is the use of han (small groups) and regular meetings of group leaders.
About 5 to 8 small groups are formed in a class of 30 to 40 students. Students participate
in various activities together as members of the small groups. They compare notes, andsupport and encourage one another. It is vital in this process to consider how vulnerable
children or “bottom” children can be supported in the small groups. Meetings of small
group leaders take place every week or two after class to learn about small group-basedclassroom management. Homeroom teachers discuss with them what has happened during
the week to develop plans for forthcoming events.
DOWA education has developed a number of methods to advance the group process.
Many of them were originally created by education movements in Japan, and further
improved in DOWA education.

150 Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

BEST PRACTICESThe application of the group process in a particular school provides an example of its
use inside the classroom:16
Kunijima High School employs the group process in its DOWA education program. It isusing for example jibun wo kataru (speak about yourself in the class). Students are asked
to speak about their daily lives and their observations to their classmates. Teachers help
the students focus on their deep concerns and real life problems. When students clearlypresent their experience just as they experienced it, the listeners can re-experience andshare the feelings. Jibun wo kataru has been considered a vital component of DOWA
education in Kunijima High School. It trains the speaker to look at his or her life
objectively and critically, and enables him or her to overcome prejudiced views.
Jibun wo kataru may also enable the speaker to reflect on his or her behavior criticallyand understand why he or she was carried away by emotion. As this process is repeated,
the speaker becomes able to control his or her behavior more rationally. This project has
also been of great benefit to the listeners. As mentioned above, most of the Kunijima
High School students have severe surroundings. Many desperate and disoriented students
end up having hateful feelings toward their parents and themselves because of their toughsurroundings even though it was in fact the existing atmosphere and social system thatshould be blamed. Hearing their friends cope with their lives, express their determination
not to let discrimination affect them, speak about their families and their own
observations, the listeners are given a chance to identify their own problems with thestory. The stories stimulate non-Buraku students to deal with their personal problems in
relation to Buraku issues. They can put their lives in perspective. They can reorder theirpriorities. They can recognize where their frustration comes from. They can recognize
why they had to hate their families. They can recognize why they had to hate themselves.
They can visualize their liberation by joining the movement for social reform.
The jibun wo kataru project of Kunijima High School, which started many years ago at
the level of each class, has since evolved to each grade assembly where speakers talkabout themselves in front of all students of the same grade, and then to a school assembly
where speakers from each grade talk to the whole school population.

The emphasis in the group process is on the support that students as a group may beable to extend to fellow students who express their difficulties, borne out of
discrimination (or human rights violations). Thus the group process is helpful to boththe affected students in enabling them at least to verbalize their problems and the nondiscriminated students by giving them the chance to interact personally with those
suffering from human rights violations and thus learn about human rights as the result.
To complement the group process, Dowa educators used the writing method as ameans to facilitate personal reflection on human rights issues. One method used is theseikatsu noto (diary notebook), a usual activity for students in Japanese schools. One
report describes it as follows:Children are asked to write about their daily lives and observations in a notebook, whichis brought to school. The teacher in turn writes down his/her responses in the same
notebook. With the teachers’ caring and thoughtful comments, children who initiallywrite rather superficial observations about their lives begin to focus their diary on their
deeper concerns and real life problems.17

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BEST PRACTICES
Writing diaries or tsuzurikata is
considered a vital component of DOWA education. Tsuzurikata is a traditional major
approach in teaching writing in Japan. Children, as agents of their own lives, are invited
to write about their lives as they are.
The key to successful tsuzurikata or writing about life is elaborated in the following steps.
The teacher should instruct the students to choose some unusual event or experience,indicate the timeframe by writing about them, and write in detail the description of theevent or experience. Simply writing “I was very happy” does not convey the real feelings
to the reader. The reader will be able to re-experience and share the feelings only if they
are skillfully presented in writing, or presented as they were actually experienced.
Why is tsuzurikata so important in DOWA education? Prejudice causes bias in one’s
perception for even those who actually do their best to survive. Some Buraku children ask
themselves “why was I born to these parents?” and become unable to accept and love
them. Tsuzurikata trains the writer to look at his or her life objectively and critically, andenables him or her to surmount prejudiced views.
Tsuzurikata may also enable the writer to reflect on his or her behavior critically andunderstand why he or she was carried away by emotion. As this process is repeated, thewriter becomes able to control his or her behavior more rationally. The following episode
exemplifies the change process: One boy was frequently involved in fights with hisclassmates. He was driven by emotion. He felt sorry for the fights usually after one week
had lapsed. As he started tsuzurikata, he began to feel sorry for the fights three days
afterward. Then he began to feel sorry for the fights one day afterward. Finally he wasable to control his emotion before he gets into a fight.18

Dowa educators believe that both approaches are important and should be employedequally:
Among the conventional approaches to Buraku studies, a major approach is simply
listening to and learning from the Burakumin themselves. This approach, combined withthe group process in the classroom, has stimulated non-Buraku students to deal with theirpersonal problems in relation to Buraku issues.19

b. Twinning program20
Activities that facilitate understanding among students are also employed for students
who come from different schools and social classes. These activities can be sports,
cultural, and other festivals that various schools may organize jointly. For purposes ofhuman rights education, these activities can be used to make students focus onparticular issues in society such as the existence of a gap between rich and poor
people and the corresponding misunderstanding among them.
In India, one non-governmental organization, Meljol, has been holding activities withthe aim of removing prejudices existing between students from rich and poor families.
They bring students from private and public schools in Mumbai city together under
the so-called Twinning Program.

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BEST PRACTICESThe twinning program module runs parallel in the private as well as the municipal
schools. It comprises several sessions:a. Orientation sessions - to provide children with an understanding of the
program, and lay the ground for equity education;b. Interaction sessions - the children from the two schools meet and participate
in several creative activities together. Friendship bonds are also created in thisprocess;c. Post-interaction sessions - to make children participate in the thinking
process where they also question their previously held stereotypes andprejudices;d. Feedback sessions - to provide children an opportunity to evaluate theprogram and make suggestions for developing it further.
Following is an illustration on how the module (on Coexistence within theenvironment) is implemented:
a. Orientation sessions - these sessions were conducted simultaneously in thetwin schools (municipal and private schools). They introduced the children to
Meljol, its concepts and the theme “Coexistence within the environment”. It
also discussed common prejudices and stereotypes.
The objective of the sessions was to facilitate the children’s understanding of
garbage and water, and to make them realize their own contribution towards
creating garbage and wasting water, and to help them explore means of
reducing it.
It was observed that the private school children’s initial opinion usually is thatthe slum dwellers create more garbage. This misconception had to be clarified
through examples, which led to the realization of consumption patterns. Someof the examples were that the people who can afford tetra packs, fountain
Pepsi, and aluminium sheets, create garbage too. Children suggested ways inwhich they would attempt to individually try and reduce garbage.
b. Interaction sessions - these sessions give the children an opportunity to learn
and reflect on their stereotypes and prejudices by actually mixing with theother group of children and participating in common creative activities.
The objective of the sessions was to enable the children to take the first step
towards friendship with their “twins” and to provide them with a stimulating
and creative environment for expressing their thoughts on that environment.
It was observed that initially private school children would not sit on the floor
and the municipal school children were clustered with children from their own
school. Both groups were wary of each other. But as the games and activities

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got underway, the children soon came together. At the end of the interaction
activity, the children feel sorry when leaving their new-found friends.
Meljol gives utmost importance to the feedback received from the children andtakes it into consideration in planning future activities.
Similar to the idea of making students meet people who suffer from human rights
violations, the twinning program is designed to help students review their way of
thinking about other students considered to be of a different social class. Suchencounters provide the space for better understanding among the students as they doactivities together. In the feedback process, the students reflect on what they havelearned in the encounters – relating to prejudice and discriminatory thinking.
c. Four-stage process
Participatory pedagogy should also be applied to the whole program encompassingclassroom, school, and community activities. The participatory character of thepedagogy should be seen in the different parts of the program.
In Nepal, one non-governmental organization (HUREF) 21 implements a four-stage
process for teaching/learning human rights for secondary students. The first stage
consists of classroom activities (using interactive methods such as debate, concept
mapping, group communication, flip charting, role-play, simulation, and discussion)
where students learn about human rights (concept of human rights, human rights andhuman responsibilities, types of rights, and international human rights instruments)
and their practical application (such as learning how to prepare and file a first
information report at police stations). The second stage consists of the establishmentof human rights centers in schools, which helps implement the human rights education
program as well as undertake human rights activities in the community. The humanrights centers assist victims of human rights violation in several communities of theschools involved. They also organize various activities for students in the schools.
The centers are composed of teachers and students (with representation from the dalit
class, the discriminated class in Nepal).22
The third stage consists of fieldwork in the community. In field work, the schoolorganizes visits to local police stations where students interview police officials about
how they treat detainees, read police documents on cases (first information reports,
detention orders, medical examination reports, post mortem reports, charge sheets,and statements of the accused), inspect custody cells, and receive an orientation on theprocedures being followed by the police on cases they handle. The fieldwork provides
the opportunity for students to ask questions about the plight (or respect for the rights)
of people in police custody. The fourth stage consists of monitoring and evaluation,
which means getting feedback from teachers and students about the human rights
education activities. This allows assessment on how human rights education activities
have impacted the intended participants (the students, teachers, and members of thecommunity).

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d. Human Rights Education Camp23
The gathering of students outside the classroom and the school provides a different
environment for learning and improves their understanding of human rights. Student
camps, for example, provide them much space to undertake freely the activities
themselves, in line with their interests and way of thinking.
In the Philippines, one non-governmental organization (Amnesty InternationalPilipinas) has been holding student or youth camps on human rights. It has held fiveannual youth camps since 1999. The camps bring young people from all over thecountry to discuss and assess certain human rights issues, share skills and build
capacities to evolve practical ways of becoming involved in human rights advocacy.
This activity is part of the Amnesty International-Philippine Section's Human Rights
Youth Action Network (HRYAN). Participants aged 15 to 25-years old have attended
the youth summits. 24 This activity has received the endorsement of the Philippine
Government (through the Department of Education).25 The Government endorses theidea of building a “human rights culture for youths by youths.”
The HRYAN youth camp follows a three-part program described as follows:
The human rights education workshops and sessions presented in this package are organized
into “Three Indispensable Actions for Human Rights”. These actions pursue one phase at atime to initiate the learning process focus on: KNOWING YOUR RIGHTS — respect forhuman dignity; importance of human rights; human rights actions, concerns andresponsibilities; CONTEXTUALIZING HUMAN RIGHTS —human rights violations,specifically Identity-Based Discrimination; relation between personal experiences and thesocial, economic, political and cultural forces which cause human rights violations; andYOUTH AS PROACTIVE HUMAN RIGHTS PROMOTERS AND DEFENDERS — roleof youths in respecting, protecting and promoting human rights, strategies and action plans
to develop and renew commitment to human rights advocacy.
This framework reflects a “progressive approach.” This learning package is organizedaccording to the stages of development in youth’s social values—from simple to complex
thoughts.

A similar youth camp in Hong Kong started by the Amnesty International Hong Kong
section in 1996 has the following set of activities:26• Workshops: "What is Human Rights" and "How to Teach Human
Rights"• Guest speakers (active human rights campaigners and educators)• Performance by a local drama group• Use of media education materials (pictures/photos, films and videos)• Use role-playing and thought-provoking images designed to make an
instant and sustained impact. Develop constructive criticism fromteachers• Video taping of workshops, performances by a local drama group andspeeches by guest speakers

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BEST PRACTICES•••

Production of a professionally edited video to evaluate the camp andfor future reference
Summary of the three-day training through "Art for Freedom"
performances (drama, music, poster presentation, etc.)
Distribution of human rights teaching materials to all participants.

e. Community service27
A Christian, co-educational secondary school in Tuen Mun, Hong Kong has avoluntary service program for students. In the first semester of 2002, the school’s
voluntary service team initiated the “Cleaning the beach of Lung Kwa Tan in TuenMun” project. Sixteen students joined the project. The group of students saw that thewater on the beach was dark colored. They interviewed the people in the area andlearned that there was also thermal pollution, sound pollution, and death of a large
number of shrimps and other aquatic life. They interviewed the power plant
representative and were told that the plant adopted a “zero pollution” strategy. The
students kept asking why this was so but could not come up with a satisfactory answer
during the early stage of the project. They also learned from the members of thecommunity in the area that an incinerator plant was planned to be built in the area.
This triggered their concern. They became involved in finding more information fromthe Internet, libraries and environmental non-governmental organizations to “explore
further the possible pollution that could be caused by an incinerator and the chemicals
transmitted from it.” At a later stage in the project, with some research having been
done, they decided to “propose a signature campaign out of care and concern for thecommunity, and a sense of social responsibility.”
The students felt that they learned from the process. They learned “a lot about
polluting chemicals, especially dioxin, which was well beyond the formal syllabus”.
They were also able to link the issue to their Human Geography and Economics andPublic Affairs subjects. One student observed that the project “touched upon several
subjects but the required knowledge in doing the project might not be included in thecurrent syllabus.” They also practiced critical thinking in the sense that in finding two
different versions of the situation of the beach (from members of the local community
and the people in the plant), they did not simply side with one over the other. Instead
they did more research before realizing what they needed to do. They exercised acertain degree of “scepticism”, an important element in critical thinking. Their senseof confidence and self-esteem was increased. The students presented their project“confidently and successfully in a self-organized school assembly.”
The project led the students to think beyond the concern for the cleanliness of aparticular beach and the plight of the community, but of the larger social issue
involved. They realized that the issue involved public policy. This realization led tothe signature campaign, a political action to protest the government policy thatfacilitated the existence of the issue.

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Significance of the examples
These pedagogical experiences prove the effectiveness of participatory, studentcentered approaches to teaching and learning. They provide a variety of examples
from activities focused on children who suffer from human rights violations toclassroom and school ground activities and even to activities in the community andbeyond. They also show the value of discovery as a process for learning about humanrights as the students reflect on their experiences by writing them down, students fromrich and poor families meet, students visit police stations, and students gather toexchange experiences. The experiences presented here all emphasize the importanceof giving the students the space to think and learn from what they do inside theclassroom, school grounds and in the community.
III. Community involvement
The school must be relevant to the community, while the community must be
involved in the school. But does this synergy between school and community
develop? A study of school education in a rural community shows the need to makethe school relevant to the community for the former to make an impact on the latter.
The conclusion of the study states that;In spite of the fact that many children have gone to school, it does not take long before amajority of them forget whatever skills they learn there. This is because there is apparently
no continuity between classroom instruction and the requirements of community life outside.
The educational experiences of children outside of the classroom have practical value interms of action processes obtaining in day-to-day life and they fit into the general pattern of
local expectations about the role of a child at home. In contrast, instruction in school isoutlined in specific ways, imparted to the child in serried ranks within the classroom, andthis instruction does not have an immediate, practical usefulness in terms of actual needs.
Thus, what is learned in school is easily forgotten. If modern education is to be a vehicle forsocial and cultural change, educators must reckon with the significance of continuity
between classroom instruction and community life where the school operates.28

The problem regarding the classroom-community continuum is stated in the following
manner:How can the school be made functionally relevant to the community? What methods of
instruction can be utilized in classrooms that will transfer productively and effectively the
newly acquired knowledge and skills to conditions outside the school? How and to what
extent can the curricula of schools be made compatible with the values of the community?29

Human rights education in the school system does not veer away from this problem.
There is a need for the human rights learned in school to be reinforced and practiced
beyond the school campus for this is what school education is meant to be about. The
role of the community is thus an important component in human rights education in
the school system. Thus mechanisms for involving the community in human rights
education in the school system should be properly developed and employed.

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a. Empowerment of children and parents
The Philippine Department of Education and the Philippine Commission on Human
Rights initiated a program that involved the community members in human rights
education in the school system. It was called the Children, Parents, and Educators
Empowerment Program (CPEEP). It involved holding public forums where children,
parents, and educators discuss human rights issues. There were sixteen forums held
during the 1998-1999 period in various parts of the country. CPEEP aimed at buildinga regional core group of human rights trainers drawn from Parent-Teacher
Associations, teachers and heads of student councils. It also aimed at facilitating the
introduction of Human Rights Teaching Exemplars for primary and secondary levels.
Through CPEEP, the Philippine Department of Education and the Commission on
Human Rights of the Philippines hoped to strengthen the impact of the teaching
exemplars and build a positive response to human rights education in general.
The CPEEP forums brought out human rights issues such as the following:•

The increase in the number of child workers, in spite of the Government's
campaign to provide education for all and the existence of free primary andsecondary education.
• Alarming reports of rape of daughters by their fathers or incestuous
relationships between them, and the factors that lead to the exploitation ofyoung women.
• Aggressiveness, disrespect, and disobedience displayed by children against theirparents, relatives and other adults.
• Physical and emotional harm inflicted on school children by teachers andparents.
• Attitude of parents with respect to human rights.
• Gender-fair education and peace education.
The CPEEP has been a learning experience for the educators, the parents and those
involved in implementing the program. They were surprised but impressed at findingout how and what students think about current human rights issues. They learned how
well informed the opinions of the students were on such issues.
b. Analysis of stakeholders
Another mechanism for involving the community in a larger sense and the humanrights education stakeholders in general, is the analysis of a stakeholders exercise. The
exercise, with participation by the main players in a more inclusive and holistic
human rights education program, indicates the specific factors that may hinder or
support human rights education in the school system.
In Indonesia this exercise identified the following as the major stakeholders in humanrights education in the school system:
1. KOMNAS HAM (National Human Rights Commission)
2. Ministry of Justice and Human Rights
3. Human rights non-governmental organizations

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4. Curriculum Development Center - Office of Research & Development,
Ministry of Education
5. Directorate General of Primary and Secondary Education (Dikdasmen)
6. International and foreign country agencies
7. Teachers and head teachers
8. Teacher education institutes (Pilot institutes)
In an analysis of stakeholders in Indonesia, the results provided a number of importantdata on the following items:30
1. Main expectations for each stakeholder
2. Main weaknesses of each stakeholder
3. Critical area of intervention by each stakeholder
4. Strategic actions of each stakeholder- Comparative- Competitive- Innovative
5. Supporting resources- Human resources- Budget- Facilities
This data provided an overview of the complete stakeholder community in terms of
capacity to undertake roles in implementing human rights education in the school
system at the national level. The analysis data is summarized in Table 1:

Facilities

BudgetHuman
resources

Innovative

Support resources

Competitive

Strategic action
Comparative

Critical areas

Main weaknesses

Main expectations

Stakeholders

Table 1. Data on the Analysis of Stakeholders

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Significance of the link with the community
The community in the context of human rights education in the school system refers
to two levels - local and national. The local community is the immediate environment
with which the schools are in direct contact. It consists of the parents of the students,
the community leaders and institutions, and the people at large. The national
community, on the other hand, consists of the government and non-governmental
institutions that relate to schools including the Ministry of Education, national humanrights institutions, teacher organizations, student unions, human-rights/human-rightseducation organizations, etc.
The two examples referred to above relate to both levels. The CPEEP activity is doneat the local community and national level, and the in-between levels. The stakeholder
analysis exercise is likewise done at all levels.
What is important in both examples is the participation of all stakeholders (as many as
possible) in the activities to provide them with deeper understanding of human rights
and human rights education, and to give them a strategic perspective on how to
maximize the existing resources with the local and national communities and push forbetter, more effective human rights education in the school system.

IV. Textbook/curriculum analysis
a. The Subtle Subversion
In 2002, the Sustainable Development Policy Institute “an independent, non-profit
research institute on sustainable development” in Pakistan started a study called the“A Civil Society Initiative in Curricula and Textbooks Reform”. This study focusedon textbooks for Urdu, English, Social Studies, and English subjects used for twelve
years of schooling (from Class I to Class XII) and aimed to “identify problematic
content in textbooks and ascertain if the curriculum formulation was the source ofsuch content”. The four subjects were considered important as they expose “students
to the issues of religious and national identity, tolerance, and social relationships thatshape their view of the world”. The results of the study were published as The Subtle
Subversion: The State of Curricula and Textbooks in Pakistan.31
The study was undertaken with the involvement of almost thirty people “mostly
academics, with varied fields of specialization, from universities, colleges, andschools of sciences and arts, as well as people with experience in working in
educational planning and management, and in the private sector.”32
The report drew considerable attention in the media with many criticizing it. The
media attention on the report is indeed an indication of its value in making the
problems in the Pakistan school curriculum and textbooks a subject for public scrutiny.

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Pakistan has considerable experience in analyzing
textbooks since the mid-1980s. A long list ofbooks and other publications has come out thatprovides extensive analysis of the textbooks. 33
But there was still a need for a new study on thestate of curricula and textbooks. The report cites
several reasons.
First, new textbooks are published almost every
year, and it was essential to see if the most recent
ones also contained the same objectionable
material, both in terms of inaccuracies as well as
a pedagogical slant and style. Second, theCurriculum Wing of the Ministry of Education
was revising all the curricula in the spring of
2002, and it was essential to analyse them too.
Third, none of the earlier studies appeared to have had any impact on either
government policy or the public discourse on education. Generation after generation
was being lost to bad education, yet providing quality education was never on thepolitical agenda of the country. The problems needed to be highlighted in their true
severity to bring the issues into the domain of public debate. Lastly, it was also
deemed essential to make a collective study in order to bring together all the various
perspectives from which individual analysts had looked at the educational material.
The study assessed the national curriculum and textbooks for the following:• Factual inaccuracies and omissions for ideological ends
• Religious, national and ethnic prejudices• Gender stereotypes• Glorification of war• Peace and tolerance• Pedagogical problems.
The report states some of the most significant problems in the current curriculum andtextbooks:• Inaccuracies of fact and omissions that serve to substantially distort the natureand significance of actual events in our history• Insensitivity to the existing religious diversity of the nation• Incitement to militancy and violence, including encouragement of Jihad andShahadat• Perspectives that encourage prejudice, bigotry and discrimination towards
fellow citizens, especially women and religious minorities, and towards othernations• A glorification of war and the use of force

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Omission of concepts, events and materials that would encourage critical selfawareness among students
Outdated and incoherent pedagogical practices that hinder the development ofinterest and insight among students.

The report on the issue of religious diversity observes that the idea of “Muslim
majoritarianism” influenced much of the school system to the point that it led to“creating an environment for non-Muslims in which (1) they become second-classcitizens with lesser rights and privileges, (2) their patriotism becomes suspect, and (3)their contribution to society is ignored. The result is that they can easily cease to haveany stake in society.”34 From the human rights education perspective, this situation
provides a serious hurdle to teaching/learning about human rights principles.
The study looked into the minute details of the curricular documents and textbooks,
and pointed out line-by-line the provisions that are considered questionable.
b. Stereotypes in Textbooks and Teaching Materials
The Equal Opportunities Commission (Hong Kong) sponsored in 1999 a content
analysis of stereotyping in textbooks and teaching materials used in Hong Kong
schools. The project examined the nature and extent of stereotyping in printed
educational materials, including textbooks and examination papers. 35 Fivemethodologies were employed, employing a combined range of qualitative andquantitative methods:• Content analysis of selected texts• Linguistic analysis of selected texts• Focus group discussion• Survey analysis of teachers’ perceptions• Analysis of structured interviews.
The study collected and analyzed the primary and secondary data, including two
hundred eighty-nine textbooks and examination papers. The primary data consisted of
the following:• Textbooks• Teaching handbooks• Teaching Aids
• Examination papers and questions• Assessment forms.
The secondary data consisted of the following:• Publishers’ guidelines• Manuals issued by the education authorities• Guidelines issued by Equal Opportunity Commissions (other than the one in
Hong Kong)• Code of teaching conduct issued by training institutions.

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BEST PRACTICESThe study analyzed several subjects (Chinese, English, Social Studies, andMathematics), and looked at several variables (both dependent and independent). The
five major dependent variables are the following:• Gender• Age• Disability• Ethnicity• Single parenthood and childhood.
While the independent variables are the following:• Subject• School level• Publisher• Mode.

As a result of the analysis, a set of recommendationsin the form of “Guidelines for Developing
Educational Materials” was presented. The
guidelines contain a long list of suggestions on
how to counter discriminatory ideas that become
the content of printed educational material in
Hong Kong. One guideline is presented asfollows:
The avoidance of stereotyping in the content of educational materials is important for
students’ project work, which can encourage students to explore the social, personal, andlinguistic aspects of stereotyping in their own environment. In particular, project-related
surveys and awareness-raising tasks can enhance understanding of minority groups, newmigrants, persons with disabilities, and old persons.
Publishers could include many more photographs in textbooks to balance theoverwhelming bias toward graphic illustration. Classroom activities, for example,
dramatic and creative work, and use of Educational Television programs can help dispel
and counter stereotypes. While gender representation has been addressed by the
Education Department and CDI, greater emphasis now needs to be placed on areas suchas disability, family structures and roles, old persons, and ethnic and cultural minorities.

The analysis report observes that
Textbooks, examination papers, and other educational materials are created through theefforts of many people, including teachers, editors, material writers, examination writers,
illustrators, producers, and directors. These learning resources influence the ideas andconcepts students have of themselves and others. Where practical and appropriate, students
should see positive, supportive, and encouraging images of themselves, their families, andcultural, ethnic, and social groups. Good learning resources should also encourage students
to be aware of and appreciate the differences between themselves and others.

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BEST PRACTICESIt thus gives a set of proposed guidelines when developing educational materials suchas the following:
Females and males are;
• Presented with equal respect• Illustrated in similar numbers and importance• Shown in a variety of occupations, activities, and careers beyond
stereotyped representations• Shown as making an important contribution to the community• Shown as being mentally/physically active, creative, and having
problem-solving roles and displaying both success and failure in them
• Displaying a broad range of human emotions• Shown as active and responsible parents.
Cultural, ethnic, and social groups are;
• Presented with respect, as are their customs, beliefs, and activities• Represented in proportion to their population• Seen as active in a range of professions and occupations• Recognized for their contribution to the community.
Old persons are;
• Presented with respect in a range of activities and occupations• Presented across a range of ages (not just the young and old)
• Shown enjoying an active and productive social life.
Children are;
• Shown as being able to make decisions, offer advice, and solve problems• Encouraged to question stereotypes• Explore and evaluate social and personal themes and content.
Persons with disabilities are;
• Presented with respect in a range of activities and occupations• Celebrated for their contribution to the community• Presented doing the same kind of activities as persons without
disabilities.
Family roles include;• Examples of male and female single parenthood• Adopted children• Ethnically/culturally mixed parentage and children• Persons acting as care providers, decision makers, and homemakers• A broad range of relationships among old persons, parents, siblings,
and spouses.

Significance of the examples
These examples of analysis of textbooks and other materials are important for humanrights education in the school system. They provide a process as well as a guide on
how to improve textbooks and other materials in accordance with human rights
principles.

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BEST PRACTICESThe Pakistani project is largely meant to “inform the debate on educational reformand establish the nature and level of changes that will need to be made if theeducational system is to be reformed so that it serves to create a more enlightenedsociety.”36 This is an example of an initiative that tries to involve the general public in
discussing the development of the school system. This follows the idea of having thecommunity or society in general adopt a stake in the quality of education in the
country. While this process follows the human rights principle of participation, it also
provides an opportunity for human rights principles to be used in analyzing the stateof education in the country and in proposing ideas for improvement.
The Hong Kong experience is significant for providing an example of using technicalmeasures on textbook analysis as applied to human rights issues. This explains thetechnical nature of the report. 37 The resulting suggested guidelines are practicalmeasures that can be easily adapted to textbook and other material development.

V. Program development and implementation
An important consideration in any human rights education program in schools is its
capacity to be sustained over time, and its continuing development while being
implemented. Many programs suffer from lack of sustainability due to insufficient
support (in terms of human, material and financial resources). One significant factor isthe manner by which government support is tapped to achieve a sustainable program.
Some experiences in Asia show that government support is indeed crucial, though not
the sole factor, for developing and implementing programs in schools on human rights
education.
a. Institute of Human Rights Education
The Institute of Human Rights Education (IHRE) of People’s Watch, a nongovernmental organization based in the State of Tamil Nadu in India, introduced
human rights education in the formal school sector in nine schools in Chennai, India,
as a pilot program in 1997.38
This 1997 “small experiment” led to the introduction of human rights education ingovernment schools, namely, the Adi-Dravidar Welfare and Government Tribal
Residential Schools (schools for the dalits and tribal, or Scheduled Caste and
Scheduled Tribes) of the Government of Tamil Nadu in 2002. This was achieved after
continuous advocacy and lobbying efforts with the State Government.
From being a pilot project, IHRE and its partners convinced and won over other State
Governments to support the program. As in Tamil Nadu, where the efforts are alreadyactive to make the program a government program with their own resources under theSpecial Component Plan or Scheduled Caste Sub Plan, similar efforts will be made in
the other States as well.

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BEST PRACTICESThe program is at present, being implemented in the following States: Tamil Nadu,
Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Rajasthan, Gujarat, West
Bengal, Bihar, and Tripura. This program will be expanded further to Maharashtra
and Madhya Pradesh from the current academic year (2008-2009).
The IHRE program is a separate syllabus, taught outside the formal curriculum of theschools. It is offered to Classes VI, VII and VIII. It has a set of modules on the
introduction to human rights, child rights, and discrimination. The modules were
initially written in Tamil, but have now been translated into English and the otherIndian languages (Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Oriya, Bengali, Gujarati and Hindi).
The writing of each language module is entrusted to a group of educational, humanrights, and language experts of the State. IHRE ensures that in each State the originalmodule is not mechanically translated, but dynamically adapted and rewritten toreflect the local reality and is relevant to local human rights issues.

This program depends fully on the concept of “volunteerism.” The large numbers ofteachers who are involved in the huge program are volunteers. They do not get any
payment for teaching human rights in classes. All the other stakeholders, such as
government officials, the advisory committee comprising eminent educationists andbureaucrats in each of these States, state partners and implementing partners,
curriculum experts, and others, contribute to the program and lend their collective
wisdom and credibility to the success of the program.
Because of the constant and continuous advocacy and lobbying with government
officials in most of the States involved, the government officials are increasingly
realizing the need for human rights education in the school curriculum.

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b. Centre for the Study of Human Rights
The Centre for the Study of Human Rights (CSHR), a university-based institution
located in the University of Colombo in Sri Lanka, has been a key player in building
the human rights culture in Sri Lanka for the past fourteen years (since 1994).
The programs of CSHR cater to a number of groups including primary and secondary
school students, university students and pre-service and in-service teachers.
Its Human Rights Education Program for Schools (HRES) targets secondary school
students, and is designed to teach human rights in a non-formal manner, enabling
participants to integrate human rights values into their day-to-day activities. Aiming
towards enhanced understanding of the different dimensions of human rights, theprogram consists of three goals: creating awareness of human rights, forming correct
attitudes, and developing skills related to the school curriculum.
The activities under this program include training trainers, providing facilities,
guidance and supervision, while undertaking continuous assessment of the CSHR
projects. The key target groups are students who have just completed their General
Certificate of Education (GCE) Ordinary Level and GCE Advanced Level
examinations. The school program reaches students in years 7, 8 and 9, where
activity-based human rights education is the teaching method. Teacher training
programs are held for teachers for years 7 to 9. The school programs are field based,
activity-oriented, and directed towards self-training. Teachers who are already trained
for this task expose students to the various dimensions of human rights. They areencouraged and facilitated to connect their understanding of human rights issues withpeople and events in the field. This involves meeting with local residents, relevant
state and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and other relevant authorities, toidentify and analyze human rights issues facing their community. Students therefore
meet not only the protectors of human rights, but the violated and the violators ofhuman rights, thereby being encouraged and trained to assess issues from various
standpoints.
The program includes the selection of school centers with the assistance of, andthrough the Provincial Education Ministry. By 2003, the 10th year of the school
program, seventy-four school centers were active in nine provinces. Four of these arein the North and the East. The CSHR attended and assisted their activities whileclosely monitoring progress. During the latter part of the year the schools targeted
mainly the issue of student violence in schools, while the CSHR assisted with therequired resources. The school centers established during 2003 are in the following
schools:• Lakdas Maha Vidyalaya, Kurunegela• Anamaduwa Madya Maha Vidyalaya, Anamaduwa• C W W Kannangara National School, Mathugama• Vipulananda Tamil Maha Vidyalaya, Trincomalee

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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Gnanodaya Maha Vidyalaya, Kalutara
Buddhist Ladies' High School, Mt. Lavinia
Bandaranayake Maha Vidyalaya, Kantale
St. Xavier's Girls' College, Mannar
Andawela Maha Vidyalaya, Madawela, Ulpota
Tamil Maha Vidyalaya, Vavuniya
Shivananda National School, Batticaloa
St. Mary's Maha Vidyalaya, Bogawantalawa

The program includes the Manavayo Api ("We are Human Beings") Movement in theschools. The members of the movement take initiatives to protect the rights of othersin the school and set an example to the other students. They lead school activities andhelp to settle disputes arising at school.
CSHR has a program for training in-service teachers. Having successfully lobbied theMinistry of Education to integrate human rights concepts into the school curriculum(particularly for GCE Advanced Level students), a teacher-training program for
Advanced Level teachers to support human rights teaching had to take place. CSHR
holds training for in-service teachers in collaboration with the National Institute of
Education (NIE) and the Provincial Departments of Education. CSHR was able tohold workshops in Jaffna, Trincomalee and Batticaloa, a great opportunity to promote
human rights education in post-conflict zones. There is also a training program forpre-service teachers. This training program has a special focus on the school child andthe school environment.
c. Regional Center for Human Rights Education39
A regional office of the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines (CHRP)
initiated a project that mobilized local resources to support human rights education in
the local area. The project created a network of higher education institutions (colleges
and universities) in Region 1 of the Philippines. This region is composed of Ilocos
Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, and Pangasinan provinces. The network is led by the
Regional Center for Human Rights Education (RCHRE), which is based in theregional office of the CHRP.
RCHRE is a regional hub for human rights education research, training andinformation dissemination, with an extension service component within Region 1 in
the Philippines. It is composed (as of 2005) of four provincial centers, eight city
centers, and one satellite center that are all based in local universities and colleges.40
The centers are called the Centers for Human Rights Education (CHREs).
RCHRE leads the CHREs in41
undertaking human rights research, training and information dissemination, and extension.
Under the research component, RCHRE conducts, on its own or in partnership with its

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centers, studies and surveys on human rights, monitors and documents human rights
violations, and produces human rights materials. Under the training and information
dissemination component, RCHRE supports the integration of human rights education
into the school curricula, organizes symposiums and forums (e.g., rights-based approachforums), holds training activities (e.g., trainers’ training, paralegal training), hosts radio
programs, and conducts theater and arts activities. Under the extension service component,
RCHRE encourages its centers to adopt a BHRAC [Barangay/Community Human Rights
Action Center] and assists it in developing its activities, adopts any vulnerable sector tohelp address its human rights concerns, supports the development of human-rightsfriendly local government, and organizes “human rights caravans”.

These CHREs mainly
1. Allow members of their teaching staff to act as trainers, researchers andtake on other roles to implement RCHRE activities, and provide them withincentives (e.g., service credits, points for rank promotion, etc.) for
performing these tasks.
2. Review curricula in order to provide courses on human rights.
3. Adopt model policies supporting their students’ right to education incompliance with international human rights instruments.
4. Review extension service programs in order to align them with theobjectives of RCHRE, and involve members of the teaching staff andstudents in implementing the renewed programs in their respective
communities.
5. Provide in-campus facilities for the implementation of RCHRE activities, aswell as staff who can coordinate these activities.42
RCHRE is designed to work with various groups and institutions including victims ofhuman rights violations, the local police and military units, BHRACs, vulnerable
sectors, local government, religious institutions and groups, NGOs, sector
organizations, schools and colleges, national government agencies and businessorganizations.
Each CHRE has undertaken a number of human rights education and research
activities in its respective campus and in the communities in its respective area.
Significance of these experiences
The IHRE experience is an important reminder of the need to work with local
government authorities in reaching the schools for human rights education. In many
countries, local offices of the Ministry of Education and the local government havesome authority and resources that can support human rights education within theirrespective geographical areas.
The development and implementation of the IHRE program show the need to“localize” whatever educational materials have been produced for general use, and theneed to suit the manner of program implementation to the local systems involved.

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BEST PRACTICESThis approach supports the idea that local institutions (government offices,
universities and colleges, non-governmental organizations, and also individuals suchas teachers, human rights experts, and local leaders) should be harnessed for local
programming. In the era of devolution of power by the government, there should be
likewise devolution of initiatives for human rights education.
The CSHR experience likewise shows significant support from national and local
offices of the Ministry of Education. This governmental support helps CSHR accessschools and their teachers. Just like IHRE, the activities of CSHR involve government
offices at the local level (including police stations). By involving the education andother government offices in the activities, CSHR ensures that human rights education
affects not only the students and their teachers but also government officials.
The RCHRE experience shows the availability of institutions in the provinces andcities outside the national capital that should play important roles in human rights ingeneral and human rights education in particular. These universities and colleges canjoin hands with local government, local offices of national government agencies, andthe civil society institutions in addressing human rights issues in their respective areas.
As a result, human rights work receives the necessary support that is resourced andmanaged locally. This local networking structure is very applicable for the university
human rights study centers43 in Indonesia cited in the Indonesian national report.

VI. National processes
In addition to activities that directly involve the students, other processes are also
important as supporting structures for human rights education in the school system.
These processes include the development of teaching and learning materials, thetraining of teachers, the analysis of textbooks and other materials, and othersupporting activities.
a. Human Rights Teaching Exemplars
The development of any activity supporting human rights education in the school
system is best undertaken through cooperative work among the different stakeholders
in the country. This inclusive process helps create a sense of ownership among thepeople involved.
A good example for developing model human rights lesson plans was the project
undertaken in the Philippines. The Philippine Department of Education in partnershipwith the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines launched a project in 1997
to develop teaching exemplars for the different subjects in the primary and secondary
school curricula. The two institutions undertook the following activities:44
1. Consultative-Workshop on the Identification of Human Rights Concepts andMessages and Entry Points in the Learning Competencies. The learningcompetencies are the knowledge, skills, and values/attitudes for each subject

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area that elementary and secondary pupils are expected to acquire at each
grade/year level.
2. Writing-Workshop in the Development of HRE Teaching Exemplars withcurriculum writers, human rights experts, and trainers having participated as
writers. 125 teaching exemplars were developed for different subject areas.
3. Orientation for Field-Testing of HRE Teaching Exemplars - The orientation
comprised three parts: advocacy, providing guidelines and instructions for thefield-testing and teaching demonstration using the teaching exemplars. Getting
initial suggestions for improvement of the lessons from the teachers was also
included.
4. Actual Field-Testing in Public and Private Schools - The field-testing provided
information on the appropriateness and usability of the exemplars, awarenesslevel of teachers about teaching of human rights, and awareness level of pupils
regarding human rights.
5. Final Revision and Critiquing of the HRE Teaching Exemplars - Feedback andsuggestions from the field-testing were incorporated in the lesson exemplars.
Critiquing and evaluation of the exemplars were also conducted as a final
check and revision.
6. Production [publication of the teaching exemplars].
7. Launching and Distribution to Public and Private Schools - the launchingactivity also served as training for teachers on the use of the teaching
exemplars.
8. Monitoring and evaluation on the teaching of human rights in schools.
The first sets of teaching exemplars produced in 1997 were distributed to public andprivate schools nationwide in 1998 and 1999.

In 2000, the Philippine Department of Education and the Philippine Commission on
Human Rights started another round of developing lesson plans that suit the newschool curriculum. The process of developing the lesson plans followed the same

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process of having writing workshops to produce draft lesson plans, field testing of thelesson plans in both public and private schools, and the final review prior to
publication. Field-testing of the draft lesson plans was held in the latter part of 2002
and 2003. These activities involved teachers, school officials, and representatives ofgovernment agencies and non-governmental organizations. The whole process took
three years. The new teaching exemplars were printed in 2003.
The teaching exemplars were introduced to the teachers through the “training of HRE
trainers,” and “in-service training of teachers” in the thirteen regions and three special
regions of the Philippines in 2004. Staff of the Philippine Department of Educationand the Philippine Commission on Human Rights jointly monitored the results of the
training activities. 45
b. Child Friendly Schooling - Teachers Training Manual
The Ministry of Education (MOE) of Nepal developed a training manual to promote
the child-friendly school system. As explained in the manual:46
The main objective of this manual is to create the school as a center of attention forchildren through the improvement of teaching and learning in the classroom. This
program also seemed highly relevant to retain children at school, which improved during
the enrolment campaign in 2005.

The MOE created a team that worked on the manual with members composed ofrepresentatives of various sectors - government, teachers union, academia(Kathmandu University), and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). This teamheld a workshop to identify the content, lesson design, etc. of the manual. Individual
writers were given assignments for the different sections of the manual. As explainedin the manual:… this manual has been developed with the tripartite partnership of the Department of
Education (DOE), MOE, Nepal Teacher’s Union, and the Save the Children Allianceworking in Nepal. The initial objective of this manual is to prepare the roster of trainers
on Child Friendly Schooling and train the teachers in the concept of Child Friendly
Schooling, its processes, methodologies and …. teachers [as] facilitators. It ensuresachieving the universal goal of Education for All by improving classroom activities andthe school environment with meaningful involvement of guardians for quality education.
The materials used in this manual have been tested. During the [Training of Trainers]
TOT, the suggestions and feedback collected from teachers, resource persons, district
education officers, development partners, and facilitators have been incorporated into themanual.

The first draft of the manual was reviewed by the MOE and the DOE. After which, aworkshop was held to train the trainers. The workshop was attended by teachers,
supervisors, writers (trainers), NGO workers, and resource persons. The workshop
participants provided feedback on the manual, which became the basis for therevision/finalization of the material. The manual focuses on six components; theinclusive classroom with full enrolment of the children living in the community,

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child-centered teaching and learning, healthy and safe classrooms, gender inclusive,community involvement, and child-friendly school administration and management.
The manual, entitled the Child Friendly Schooling Teachers’ Training Manual, was printed in 2005
for the Nepali version with about 10,000 copies.47
It contains the whole program for teacher training,
divided into daily topics as follows:
1. Day One
General Aspect of Training
Child Friendly School, Concepts
Child Friendly School and Child Rights
2. Day Two
Child Friendly School and Management
Child Friendly School and Classroom Management
Child Friendly School and Group Work
3. Day ThreeChild Friendly School and Child Centred Teaching Learning (Child Centeredcommunication)
Child Friendly School and Child Centred Teaching Learning (Relevancy of Subject
Matter)Child Friendly School and Child Centred Teaching Learning (Child Centered Learning
Process)
Child Friendly School and Child Centred Teaching Learning - Methodology 1
Child Friendly School and Child Centred Teaching Learning - Methodology 2
4. Day FourChild Friendly School and Child Centred Teaching Learning - Methodology 3Child Friendly School and Child Development
Child Friendly School and Child Centred Teaching Learning.
Child Friendly School and Assessment
5. Day Five
Child Friendly School and Community Partnership (Identification of Stakeholders
and Partnership)Child Friendly School and Community Partnership (Level, Scope and Type ofPartnership)Child Friendly School and Community Partnership (Role of Teachers in
Community Mobilization)
The manual was distributed to district-level service providers, central-level trainers,
educationists, and some of the teachers in schools where the program was
implemented.
Five regional training workshops, attended by one hundred fifty master trainers, were
held to introduce the manual. More than ten one-day programs were held for teachers,
supervisors, and NGO workers at district level.

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BEST PRACTICESThe introduction of the manual has shown impressive results. Children began toattend the school regularly, their views were recognized, and they were
empowered and did not hesitate to speak or present their problems. The schools
involved gave very positive feedback on the use of the manual. Even journalist groups
advocate the project. In general, the project made a very positive impact in school
education.
Significance of the experience
The experience of developing teaching materials for human rights education in publicschools in the Philippines is important as an example of a collaborative effort between
the main government agency in charge of the formal education system (Department of
Education) and the constitutional-body on human rights (Philippine Commission on
Human Rights). Their program on developing the teaching materials included theparticipation of educators from academia and non-governmental organization sectors.
It likewise covers the system for disseminating the teaching materials (through teacher
training in various parts of the country) and the monitoring of the results of training
activities. In sum, the experience provides an almost complete process for teachingmaterial development.
A similar pattern is seen in the Nepali experience. The project relied on thepartnership between different institutions (in the Nepali case, between government,
academia, and non-governmental institutions). The project covered not only thedevelopment of material but also its dissemination, that necessarily included teacher
training and monitoring of results of its (the material) use inside the classroom.

VII. Supporting initiatives
Human rights education in schools requires support beyond the confines of theschools. It has to get the teachers and the students to undertake out-of-school activities
that help enrich the teaching and learning inside the classroom. Thus the activities ofteachers and students should be harnessed in support of human rights education.
These activities can help improve the condition of teachers and students in the school
and goad the government to do more on the human rights and human rights education
situation in general.
a. Teacher activity
The support of teachers is a crucial element in developing and creating effective
human rights education in the school system. The experience in Asia shows thatteachers’ active role in supporting human rights education leads to diverse activities
that benefit teachers in particular and human rights education in general.

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BEST PRACTICESThe experience of Japanese teachers involved in the Dowa education is a good
example. The National Federation of Dowa Educators' Associations (locally known as
Zendokyo) was founded in 1953 in Osaka city. The organization was originallycomposed of educators from nine prefectures and two cities in the Kansai region.48
Thereafter, Zendokyo “led to a broad, mass-based education reform movement,
focusing on how schools could help children, parents, and the Buraku community,
fight discrimination.” At present, it has chapters in thirty-one prefectures and threecities.
Zendokyo has been holding an annual assembly for more than twenty years and has
attracted 20,000 to 30,000 teachers and other education personnel during the past
decade. It is one of the largest assemblies of teachers in Japan, with thirty-four
affiliates. It plays an important role in developing and spreading human rights
education, including Dowa education. It holds regular, intensive discussions about its
own policies and of Dowa education in order to respond to and influence educational
policy.49
It criticized the government on certain education policies that it saw as adversely
affecting students. In the 1950s and 1960s, it expressed its strong opposition to thechanges in the education organizational structure and curriculum that it declared“Dowa education is the means to realize the educational dreams for oppressed
students and parents. This movement must protect the human rights of the people.”50
Significance of the movement
Through the years Zendokyo has contributed to thea. Improvement of school facilities
b. Development of teaching materials for Dowa educationc. Promotion of the concept of “learning from realities of discrimination” as a
key element for making teachers effective facilitators in learning about humanrightsd. Training of teacherse. Research on content and pedagogy of Dowa/human rights education
f. Changes in education policies.
These contributions are by no means insignificant and have formed part of thedevelopment of Dowa education in particular and human rights education in general.

b. Youth movement
Right-On Network
In 1995 a group of individuals, alarmed by the potential impact of the prevailingsituation in Karachi on children, started looking at practical ways to deal with thisissue.51 They felt that the long term aim of creating a civil, humane, and peaceful

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society could be met if children were given a socially relevant education that creates
opportunities to understand, appreciate, and internalize the whole spectrum of humanrights issues. By positively altering children’s attitudes, values, and perceptions withregard to human rights and motivating them to take a greater interest in theircommunities and interact with them, it was felt that a foundation could be laid for astronger society in future. Hence the Human Rights Education Programme (HREP), a
non-profit, non-governmental organization, was established in Karachi, Pakistan. To
achieve its aim, shorter and longer-term strategies were developed which were, andare, manifest in both academic and activity-based projects. HREP continued tooperate for more than twelve years working with children and teachers in over four
hundred and fifty schools and thirty-five organizations all over Pakistan.
Feedback from students reinforced the point that in addition to the academic strandsof the work, opportunities would have to be given to students to get involved, inwhatever capacity possible, with practical work. Awareness-raising activities
undertaken by students became a focus as HREP adopted the role of facilitator,
encouraging participation in diverse events ranging from exhibitions to workshops
and multi-media shows, to clubs, newsletters, and e-mail exchanges. In light of thisexperience, HREP established in 1997 the Right-On Network of school-based clubs
and individual students. It was clear from experience that there was a tremendous
potential for social activism among children, which had never been tappedsystematically in Pakistan. In order to harness the interest and enthusiasm of students,
structures that involve them in social activism on an ongoing basis should be created.
The Right-On Network aims to52
• Use innovative techniques, to involve children and young people actively inhuman rights work, thereby creating a tradition and culture of activity aroundsocial issues.
• Provide a platform and space for a structured and ongoing involvement ofchildren and young people in awareness raising, campaigning, fund raising,and activities.
• Provide the opportunity and practice for children and young people to takepart in democratic decision-making and to organize themselves to take action
on social issues.
Students become members of the network by paying a subsidized fee of two hundred
Pakistani rupees (about two and a half US dollars) a year in Karachi, and threehundred Pakistani rupees (about four US dollars) outside Karachi. In return, they get
issues of the Aware and Aagah newsletters, campaign material and information, amembership badge and card, and six information-filled mailings a year. Membership
lasts for twelve months after which either the member renews the membership or
leaves the network.
Any school where more than twenty-five Right-On members exist can form a RightOn Club so that the activities can be undertaken in a more structured way. So far clubs
have been formed in twenty-three schools.53 Individual members and Right-On club

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members are free to participate in the thematic campaigns run by HREP, or to
generate their own activities around social issues. At present Right-On has more thanseven hundred members.
A report from one school provides a concrete example of how the Right-On network
operates.54
The Arts & Science Academy has an active Right-On club with more than thirty
members. It works with HREP to carry out a number of awareness-raising activities
for key issues concerning society. Not only does it raise awareness but it also
practically applies all the strategies it designs to eradicate and eliminate the problems
at hand. The club has undertaken a number of activities such as the following;1) De-Mining Campaign - The club, in affiliation with the British School Link
program, carried out a de-mining campaign. The members of the club gave
presentations at the school assembly and held a poster competition to raiseawareness about the danger of landmines and the casualties caused by them.
The Right On Club took notice of this issue and started to work on spreading
the word.
2) The Right-On members also sold Eid cards that were sent by HREP to raise
funds for the children at the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation(SIUT). The children there are renal failure patients who need dialysis once,
twice or even three times a week. Each dialysis treatment costs about 1000
Pakistan rupees and the SIUT gives free treatment (although it is low onfunds). The HREP took the initiative to raise funds for these children, whohave no means of paying for their treatment.
3) Selected students in the Right-On club attended the ground-breaking
celebrations at the Children’s Museum of Peace and Human Rights (CMPHR).
The chief guests were Prince Hassan Bin Tallaal of Jordan and his family. The
CMPHR is a platform for different seminars that raise awareness about themain issues related to human rights. The museum will be the first of its kind inAsia.
4) The Right-On Annual Conference - the Right-On Annual Conference isattended by representatives of all Right-On Clubs who give presentations onwhat they have achieved during the year. The participants discuss different
topics and elect the members of the National Student Council (NSC). In 2008,
a member of the Arts & Science Academy Right-On Club was among the six
members who were elected as NSC members.
The Right-On Club keeps conducting different seminars and workshops for Right-On
members.
SUgbuanong Pundok Aron Sugpuon ang Child Abuse (SUPACA)55
In an ideal world, children grow up healthy and happy, full of love, free of abuse, andfree to express themselves and be productive members of society. As we all know,
however, the world is not perfect, and children everywhere are exposed to

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maltreatment, abuse, and crime. This is true even in the progressive city of Cebu
[Philippines], which has its own share of challenges, in spite of being rich in culture,steeped in tradition, and immersed in industry.
“Before our organization was born, young people in our community were hooked on
rugby [glue used in shoemaking]. Most of the people there… liked to quarrel; kids
were not aware of their rights and feared nothing. Their parents did not care about
them—not even about these children’s education,” Diana Aspiras of SUgbuanong
Pundok Aron Sugpuon ang Child Abuse (SUPACA) says in Filipino “Even in our
school, there are teachers who abuse the kids and hit them if they cannot answer
questions properly, and especially if they’re caught not listening to the teacher.”“The clincher came when one of our friends… was abused by her father and became
pregnant at the same time as her mother,” Diana reveals. “Then we decided toorganize ourselves.” SOPACA (Students’ Organization for Protection Against Child
Abuse), SUPACA’s forerunner organization, was born. Its name was later changed
when the organization expanded to include even out-of-school youths (OSY) fromtheir communities.
The organization’s main thrust is to advocate for and protect children’s rights, and toeducate their peers about these. It conducts training sessions on leadership and teambuilding; child rights laws (specifically, the Convention on the Rights of the Child,the Child and Youth Welfare Code, and the law on Special Protection for Children),and the philosophy of participation, as well as room-to-room campaigns, small group
discussions among student leaders, symposiums, and poster- and essay-making
contests.
“We started by advocating to our peers about their rights, and then we eventuallycreated training programs to develop young people… It was difficult at first because
the teachers did not care—they would ask us about our activities, and then ask why
these were still necessary. They would not let us conduct our activities at first, but wepersisted and explained our cause to them, and they eventually understood our
purpose.”From its school-based activities, SUPACA went on to conquer the air waves. Its radio
program, Kids on Air, broadcasts every Saturday over Angel Radio; and its TV
program, Kapihan sa Kabataan, is shown by the Philippine Information Agency over
SkyCable every Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. Four of its members are also part of the Cebu
Bureau of the Kabataan News Network, which is a national program supported by
The Probe Team and the United Nations Children’s Fund.
The organization has been lucky so far with the support that it has received. Diana
admits that they do not have a lot of funding, but they are kept afloat by the generosityof their benefactors. “We have been able to sustain our organization because people
inside and outside our community, even those from beyond Cebu City, want us tosucceed. They see that we really want to educate young people about their rights.”

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BEST PRACTICESThe founding members’ efforts are now being multiplied by eight SUPACA chaptersaround Cebu City, as well as by a community of out-of-school youth in Sitio Alaska,
Mambaling, Cebu. All of these chapters have their respective activities and officers,
who congregate at the annual SUPACA Confederation for the election of officers.
SUPACA’s members are a cut above the rest. Apart from being recognized as a “bestpractice” by Save the Children-UK, for enabling young people to participate ingovernance and nation-building, the organization also counts among its members andalumni:• Three members of the National Anti-Poverty Commission Children’s Sectoral
Council• Two of the Ten Outstanding Cebuano Youth Leaders (for 2002 and 2003)• An Outstanding Boy Scout of the Philippines (for 2003)• A member of the Cebu City Commission for the Welfare and Protection ofChildren (CCCWPC).
The organization is also a member of the Cebu City Task Force on Street Children.
So what more could these youngsters ask for? Not too much, Diana answers, only thatthey want to coordinate with more local government units (LGUs) in order to expand
their activities. Nationwide, perhaps!
To other young people and youth organizations who want to make a dent in the world,
Diana shares these words: “Do not be afraid of whatever challenges your organization
may face. Finish what you have started, be true and sincere to your mission, and strive
to achieve your goals, even if you do not have too much funding.”

Significance of the student movements
Two examples of students taking action on human rights at their own level (at school
and the community) provide good models of the “learning by doing” type of humanrights education. The students have to learn about the human rights they promote
before they go out of the classroom to undertake their activities. But they learn evenmore when they engage in activities. They see how human rights are violated, andalso realized in the real world, outside the comfort of their classroom.
Tackling the causes of why people suffer from human rights violations (be it lack ofaccess to health care or child abuse) is a key element that makes human rights real.
This means that their human rights learning is based on understanding actual casesand on taking concrete action that addresses the problems presented by the cases.
Schools that support these student initiatives are doing much more about human rights
education than any formal curriculum and textbooks could provide.

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VII. Regional initiatives
To complement national processes, regional and sub-regional activities provide
support to human rights education in Asian school systems. These activities provide
opportunities for exchange of experiences and development of ideas on human rights
education among education officials, teachers, and other educators.
Southeast Asia Lesson Plans Project
The regional seminar for South and Southeast Asia entitled: “Combating Racism,
Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance: Role of Education” 56
held in Bangkok, Thailand on 19-21 September 2005 reported on the “good initiatives
drawn from the region” and listed the “Application of good practices, such as theSouth-East Asia Project on Human Rights Education in Schools” as one goodinitiative. This is a project for the development of human rights lesson plans inSoutheast Asia.
The project initially covered six countries and involved a process of collaboration
over a period of almost three years. It started at the 2001 Southeast Asian Writing
Workshop on Human Rights Lesson Plans (SEA Writeshop) 57 held in Manila,
Philippines, 58 which came out with numerous lesson plans developed by theparticipants during the workshop. The implementation of the idea to publish thelesson plans proceeded in the following year. In 2002, a Regional Review Teamcomposed of educators from the six Southeast Asian countries59 reviewed, selected,
and revised the lesson plans in preparation for their publication. Through this process,the lesson plans adopted a format that could be used in Southeast Asian countries,
discussed issues relevant to these countries (and therefore not too country specific),
and stressed their human rights content. As a result, the lesson plans blended thedifferent national situations in Southeast Asia (exemplified by the focus on issues ofaccess to education, child labor, development, and the environment) and were mainly
designed as model human rights lesson plans. This does not preclude the actual use of
the lesson plans in the classroom however, especially in countries where the lessonplans have local language versions.
The lesson plans were prepared at meetings in Bangkok, Thailand (where teammembers discussed and edited the lesson plans) and internet communication (throughwhich further editing of the lesson plans were undertaken) for several months. The
lesson plans were finalized in mid-2003, and published in November of the same year
in Bangkok. The publication was entitled the Human Rights Lesson Plans forSoutheast Asian Schools.
During 2004 until the first quarter of 2005, the publication was translated into the
Bahasa Indonesia, Khmer, and Vietnamese languages. Printed copies of thetranslations were distributed to educational institutes and schools in the three
countries. The UNESCO Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education supported
the translation and printing of the publication into the Bahasa Indonesia, Khmer, and180 Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

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Vietnamese languages. In addition, the whole publication was translated into Chinese,while the lesson plans were translated into Japanese and Farsi. In 2005, thepublication was translated into Bahasa Melayu (Malaysian language) and printed by
the Malaysian Human Rights Commission.

The publication of the lesson plans and their translation into several Southeast Asian
languages led to the Southeast Asia Orientation-and-Training Workshop on Human
Rights Lesson Plans on 5-7 April 2005 in Manila, Philippines. The workshop oriented
Southeast Asian educators from eight countries on the publication Human Rights
Lesson Plans for Southeast Asian Schools, and provided training on the use of theideas in the publication for teacher training. The workshop encouraged theparticipants to use the publication as a teacher training material.
Teacher-trainers, other education officials, and representatives of non-governmentalorganizations who attended the orientation-and-training workshop were from
Cambodia, Timor Leste, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand,
and Vietnam.
Subsequent to the workshop, the participants, resource persons, and their respective
institutions undertook a number of national-level activities related to the publication
and/or workshop;

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a. In Malaysia, SUHAKAM, in collaboration with the Malaysian Ministry of
Education, held sessions on human rights in courses for teachers on new
citizenship and civic education using the Bahasa Melayu version of the
publication as one of the resource materials.60
b. In Cambodia, the publication and the workshop were reported at a national
workshop on human rights held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on 24 November
2005. The MOEYS subsequently launched a project entitled the "Human
Rights Integration in the School Curriculum, Textbook/ Teacher's Guide andSchool Environment”,61 with the publication as one of the materials to be
used. It reprinted the Khmer version of the publication twice and undertook
teacher training using the publication as training material.
c. In Indonesia, the publication is used in teacher training workshops. The
Bahasa Indonesia version of the publication was reprinted twice and used asteacher training material.
d. In Laos, the publication has been used as one of the reference materials indeveloping Laotian human rights lesson plans.
e. In Thailand, some lesson plans have been translated into Thai and used inteacher training workshops. Some Thai teachers use the lesson plans as a
guide for developing their own lesson plans, while others test them in theclassroom. Training workshops for school administrators and teachers wereorganized jointly in different parts of the country by two Thai nongovernmental organizations, (the Justice and Peace Commission of Thailand)
and the National Human Rights Commission.
The Human Rights Lesson Plans for Southeast Asian Schools, English version, isavailable on the web. They can be found in the following websites:
1. UNESCO Asia-Pacific Bureau of Educationwww.unescobkk.org/index.php?id=3125(includes also the Bahasa Indonesia version)
2. Friedrich Naumann Foundation Manila Officewww.fnfasia.org/news/regionalnews/humanrights_lesson_plan.htm
3. University of Minnesota
www1.umn.edu/humanrts/edumat/
www1.umn.edu/humanrts/edumat/SoutheastAsianHRE.pdf
4. Human Rights Education Associates (HREA)
www.hrea.org/erc/Library/display.php?doc_id=2971&category_id=18&category_type=3
5. Amnesty International Australia
www.amnesty.org.au/resources/teachers
6. HURIGHTS OSAKA
www.hurights.or.jp/education_e.html#5
Significance of the project
The project is considered an example of good practice probably due to a number ofreasons:a. Involvement of various institutions – the project involved the Ministries of
Education, national human rights institutions, non-governmental organizations(NGOs), and a university-based human rights center, in addition to the
supporting role of the UNESCO Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for

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Education, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human
Rights, and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, and the facilitating role of
HURIGHTS OSAKA.
b. Employment of a participatory process in project development andimplementation – the project took several years to complete from the initial
workshop to the national activities (which are still ongoing) in view of the stresson the involvement of all the partner institutions in the process.
c. Emphasis on satisfying both the sub-regional context and national issues – theblending of issues common to Southeast Asian countries and the citation ofparticular country examples provided a means to connect the different countries
to each other’s contexts.
d. Different levels of implementation – the project covers both the Southeast
Asian sub-regional and national levels. At the national-level, the publication isboth disseminated to schools and other institutions and used for teacher training.
The capacity building exercises at the national level are important ways of using
the publication.
f. Networking among Southeast Asian educators – the project provides a meansof continuing the networking among education officials, teachers, and othereducators in the sub-region.

VIII. Evaluation
Human rights education in schools needs assessment tools that suit its objectives. The
assessment tools should not limit their focus on academic achievement but extend tobehavior and practices that relate to human rights. Thus the tools should be tailored tothe particular characteristics of human rights education programs in schools, with theaim of making them facilitate learning of human rights knowledge, attitudes, andskills. In view of the current trend for promoting human rights education that affects
the school system, assessment or evaluation of human rights education goes beyond
the classroom, and extends into the school and beyond.
a. Evaluating Human Rights Learning
The National Institute of Education in Sri Lanka developed in 1995 a manual forassessing students’ learning related to human rights themes at classroom level. The
manual is entitled Evaluating Human Rights Learning -Teachers Manual. The projectcame about a decade after the government adopted a human rights education program.
The government-supported Sri Lanka Foundation published human rights educationmaterial (through the Foundation’s Human Rights Center) for the program. The
manual explains the rationale for this material;
Experiences within the last decade with regard to assessment of students’ achievementlevel of Human Rights learning are noteworthy. The responses of the students, at theGeneral Certificate of Education (Ordinary Level) Examination, on questions related to
Human Rights themes were quite satisfactory. Though the analysis of results reveals thatthe students’ knowledge of Human Rights is satisfactory, the questions were limited tomeasure cognitive abilities, paying more attention to recall. This examination pattern has

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influenced the teaching-learning process in the classroom thus having a back-wash effect.
Both teachers and students design their activities to suit the needs of acquiring cognitive
ability and learning about Human Rights. Less attention is paid on learning for and about
Human Rights. This trend has to be reconsidered.

The manual promotes the idea of the need toevaluate human rights learning to help teachers“identify how much of the … objectives [setby the government issued human rights
education material] has been achieved by
students, in areas of rights and obligations; andhow much more has still to be acquired.”
The manual encourages teachers to use it in theclass and yet what is expected is that theyshould design of their own tools (based on the
manual) to suit classroom needs. As the
manual explains;
Teachers are also free to design tools in any other feasible format. All these attempts haveto be geared toward child centered activities leading to meaningful discovery learning.
Only then will teachers and students engage in enjoyable teaching/learning events. Thus,
this manual will guide and motivate teachers to design teaching, learning, and evaluation
events that will allow students to engage in teaching for and in Human Rights.

The manual is the teacher’s tool containing the following major sections;• When and how human rights learning should be assessed?
• Steps in preparing evaluation instruments• Information on evaluation instruments• Steps in using evaluation instruments inside the classroom.
The manual provides various types of instruments developed for particular themes
according to the human rights curriculum issued by the government, and example ofevaluation tools. The instruments are written in lesson plan format.
The text of the manual is written in simple, user-friendly language. This manual is agood example of how teachers can design the assessment of their students based on
the required curriculum. This manual is likely a pioneering evaluation guide forhuman rights education in the school system in Asia.
b. Comparative study of results of human rights education62
HURIGHTS OSAKA, in partnership with several educators in Japan, India, and thePhilippines, undertook a survey on human rights awareness of secondary school
students with an average age of fifteen years in the three countries involved. Eachcountry survey covered not les than two thousand student respondents.

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Table 2. Profile of Field Survey Areas and Respondents
Country
India

Philippines

Japan

Area

Number of Schools- East – West Bengal andOrissa- West – Rajasthan- South – Tamil Nadu andKerala- North – Uttar Pradesh
and Punjab- Union territory – Delhi- National Capital Region– Manila, Quezon City- Region IV (Southern
Tagalog) – Laguna
Province, San Pablo City- Region VII (Eastern
Visayas) – Cebu
Province, Cebu City
- Autonomous Region ofMuslim Mindanao –Maguindanao Province,
Cotabato City
Osaka prefecture

29 schools consistingof:- Central Board
schools- State Board schools- Schools affiliated tothe board of auniversity
26 schools consistingof:- 16 public schools- 10 private schools

15 private schools
consisting of:- 5 girls schools- 4 boys schools- 6 co-ed schools

Number and Genderof Respondents
2039 students- 979 females- 1060 males

2001 students- 1160 females- 805 males- 36 - gender notindicated

2635 students- 858 females- 1752 males- 25 - gender notindicated

The survey questionnaire consisted of sixty-nine items under several headings aspresented in the following Table 3.
Table 3. Question Categories
General Sources of Knowledge about Human Rights
Knowledge about Human Rights Instruments
General Human Rights Principles and Issues
Human Rights Situations (Correct Action to Take)
Human Rights Situations (Classification into Human Rights
Violation and Non-Violation)
Process of Teaching-Learning, Materials and School Ethos
Total

3 items
6 items
21 items
10 items
9 items
20 items
69 items

The survey questionnaire was adapted to the particular context of the country
involved, and translated into local languages (except in the Philippines). Focus group
discussions for some of the respondents in the survey and some of their teachers were
held immediately after administering the survey questionnaire to obtain more insighton the human rights education experiences in the schools.

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The variables used in the field survey differ from country to country. The following
table provides the list of variables per country:
Table 4. Variables for each Country
Country

India

Philippines

Japan

Variables- Gender- State- Language- Habitat (city, large town, small town/rural)- School Board (State, Central, Aligarh Muslim University
school boards)- Gender- Region- Ethnicity (Christian, Muslim)- Geographic location (Urban, partially urban)- Type of school (private, public)- Gender- Type of school (girls, boys, co-ed private schools)

The survey questionnaire covers knowledge as much as the attitude about humanrights. While the student respondents showed knowledge of human rights, they had toprove that they understood human rights properly by giving their responses tosituations (based on real cases) that raise human rights issues. As the survey results
show, the supposed knowledge of human rights does not necessarily translate into theproper application of human rights principles in particular situations.

There is also a significant number of questions on the teaching and learning of humanrights. They were asked how they understood human rights education in the form ofsubjects, issues, time devoted and activities undertaken inside the classroom, in theschool and to some extent in the community. They were asked about the school

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environment – from rules and regulations to attitude of school officials and students
regarding human rights.
The survey questionnaire provides a useful tool for measuring the extent students arebeing taught human rights, or the process by which they learn about human rights.

Significance of the projects
The two projects cover the national and regional levels in assessing how far humanrights education has affected the knowledge, attitude, and behavior of students. The
Sri Lankan project is important, not only as a pioneer in human rights evaluation, but
as an example of an assessment guide for classroom teachers who are looking for
ideas on how their human rights teaching has led to human rights learning.
The regional project of HURIGHTS OSAKA employs a comprehensive approach toevaluating human rights education by covering not only the students’ human rights
knowledge but their attitude (and to a certain extent their behavior) as well. The
inclusion of the evaluation of the way human rights education is implemented at theschool level provides a good assessment of whether or not schools follow government
policies on human rights education, and whether or not they perform this obligation ina responsible way.
Concluding Observations
The best practices presented here reflect the following common characteristics:
a. Social context – they take into account the existence of poor, discriminated,and marginalized members of society. The examples illustrate the response by
the school system to the issues of poverty, discrimination and marginalization insociety.
b. Current issues – they show that teaching/learning on how to counter
discrimination, intolerance, and extremism is a common theme in many
programs on human rights education in the Asian school system.
c. Integration of human rights education into the school system – they provide
examples of approaches to integrating human rights education into the school
curriculum, school-based extra-curricular programs, and community-based
programs.
d. Stress on the international human rights standards – most of the practices areexamples of the use of international human rights standards in various activities
related to the school system.
The experiences, while the best that we can observe, are not without fault. There are
deficiencies to think about caused by different factors such as deficient resources(materials for teaching/learning, training), restrictions in the school curriculum andHuman Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia 187

BEST PRACTICES
education system in general, and the complexity of the situations that students andteachers face.
For example, while the methodologies such as tsuzurikata and the group process used
in Dowa education are deemed effective, they are not always adequate. Japanese
educators expressed the need for other methodologies in order to improve further the
Dowa education:
Some doubt, however, the adequacy of this approach. Some schools have tried to translate
what the students learned from Burakumin into drama script and motivated them toexpress their thinking and feelings through drama performance. Participatory andvicarious approaches, used internationally in human rights education activities, have been
widely utilized in the belief that passive learning alone does not bring about a meaningfulchange on the part of students. As a result, role-playing, debates, simulation, and othermethods attract much attention these days because they encourage “learning to change”
by doing.63

This critique shows the importance of employing various pedagogies to address theindividual and group needs of students. In the same way, different approaches tohuman rights education (in terms of teaching/learning materials, pedagogies, etc.) areneeded to suit the variety of classroom, school and community settings.
These best practices provide a new benchmark from which improvements,
innovations, and discoveries in human rights education in the school system can beundertaken.

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Endnotes
1
The discussion in this section is based on Neelam Hussein, “Seeds of Change: School Texts for
Teaching Gender Equality, Human Rights and Peace” in Human Rights Education in Asian Schools 8,29-38.
2
Kaleidoscope Teachers Guide Books 1-2 (Lahore: Simorgh Women’s Resource and Publication
Centre, 1999) page 4.
3
Hussein, op cit., page 35.
4
Hussein, op cit., page 29.
5
Fair and Square is authored by Caroline Yap and U-En Ng, and published in 2004.
6
Sr. M. Cyril, “Human Rights Education in School: Loreto Sealdah” in Human Rights Educationin Asian Schools 8, 47-59.
7Ibid., pages 54-59.
8This booklet series is published by Orient Longman Private Limited, Chennai, India.
9
Jeroo Billimoria, Kamal Damania, and Sumitra Ashtikar, “MelJol: An Indian Experiment” in Human
Rights Education in Asian Schools 4, 16.
10
The discussion in this section is partly based on Jefferson R. Plantilla, “Notes on Methodologies in
Schools,” in Asian Regional Resource Center for Human Rights Education, Report on the Asian
Human Rights Education Trainers’ Colloquium (Bangkok: ARRC, 2001) pages 123-135.
11
Makiko Shimpo, “Fifty Years of Human Rights Education in Osaka” in Human Rights Education in
Asian Schools 7, 37-41.
12Dowa education is an umbrella term covering all aspects of educational activities by the governmentand by the Buraku movement, for solving problems caused by anti-Buraku discrimination. For
government institutions, it means improving educational opportunities through better facilities, moreteachers, scholarships, etc., while for the Buraku movement, it defines a set of educational strategies for
attaining parity in education[al] achievement, community involvement and materials to inform about
Buraku issues. Notes, in Suehiro Kitaguchi An Introduction to the Buraku Issue - Questions andAnswers, translated by Alastair McLauchlan (Surrey: Japan Library, 1999).
13
Shimpo, op cit., page 37.
14Mori Minoru and Yasumasa Hirasawa, "DOWA Education and Human Rights" in Human Rights
Education in Asian Schools 1, 10-23.
15This type of discrimination is called Dowa problem by the government. "The Dowa problem refers
to discrimination based on a social hierarchy that was formed in the process of the historicaldevelopment of Japanese society. As a result, certain sectors of the Japanese population findthemselves at a disadvantage in economic, social, and cultural terms. This is a serious social problem
and a human rights problem unique to Japan, one in which basic human rights continue to be violated
in contemporary society." The Center for Human Rights, http://www.jinken.or.jp/eng01.htm
16
Osaka Prefectural Kunijima High School, "Human Rights Education in Kunijima High School" in
Human Rights Education in Asian Schools 1, 24-35.
17
Edited text from Yasumasa Hirasawa and Yoshiro Nabeshima, editors, Dowa Education:
Educational Challenge Toward a Discrimination-free Japan (Osaka: Buraku Kaiho Kenkyusho, 1995),
page 44.
18
Ibid., pages 44-45.
19
Ibid., page 48.
20
MelJol Team, "MelJol: Hum Bacchon Ka" in Human Rights Education in Asian Schools 1, 82-90.
21
The discussion in this section is based on Govinda Pyakurel, “Human Rights Education in Secondary
Schools in Nepal” in Human Rights Education in Asian Schools 8, 39-46.
22
The centers may be supervised by an advisory committee composed of representatives of local
education office of the government and local associations of teachers. See Pyakurel, page 40.
23
Angela Lee and Mary Yuen, “Promoting Human Rights Education in Hong Kong Secondary
Schools” in Human Rights Education in Asian Schools 2, 84-95.
24
Jessica Soto, “A Philippine Response to the United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education” in
Human Rights Education in Asian Schools 4, 25-35.
25
Fifth Youth Summit on Human Rights, DepEd Memorandum 303, s.2003 (dated 21 August 2003).

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26

Lee and Yuen, op.cit., page 93.
The discussion in this section is based on Yan-wing Leung, “Citizenship Education Through Service
Learning: from Charity to Social Justice,” Education Journal 31/1.
28
See F. Landa Jocano, Growing Up in a Philippine Barrio, Case Studies in Education and Culture
Series (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1969).
29
Ibid., page 2.
30
Taken from Sirilus Belen, “Human Rights Education in Indonesian Schools: An Update” in Human
Rights Education in Asian Schools 6, 27-37.
31
Edited by A.A. Nayyar and Ahmad Salim.
32
SDPI, page 6.
33
The following publications, listed in the report, deal with textbook analysis in Pakistan during thelast decade:Ali, Mubarak, History on Trial (Lahore: Fiction House, 1999)__________ Tareekh aur Roshni (Lahore: Nigarshat, 1986)__________ Tareekh Aur Nisabi Kutub (Lahore: Fiction House, 2003)__________ In the Shadow of History (Lahore: Nigarshat, )Aziz, K. K., Historians of Pakistan (Lahore: Vanguard Books, 1993)__________ Murder of History in Pakistan (Lahore: Vanguard Books, 1993)
Future Youth Group, Ideas on Democracy, Freedom and Peace in Textbooks (Islamabad: Future
Youth Group, 2002)
Kamal, Ajmal, Censorship in Pakistani Urdu Textbooks, paper presented at the Annual Sustainable
Development
Conference(Islamabad:2003).
Also
availableat
http://www.urdustudies.com/pdf/10/16censorship.pdf
Khan, Mohammad Asghar, editor, Re-writing the History of Pakistan, in Islam, Politics and the State:
The Pakistan Experience (London: Zed Books, 1985).
Kizilbash, Hamid, editor, Pakistan Curriculum Jungle, An analysis emerging out of the SAHE
consultation on the undergraduate core curriculum in Pakistan, (Lahore: SAHE, 1986).
Rahman, Tariq, Language, Ideology and Power: Language Learning among the Muslims of Pakistan
and North India (Karachi: Oxford University Press, 2002)
Rosser, Yvette “Hegemony and Historiography: The Politics of Pedagogy,” The Asian Review (Dhaka,
1997)
Saigol, Rubina Education: Critical Perspectives (Progressive, 1993)___________ The Boundaries of Consciousness: Interface between the Curriculum, Gender andNationalism; Knowledge and Identity – Articulation of Gender in Educational Discourse in
Pakistan (Lahore: ASR, 1995)___________ Qaumiat, Taleem aur Shanakht (Lahore: Fiction House, 1997)___________ “Symbolic Violence” in Locating the Self (Lahore: ASR, 1994)___________”History, Social Studies and Civics and the Creation of Enemies” in Akbar Hasanain,
Khurshid and Nayyar, A. H. “Conflict and Violence in the Educational Process”in Zia Mian andIftikhar Ahmad, editors, Making Enemies, Creating Conflict: Pakistan's Crises of State andSociety (Lahore: Mashal, 1997)
Salim, Ahmad and Khan, Zafrullah, Enemy Images in the School Textbook, 1947-2000, draft report(Islamabad: SDPI's, 2003)
Salim, Ahmad, “Enemy Images in the Textbooks” in Kashmir: What Next? (Islamabad: Friedrich
Nauman-Stiftung, 2001)
Shah, Nasreen “School Texts” in Reinventing Women – the Representation of Women in the Media
during the Zia Years, Ed. Malik, Maha and Hussain Neelam (Lahore: Simorgh Publications,1985)____________ Gender bias in Urdu Textbooks in Punjab, Class I – V (Lahore: Aurat Publications,
1989.
The Frontier Post, December 13, 1991, Lahore.
The State of Education, Social Development in Pakistan, Annual Review 2002-2003, (Karachi: SPDC,
2002)
27

190 Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

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Zaidi, Social Sciences in the 1990s (2003)___________, various issues of the journal Tareekh (Lahore: ---)
Zulfiqar, Shaheed, Pakistan Studies – Facts and Fiction (Karachi: Ali Bhutto Institute of Science andTechnology, 2002)
34
SDPI, page 9.
35
Centre for English Language Education and Communication Research, Final Report – Research onContent Analysis of Textbooks and Teaching Materials in Respect of Stereotypes (Hong Kong: City
University of Hong Kong, 2001) page 1.
36
SDPI, op cit., page 2.
37
A simpler summary of the report is in Equal Opportunities Commission of Hong Kong, “Stereotypes
in Textbooks and Teaching Materials in Hong Kong” in Human Rights Education in Asian Schools 6,103-117.
38
The discussion in the section is taken from V. Vasanthi Devi, “Institute of Human Rights Education– an Indian Experience” in Human Rights Education in Asian Schools 10, 41-52 and in other IHRE
documents.
39
The discussion in this section is taken from Anita M. Chauhan, “Center for Human Rights Education:
Philippines” in Human Rights Education in Asian Schools 10, 107-125.
40
The following are the universities and colleges involved:
I. Provincial Centers
1. Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU)- Ilocos Norte
2. Pangasinan State University- Pangasinan
3. University of Northern Philippines (UNP)- Ilocos Sur
4. Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMMSU)- La Union
II. City Centers
1. University of Northern Philippines (UNP)- Vigan City
2. Northwestern University- Laoag City
3. Ilocos Sur Polytechnic College- Candon City
4. St. Louis College- San Fernando City
5. Great Pleibian College- Alaminos City
6. Pangasinan College of Science and Technology- Urdaneta City
7. Virgen Milagrosa University Foundation- San Carlos City
8. Lyceum Northwestern University- Dagupan City
41
Ibid., page 109.
42
Ibid., page 111.
43
For the profile of most of the Indonesian university-based human rights study centers as well as
human rights centers in other countries in Asia see the Directory of Asia-Pacific Human Rights Centers(Osaka: HURIGHTS OSAKA, 2008) and its online version at http://hurights.pbwiki.com
44
Nerissa Lansangan Losaria, “The Human Rights Education Program of the Department of Education,
Culture and Sports (DECS) of the Philippines” in Human Rights Education in Asian Schools 1/153-161.
45
Training of Trainors and Teachers on Human Rights Education (HRE), DepEd Memorandum 16, s.
2004 (dated 13 January 2004); Corrigendum to DepEd Memorandum No. 16, S 2004, DepEd
Memorandum 54, s. 2004 (dated 3 February 2004); Guidelines on the Conduct of the In-service
Training of Teachers (INSET) on Human Rights Education (HRE), DepEd Memorandum 130, s. 2004
(dated 15 March 2004).
46
Valter Tinderholt (On behalf of the Save the Children Alliance) and Janardan Nepal (Director
General, Department of Education, Nepal), Acknowledgment, Child Friendly Schooling - Teachers’
Training Manual – 2062, Nepal (2007, English edition).
47
An English version was also made in 2007.
48
The nine prefectures were Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, Wakayama, Nara, Shiga, Okayama, Tokushima
and Kochi, and the two cities were Kyoto and Osaka. See Ichiro Akashi, “Zendokyo and Other Groups:
Teachers' Commitment to Dowa Education” in Human Rights Education in Asian Schools 2, 99-104.
49
Yoshiro Nabeshima, Mariko Akuzawa, Shinichi Hayashi and Koonae Park, “Japan: Human Rights
Education in Schools” in Human Rights Education in Asian Schools 3, 23-36.

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50

Ibid., page 30.
This section is taken from the unpublished paper of Meher Basit entitled “Human Rights Educationand the curriculum” describing the program of Human Rights Education Programme (HREP).
52
Text taken from the website of Children's Museum For Peace and Human Rights,
www.cmphr.org/current-network.html
53
The following are the schools involved:
ABSA School
Aga Khan School - Girls Garden
Al Noor School
Arts & Science Academy, Clifton Campus
Bahria College Karsaz, Girls
Brilliant Career Sec. School, Campus-2
D.A. Public School
Falconhouse Grammar School, Campus-5
Fatimiyah Girls School
Fatimiyah Boys School, 278, Britto Rd
Foundation Public School, Cambridge Sec.
Generations School
Habib Girl's School
Habib Public School
Happy Home School, S C, Afternoon
Happy Home School, S C, Morning
Happy Home School, “O” Level
Jaffar Public School
O.M.Y.S Academy
PECHS Girls School - Senior
Qamar-e-Bani Hashim School
Rakhshinda Public School
S.M.S. Aga Khan School - Boys
S.M.S. Aga Khan School - Girls
Shahwilayat Public School
The A.M.I. School
54
Text taken from Arts & Science Academy website,www.asa.edu.pk/admin/anmviewer.asp?a=39&z=9.
55
This is taken entirely from TAYO 2 - Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO) in
www.youth.net.ph/download/TAYO%202%20mag.pdf
56
E/CN.4/2006 (January 2006) entitled “Report of the Regional Seminar for South and Southeast Asia
on: Combating Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance: Role of
Education” submitted to the Commission on Human Rights at its Sixty-second session.
57
This writeshop was co-organized with the Philippine Department of Education and the Commission
on Human Rights of the Philippines.
58
Visit www.hurights.or.jp/hreas/5/10sea_writeshop.htm for the report on this workshop.
59
Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
60
Based on e-mail messages of Chiam Heng Keng (29 April 2005) and Mahmood Maharom (19 May
2005) on the citizenship and civic education courses.
61
Based on e-mail message of Chin Yahan (22 July 2005).
62
The discussion in this section is taken from Jefferson R. Plantilla, “Educational Policies and Human
Rights Awareness – Two Ends of the Human Rights Education Spectrum” in Educational Policies andHuman Rights Awareness – Japan, India, the Philippines and Sri Lanka (Delhi: Academic Excellence,2008).
63
Mori and Hirasawa, op cit., page 18.
51

192 Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

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Human Rights Education in the School Systems
in Southeast Asia
Jefferson R. Plantilla and Bencharat Sae Chua

The national reports of Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR and Thailand provide
substantial information on the state of human rights education in the respective school
systems of these countries. They present accomplishments and limitations, whichconstitute an important basis for planning measures that improve the current situation.
The following discussion highlights the common elements in the experiences of thefour countries as well as the opportunities and challenges being faced.
The discussion likewise provides a brief presentation on the situation of human rights
education in the school systems of the Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam. This
presentation adds the needed information to provide a “map” about human rights
education experiences in the school systems in Southeast Asia.

Context
Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR and Thailand have all undergone political andeconomic change during the last two decades. Their Constitutions have been replaced,or strengthened with the inclusion of human rights principles. This is the experienceof Cambodia starting with the adoption of a new Constitution following the Paris
Peace Agreement of 1991 that had explicit provisions on human rights, and thenfollowed by a new Constitution in 1999 that was based largely on the previous
Constitution of 1993. The 1945 Indonesian Constitution was amended in 2000 to
include an article on a list of rights that parallel human rights. The Lao PDR
Constitution was amended in 2003 with a strong provision requiring that “The State,society and families [shall implement] development policies and [support] theadvancement of women, and [shall protect] the legitimate rights and benefits ofwomen and children.” Finally, the Thai Constitution of 1997 (the so-called People’s
Constitution) had many provisions on human rights along the lines of the majorinternational human rights standards. They are mostly retained in the 2007
Constitution.
In support of human rights, all four countries ratified the following major international
human rights instruments:

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia 193

SUMMARY
1. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women(CEDAW)
2. Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)
3. International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICSECR)
4. International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial
Discrimination (ICERD).
Several other international human rights instruments were ratified or signed by thefour countries as shown in Table 1 below.
Table 1. Ratification of Core International Human Rights Instruments
State
Cambodia
Indonesia
Lao PDR
Thailand

ICERD ICCPR ICESCR
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
Signed999

CRC CEDAW CAT
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
-----999ICRMW
SignedSigned-----------------CPD
SignedSignedSignedSignedNote:
ICESCR
ICRMW

-

CPD

-

International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All
Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

In line with the state obligation to implement these international treaties at thenational level, new laws were enacted and new institutions established:
1. Cambodia – Though there is no child rights law, its Constitution directly refers
to the CRC. The Ministry of Women and Veterans' Affairs and Cambodia
National Council were set up to monitor CEDAW implementations.
2. Indonesia - Laws were enacted to establish the National Commission on
Human Rights (1993), the National Commission on Violence Against Women(1998), the National Commission on the Rights of the Child, the National
Commission for the Protection of Witnesses and Victims, the National
Commission on Eradication of Corruption, the National Ombudsman
Commission, the Directorate on Human Rights under the Ministry of Law and
Human Rights (1999), and the Human Rights Court (2000);
3. Lao PDR – The law on the Development and Protection of Women wasenacted in 2004, and the National Committee for Human Rights (2003) wasestablished to implement the ratified international human rights instruments.
It includes the National Commission for Advancement of Women, National
Commission for Mothers and Children, with the ministries and otherorganizations as members.
4. Thailand – The National Human Rights Commission Act (1999) establishedthe National Human Rights Commission, and the Child Protection Act (2003)
implements the CRC.
The constitutional support for human rights is an important context in thedevelopment and implementation of human rights education curricula in the four
countries. The international human rights instruments (including the Universal

194 Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

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Declaration of Human Rights), on the other hand, strengthen the necessity for the
integration of human rights education into the school curricula in these countries.
Parallel to these constitutional and legal developments on human rights, there wasalso significant change in the economic field. All four countries have adopted
programs for eradicating poverty through increased economic growth, which in turnrequired an educated and skilled workforce. This economic approach is reflected in
educational reform that responds to the current globalization process. At the sametime, since economic programs are focused on alleviating the plight of disadvantaged
people in both urban and rural areas, education programs for the “unreached” and the“underserved” have been adopted.
This educational thrust is in line with the commitments of the Governments in thefour countries to achieve the targets set under the Education For All (EFA) andMillennium Development Goals (MDGs). Programs and projects under the EFA and
MDGs have served as vehicles to fulfill the rights of children from poor families, or
those in rural areas, or belonging to minority communities. These national targets
address not only the right to education, but also other rights of these children, such as
rights against abuse of any form (physical, sexual, commercial), rights to personal
security, and the right to health, etc.

Role of the international human rights instruments
Did the ratified international human rights instruments affect human rights educationin the school systems of the four countries?
The reports discuss some efforts at implementing the state obligations under theratified international human rights instruments. In Indonesia, the National
Commission on Violence against Women (Komnas Perempuan) is using CEDAW in
its Kurikulum Pendidikan HAM Ber perspektif Keadilan Jender (Human Rights
Curriculum from a Gender Perspective). MoNE has promoted the provisions of CRC
in several teaching materials (Panduan Pendidikan Hak Asasi Manusia Untuk Guru
SD & MI) that were developed with the support of UNESCO. The Pengantar HAM –1, 2, 3 of the Directorate General on Human Rights of the Ministry of Law and
Human Rights refer to the ICESCR, ICCPR, ICERD, CEDAW along with UDHR indiscussing human rights issues (discrimination, social security, marriage, etc.).
In Lao PDR, the National Committee for Human Rights (which is tasked with
implementing the state obligations under the ICCPR and ICESCR) has requested the
MOE to develop a supplementary curriculum and teaching-learning materials on
human rights and child rights. The MOE, on the other hand, has been working on anumber of projects with partner institutions (AUSAID, UNICEF) regarding thedevelopment of textbooks, implementation of a child-friendly school system, andteacher training, that focus on child rights under the CRC. There are also textbooks

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SUMMARY
used in primary and secondary levels that contain the provisions of ICESCR and
ICCPR.
In Cambodia, the Policy for Curriculum Development 2005–2009 and the 2009school curriculum have human rights content referring to UDHR, CRC and CEDAW.
The Science and Social Studies learning areas discuss child rights (and human rights
in general). In the Social Studies area, the Moral-Civic education subject is seen as
appropriate for the study of human rights. In the secondary level, more discussions onhuman rights are provided referring to UDHR, CRC, CEDAW, ICCPR, and ICESCR.
In addition, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) has cooperated
with NGOs in implementing human rights education programs (particularly forteacher training) that focus on child rights, among many other issues.
In Thailand, the National Education Act 1999, which is an organic law of theeducation-related provisions of the 1997 Constitution, provides the framework forhuman rights education. Human rights are mainstreamed into the school curriculum.
The section on child rights in the curriculum clearly uses CRC as the framework.
UDHR is always discussed in school textbooks, though other international standards
are often mentioned briefly. The Ministry of Education and other agencies, including
UN agencies and local and international NGOs, also provided training on CRC toteachers and school administrators. The MOE and UNICEF are using CRC to promote
the child-friendly school system.
Some common characteristics
There are several characteristics in the reports that appear in almost a similar manner.
These characteristics are perhaps commonly found in most countries that haveundergone changes in their constitutional/legal systems including those that haveadopted policies that accommodate international human rights standards in one formor another. The following are common characteristics:
a. UDHR as a reference point – The UDHR appears as a basic reference
document in the general description of the human rights content in curricula,teaching-learning materials, training materials, and extra-curricular programs.
The citation of the UDHR is often linked to the citation of relevant
constitutional provisions as the foundation of the discussions on human rights.
b. Inclusion of international human rights standards in the Constitution – Since
constitutional provisions are the main basis for teaching rights (constitutional/
legal and human rights) in schools, their discussion necessarily refers toprovisions related to international human rights instruments. The 1999
Constitution of Cambodia provides that;
The Kingdom of Cambodia shall recognize and respect human rights as
stipulated in the United Nations Charter, the Universal Declaration of Humanrights, the covenants and conventions related to human rights, [and] women's andchildren's rights. (Article 31)

On the other hand, the 1945 Constitution of Indonesia, while predating the1948 UDHR, contains rights that parallel those in the UDHR. The 2000

196 Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

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amendment of the Indonesian Constitution declares the inclusion of humanrights in its provisions. A new chapter on human rights (Chapter XA Human
Rights) provides ten articles on various rights. The adoption of this new
chapter was likely influenced by the international human rights standards.
c. Availability of programs that can incorporate human rights education – The
common context of human rights education in the formal education system isprograms for gender education, education for the unreached, disadvantaged,
minority and girl children, Education-For-All, and the child-friendly school
system. All reports emphasize the importance of these programs, and indicate
how they directly or indirectly support human rights education in schools.
d. Integration of human rights education into the school curriculum – All reports
show that human rights are taught in the schools because they are included in
the primary and secondary school curricula. The Indonesian and Cambodian
curricula integrate human rights into the Citizenship education (Indonesia) or
Moral-Civic education and Language (Cambodia) subjects. The governmentissued Standard of Educational Content (Indonesia) explicitly mentions
human rights as a content of the Citizenship education subject. Human rights
are seen as part of the objectives of education in Thailand. They are, therefore,
to be integrated into every course, mostly in the Social, Religious and Cultural
Subject Area, and in teaching methods.
e. General education policy context – The implementation of initiatives onhuman rights education in schools is set in the context of the general
educational policy to fulfill the right of everyone to education. This policy
implements the commitment of the four countries to meet the targets set by the
Education for All and Millennium Development Goals. The reports also
highlight the importance of a gender equality education policy, particularly in
relation to girls, as a major educational initiative.

Major achievements
Each country has a particular set of achievements in the field of human rights
education in the school system.
In Lao PDR, the development of textbooks and their corresponding teacher guides(Basic Knowledge of Human Rights, student textbook for Grades 4-6 and 8 forprimary level, and Grades 9-11 for secondary level, that include discussion about
ICCPR and ICESCR), and training manuals and children’s book focusing on childrights (Our Rights) are significant achievements. The inclusion of human rights inseveral subjects in primary and secondary curricula in the General Knowledge subject(Lesson 46 for Grade 4 and Lesson 39 for Grade 5) is also an important achievement.

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia 197

SUMMARYIn the same way, the integration of human rights in the school curriculum under the2009 curriculum development policy of Cambodia is an achievement that probably
builds on the long years of experience in teacher-training (especially by NGOs) andmaterial development.
In Indonesia, the existence of a national action plan on human rights (RANHAM)
provides a good framework for human rights education. The existence of several
human rights bodies and offices has led to the development of human rights curricula
as well as training opportunities for teachers. The MoNE has likewise produced lessonplans on human rights and has engaged in teacher training on human rights. The
explicit mention in the curriculum of the teaching of human rights under the
Citizenship Education subject is an important achievement.
In Thailand, the 1997 Constitution, the National Education Act 1999 and the National
Scheme of Education, together provide the framework for human rights education.
Human rights are seen as a goal of education and are mainstreamed into thecurriculum and school system. With this recognition at policy level, human rights
education initiatives by NGOs and the National Human Rights Commission are
welcomed by the MOE. The NHRC is also drafting its own Human Rights Education
Strategic Plan through a participatory process. This vigorous human rights education
work by NGOs, the NHRC, and effective cooperation with the MOE, are crucial forthe development of human rights education in the country.
Opportunities
The importance given by the four countries to equal access to quality education forchildren of poor families, minority groups, and those in isolated rural areas provides avery significant opportunity for the inclusion of human rights education as an importantcomponent in program implementation. The definition of education under the CRC,
which has been ratified by all four countries, provides a helpful guide in this regard.
Article 29 of the CRC provides that State Parties shall agree that education of thechild shall be directed towards:(a) The development of [a] child's personality, talents and mental and physicalabilities to their fullest potential;(b) The development of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms,
and for the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations;(c) The development of respect for [a] child's parents, his or her own cultural
identity, language and values, the national values of the country in which thechild is living, the country from which he or she may originate, and for
civilizations different from his or her own;(d) The preparation of the child for responsible life in a free society, in thespirit of understanding, peace, tolerance, equality of [the] sexes, and friendshipamong all peoples, ethnic, national and religious groups and persons ofindigenous origin;(e) The development of respect for the natural environment.

198 Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

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These elements of education serve the objectives of the EFA, MDG and human rights
education. They should be given careful attention in implementing the right toeducation programs.
The promotion of the child-friendly school system in all four countries provides
another important opportunity for promoting human rights education. It provides theappropriate environment not only in realizing the rights of the child but also inensuring that students clearly understand their rights. In this regard, the componentsof the child-friendly school system are the materials and issues for students to discussand reflect on child rights.
These components of the child-friendly school system may be learned throughpractical exercises in the schools and also through activities that promote their
discussion and reflection. Teachers can use these components 1 as content of therelevant subjects (not only in Social Studies but also in subjects about language,
science, etc.) and as activities for students to practice realizing human rights. These
components raise corresponding core questions that lead to the understanding andpractice of human rights. Examples of questions are below:
x Realization of the rights of every child – what are child rights? Human rights?
x Being gender-sensitive and girl-friendly – what do we mean by genderequality?
x Education based on the reality of children’s lives – how are rights realized indaily life?
x Flexibility and responsiveness of education to diversity – why is diversity
important?
x Inclusion, respect, and equality of opportunity for all children – how does
inclusion, respect and equality help every child and the whole society?
x Maintaining mental and physical health – why is health a matter of right?
x Affordable and accessible education – why is education important for each
person?
x Teacher capacity, morale, commitment, and status – how can teachers help
make students understand and practice human rights?
x Family focus – how do we exercise human rights inside the family?
x Community-based – how can our community contribute to the realization ofhuman rights?
Country-specific opportunities are instructive for other countries that are interested inusing such opportunities to further develop human rights education in their school
systems. In Indonesia, the decentralized system of education governance is an
opportunity for developing locally-relevant education programs. Local-based
programs necessarily include community-based programs that are a crucialcomponent of human rights education. Experiences from other countries show thathuman rights education programs that link the school with the community are
effective in the teaching and learning of human rights. This link makes the community
supportive of human rights education, while students learn human rights directly fromthe community at the same time.

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SUMMARY
Related to this issue is the existence of human rights centers in universities located invarious provinces of Indonesia. The human rights centers (so-called PUSHAMs) can
support human rights education by providing locally-contextualized human rights
materials, training for teachers and school officials, opportunities for students toobserve or even participate in human rights activities, and resource persons who canhelp the teachers teach human rights inside the classroom and students hold humanrights activities in their schools.
Finally, the existence of several human rights institutions in Indonesia is an
opportunity for ensuring that human rights education is treated as a major concern not
only by the MoNE but by the Indonesian Government as a whole.
In some ways, the same can be said of the role of the National Human Rights
Commission of Thailand in promoting human rights education within the Thai school
system, and in lobbying the Thai MOE and the Government as a whole on the need togive it full support. The NHRC is also trying to link human rights education inschools to the needs of communities and use this as a core idea in drafting the Human
Rights Education Strategic Plan.
Related institutions, such as the Cambodian National Council for Children (CNCC)
and the Cambodian National Council for Women, and their counterparts in Lao PDR(National Commission for Mothers and Children and the National Committee for the
Advancement of Women) have similar roles to play. The Lao National Commission
for Mothers and Children has already provided a concrete contribution to humanrights education through its training manual and children’s book (Our Rights).

Challenges
a. General challenges
Surveys undertaken in Cambodia, Lao PDR and Thailand, show the need to raise thelevel of awareness, or more particularly the understanding, of human rights among
students and teachers. The general understanding of human rights among students andteachers has notable problems. In the Lao PDR survey, it is noted that;
The results show that respondents [primary students] could not answer questions very
well, especially about a basic knowledge of child rights. The least understanding is forquestion 1 “The definition of a child” with only twenty respondents (23.8 percent) having
the correct answer. Students might have difficulty in giving the correct answer since theymight be confused between the words “child” and “infant” in Lao language. Based on theConvention on the Rights of the Child, a child is a person below 18 years of age. Hence,
there is a need to explain this provision to students.

200 Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

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For secondary students, the survey reveals that;
The knowledge on the international law on human rights is still low. Only eight questions
out of fifteen were answered correctly by fifty percent of all respondents.

For teachers and school principals, the survey;… results show a general understanding and knowledge about human rights by the
respondent-principals and respondent-teachers. This is due to lack of information,materials and training on the subject. Their understanding of human rights is based on
their knowledge of Lao law. All teachers (100%) see the necessity of incorporating theinternational law on human rights into the teaching-learning curriculum.

The Cambodian survey reveals only an “acceptable result” despite the numerous
activities undertaken by the Government, the NGOs and other internationalorganizations through the years. The Cambodian report cites many kinds of barriers
including poverty to achieving a higher level of understanding about human rights.
In the Thai study, classroom observation and focus group interviews with students
reveal that “different connotations and focus of human rights are taught to students”
depending on the teachers’ own understanding of human rights. While the corecurriculum system allows teachers to devise their own techniques for teaching humanrights, it is found that “most teachers merely follow what already exists in the
curriculum and standard textbooks” which gives only a very brief idea about humanrights.
These results constitute an important starting point for planning measures that
improve the current efforts on human rights education in the school system in the four
countries involved.
Such measures should address the challenge of ensuring that human rights educationis recognized by the whole formal education system as essential in improving
education in general. This requires a better appreciation of human rights education byeducation officials.

b. Challenges specific to schools
There are limitations in the implementation of the existing programs and projects
related to human rights. These limitations are in the form of;a. Large classes that affect employment of appropriate pedagogies by teachers
who have had training on these pedagogies.
b. Limited training opportunities to cover all teachers in the country.
c. Limited printed materials about human rights.
d. Limitation of project implementation at any particular level or number ofschools (such as the primary-level focus of the child-friendly school project in
Lao PDR; the lack of resources to distribute materials to all schools in

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SUMMARY
Cambodia) and also the suspension of project implementation due toinadequate support from the Government (of Lao PDR in relation to textbooks
and teacher guides on child rights).
e. Lack of a system for monitoring and evaluating programs and projects related
to human rights education.
c. Institutional challenges
The full achievement of the objectives of the current human rights education
initiatives in the four countries depends on a number of factors. The four reports
identify some common challenges that impinge on the continuing growth of humanrights education in their respective school systems. The following are the important
challenges to address:
1. Consistent and sustained policy implementation – The existence ofconstitutional and legal support for human rights education in the school
system and the adoption of appropriate policy measures require consistent andsustained implementation. However, the reports reveal a number of challenges
in achieving consistent and sustainable policy implementation:a. Considerable lower priority given to human rights education by therespective Governments compared to other educational initiatives(such as access to quality education) and in the light of othereducational initiatives, such as education for sustainable development(ESD) and HIV/AIDS education.
b. The project-based nature of human rights initiatives that is limited inscope and timeframe.
2. Adequate supporting resources – The national mechanisms that implement thestate obligations under the ratified international human rights instruments facesome challenges as follows:a. Personnel focused on human rights education are either lacking or
inadequate in number. There is a common need for trainers andresource persons who can undertake training programs for teachers andeducation officials, material developers who can continue to develop
teaching and learning materials about human rights, and staff within
the MOE or other Ministries, who can provide information andguidance to teachers and education/school officials on how to integrate
human rights education into the school system.
b. Funding limitation is raised by the four reports as reflected in theinadequate number of copies of materials produced and the projectbased approach, as well as the significant role of NGOs in training
teachers, due to inadequate opportunities under government programs.
3. Review and assessment mechanism – The continued growth of the current
initiatives benefits from the analysis undertaken under this project, but thisprocess should not be a singular effort. The review and assessment mechanism
should be instituted as part of the governmental mechanism supporting humanrights education. So far, no such mechanism exists in any of the four countries.
This issue is raised as a recommendation in the Cambodian report:

202 Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

SUMMARY
e. Assessment system:
The National Human Rights Assessment System should be officially organized, tocomprise the various stakeholders from the national and local human rights NGOs
and national educators, and be fully authorized to implement its mandate.
g. School environment
A system or mechanism for human rights education implementation andassessment in the school system should be established to help ensure the quality ofeducation.

Greater Southeast Asian situation
Several other countries in Southeast Asia have varying degrees of support for humanrights education. The Philippines has explicit policies as well as a policy
implementation mechanism for human rights education in the school system.
Educational policies consist of constitutional provision requiring the teaching of
human rights at all levels in educational institutions, national plans of action, andDepartment (Ministry) memoranda, orders, programs and projects.
The 1987 Constitution of the Philippines provides that all educational institutions
should foster “respect for human rights … teach the rights and duties ofcitizenship…” (Article XIV, Section 3[2]). This supports the state policies provided in
the same Constitution on human rights.
In addition, the 1987 Constitution establishes a national human rights institution thathas the mandate to;Establish a continuing program of research, education, and information to enhance respect
for the primacy of human rights. (Article XIII, Section 18).

An executive order that predates the 1987 Constitution constitutes a starting point for
the implementation of the constitutional provisions. Executive Order No. 27 entitled"Education to Maximize Respect for Human Rights" (1986) requires the:1. Education department to include the study of human rights in the curriculaof all levels of education and training in all schools in the country.
2. Government agency in charge of examining qualifications for government
service to include in the examination a basic knowledge of human rights.
3. Emphasis of human rights principles as well as the relevant law in humanrights materials.
4. Inclusion of the study of international instruments ratified by the Philippine
government, or as signatory to them, whenever found appropriate and practical.
This was followed by a;2
2003 law [that declared] December 10th to 14th of each year as the “National Human
Rights Consciousness Week” and [required] all branches of the government as well as

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SUMMARY
private institutions to observe such week (Republic Act No. 9201 - An Act Declaring
December 4 to 10 As National Human Rights Consciousness Week in the Country,(promulgated on 1 April 2003).

In addition, other policies of the Philippine Government support human rights
education in a general sense as follows:a. The Philippine Development Plan for Gender-Responsive Development or
PPGD (Executive Order 273/1995) which strengthened a prior Department of
Education policy on gender and development education (DECS Order No. 48,
1990).
b. The National Strategic Framework Plan for the Development of Children orChild 21 which provides a good avenue for human rights education through its
emphasis on school-community relationships under the child-friendly school
concept and the promotion of child rights in schools.
c. The Indigenous Peoples Rights Act of 1997 (IPRA) which requires thePhilippine Government to undertake measures to protect the rights ofindigenous children including the provision of relevant education that suits
their needs.
The Philippine Department of Education and the Philippine Commission on Human
Rights are the primary institutions implementing these policies. They jointly organize
teacher training workshops, forums for students, parents and educators, and also thedevelopment of teaching exemplars (primary and secondary levels) and a teacher
training manual.
In Malaysia, human rights education in schools is mainly anchored on theconstitutional provisions on fundamental rights as well as on its ratification ofinternational human rights instruments (especially the CRC).
The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia Act 1999, Act 597, defines human rights
as referring to the "Fundamental liberties as enshrined in Part II of the Federal
Constitution." This law refers to international human rights standards as follows:…Section 4(4) of the Act provides that regard shall be [paid] to the Universal Declarationof Human Rights 1948 (UDHR) to the extent that is not inconsistent with the Federal
Constitution.

This means that whatever rights and liberties that are not mentioned in Part II but
referred to in the UDHR must be considered provided that there is no conflict with theConstitution.
The primary institution promoting human rights education in the Malaysian school
system has been the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM), which asa national human rights institution shall “promote awareness [and] provide education
relating to human rights,” amongst other functions. (Section 4[1], Act 597)

204 Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

SUMMARYSUHAKAM, through the Sub-Working Group on Human Rights Education in School,
has been working with the Ministry of Education in promoting human rights
education in the school system. In view of the new school curriculum on Moral-Civic
Education and Citizenship subjects, SUHAKAM has been involved in the humanrights component in the teacher-training program for these subjects.3
In 2007, SUHAKAM’s human rights education program comprised of workshops forsenior officers in State Education Departments and for master trainers for school
counselors, as well as a ‘Human Rights Best Practice’ competition and an art
exhibition. The art competition supports the implementation of the World Programmefor Human Rights Education Plan of Action (Phase 1, 2005-2007). It also “…aimed atproviding an opportunity for the school community to develop and practise skills in
respecting human rights and, in the process, improve [the] understanding of the
CRC.”4 In 2006, SUHAKAM held a human rights camp for children and youths with
CRC as the main program content.
In consideration of the existence of religious schools in Malaysia, SUHAKAM
organized for the first time5;…two CRC Awareness Workshops for teachers from religious schools in the East Coastand Northern Zone respectively. This was conducted because of incidents of violence
recorded at State religious schools [in] 2005-2006. SUHAKAM’s aim was to instil aculture of human rights that promotes respect and tolerance via understanding of the
CRC, and to provide alternative approaches to dealing with violence in [schools]. The
workshops further exposed participants to the possibility of harmonizing human rights
with Islamic principles, in light of the notion that these are often in conflict.

SUHAKAM provides workshops for students and lecturers in the Faculties of
Education in several Malaysian universities (Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti
Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and Universiti Sains Malaysia) and a session on humanrights during Orientation Week in all public universities.
SUHAKAM has also produced some materials on child rights including posters,
stickers and booklets (particularly Fair and Square) for primary students.
Finally, SUHAKAM holds an annual Human Rights Day conference, every
September, which is open to the general public and attended by teachers and school
officials.
For many years, Vietnam has been implementing a program on education about therights and obligations of citizens at the secondary school level.6 The program is basedon the Vietnamese constitutional provision, which states that:
The citizen’s rights are inseparable from his duties. The State guarantees the rights of thecitizen; the citizen must fulfill his duties to the State and society. The citizen’s rights andobligations are defined by the Constitution and the law. (Article 51)

This program has the following objectives7;

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SUMMARY
1. To provide systematic knowledge about the rights and obligations ofcitizens in different areas of social life.
2. To educate students about positive attitudes and feelings toward therealization of these rights and obligations.
3. To provide training about proper behavior and habits in the process ofrealizing the rights and obligations of citizens.
The National Institute for Educational Strategies and Curriculum Development(NIESAC), the main institution involved, has produced in cooperation with UNESCO
teaching materials under the Education for International Understanding (EIU) on four
themes (peace, human rights, democracy and sustainable development) (Learning tolive together - A resource handbook for teachers), and on peace (which includes a
subject on equality and democratic participation) (Culture of Peace - A teaching
manual for primary school teachers), and life skills (Life Skills Learning Package for
Disadvantaged Children). In 2006 and 2007, NIESAC adapted a resource book forteachers on EIU "Learning to live together" into the Vietnamese context with support
from APCEIU and UNESCO Ha Noi.8
A Vietnamese educator describes human rights education in the Vietnamese school
system as follows9;
Human rights education content is one of the major features in the general school
curriculum and covers many areas of social life. The content covers the United Nations
Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Constitution and law, traditions and values ofVietnam, etc. It is taught not only in the official curriculum at primary, lower secondary
and upper secondary levels, but also in extra-curricular activities at these three levels.

During the 1996-1998 period, Save the Children Sweden (SCS) and the Ministry of
Education and Training (MoET) launched education activities on child rights. The
project started in Hanoi and then extended to thirty-two districts in eightprovinces/cities of Vietnam by 1998. The Government approved an expansion of the
project to become the ‘Week of Child Rights and Obligations,’ and later this waschanged to the ‘Month of Education on Child Rights and Obligations.’ Child rights as
an issue was taught for five weeks, one lesson and one theme a week. The themes are:x I am a child, a valuable person with rights and values.
x My Family – Where I am loved and cared for.
x Country and community – My huge family – My right to protection.
x School – Where I learn and play – My rights to education.
x My opinion is also important.10
Teacher training on human rights education has been held in Vietnam. One report
describes the training program on human rights in the form of additional training forteachers;11
Some legal documents recently issued by Vietnam and the book Human Rights Lesson
Plans for Southeast Asian Schools published by the Asia-Pacific Human Rights
Information Center in 2003 were … updated [for] additional training for teachers in asuitable way last summer (2005) by teacher trainers.

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SUMMARY
The content of additional training partly depends on the types of training involved. As far
as human rights education content is concerned, it is included in such subjects as civics
and moral education. Because this content is not [separate] from other contents in thesesubjects, it must be dealt with by additional training for teachers. In general, training of
this content is included in periodic training and training to [introduce] new textbooks.
[Human] rights education content is also taught in pre-service teacher education in teacher
training institutions but it is not taught separately as a subject. In general, it is included insuch [content] as legal education, civic education and moral education. Whenever, newcontents related to the above issue are included in a new curriculum or textbooks, [such]contents will be provided for teachers during the [additional] summer … training period
every year, which often takes place two months before [the start of the] new school year.

Save the Children Sweden (SCS) also entered into an agreement with the MoET for
the training of teachers on child rights, and provided support for the study of theschool curriculum for the integration of education on child rights. In 2000, the SCS in
collaboration with the Department of Teachers (DoT) in the MoET, launched a project
to promote the basic understanding of teachers about child rights and to build theirskills for organizing child-rights-related activities. The project involved teacher
training colleges (TTCs) in Vietnam. A mid-term assessment of the project held in2003;… shows that there is [a] general consensus [between] the MOET and TTC management
and training staff that child rights [training is] very important for Vietnam and must be
provided extensively. The teaching staff responsible for child rights training in the TTCs
and some of the management staff are also very positive about the utility and future of[this] training.

There is very little information available about human rights education in the
Singaporean school system. 12 One report presents an initiative on gender equality
through the teaching of gender-sensitive English in some schools in Singapore.
So far information has not been obtained on the teaching and learning of human rights
in the Bruneian and Myanmarese school systems.
Conclusion
Without considering the situation in Singapore, Brunei and Myanmar due toinadequate or lack of information, the Governments in Southeast Asia have achieved a
considerable degree of accomplishment in human rights education in the school
system.
But there is still much room for improvement. It is thus incumbent upon the
Governments of Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR and Thailand to consider seriously
the reports submitted under this project, and for the other Governments in Southeast
Asia to engage in similar national assessment exercises, in order to provide a morecomprehensive and sustained support for human rights education in the school system.

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia 207

SUMMARY

Endnotes
1

The child-friendly school system components are taken from UNICEF’s “Characteristics of a
Rights-Based, Child-Friendly School” available in the child friendly schools section of the
UNICEF website (www.unicef.org/lifeskills/index_7260.html#A Framework for Rights-Based,
Child-Friendly).
2
Lolita H. Nava, Zenaida Q. Reyes, Maria Carmela T. Mancao, Maria Victoria C. Hermosisima,and Felicia I. Yeban, Human Rights Education in Philippine Schools: Analysis of Education
Policies and Survey of Human Rights Awareness (Manila: Philippine Normal University, 2006),
pages 38-39.
3
See Chiam Heng Keng, “Turning Around Negative Attitudes Toward Human Rights Through
Human Rights Education” in Human Rights Education in Asian Schools 11.
4
Annual Report 2007, Human Rights Commission of Malaysia, page 50.
5
Ibid.
6
See “Schools and Human Rights: A Question of Change” in Schools, Human Rights and Society(Osaka: HURIGHTS OSAKA, 1999).
7
Ibid.
8
Discussion based on a Powerpoint presentation of Dao Van Vy, Vietnam’s Presentation –Practices and Initiatives, presented at the workshop on “Re-Orienting Teacher Education toaddress Sustainability” 22-25 August, Penang, Malaysia.
9Nguyen Thanh Hoan, “Teacher Training in Vietnam” in Human Rights Education in Asian
Schools 9, 89.
10
The discussion in this section is taken from Ta Thuy Hanh, “Child Rights Education in
Vietnam,” in Human Rights Education in Asian Schools 8.
11
Hoan, op. cit.
12
See George M. Jacobs, Zhuo Qiong-Yan, Patricia C. Jocson, Ong Chye Wah, Maria Elizabeth D.
Austria, Marti Sevier, And Winnie Teo. “Asian Views on Gender-inclusive English” in Human
Rights Education in Asian Schools 4.

208 Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

Appendix A

World Programme for Human Rights Education
Asia Project
Guide Questions for the Research on National Human Rights Education in
Schools Programme Development and Implementation(Based on the WPHRE First Phase Plan of Action)a. Policy
1. Content- Does the education policy explicitly provide for human rights education at the
primary and secondary school levels?
- Does the policy cover the following concerns
a. relationship between human rights education and over-all education policy(specifically relating to the broadened concept of quality education under the
Education For All concept of the Dakar Framework, application of humanrights principles to the whole education system and in all learning
environments)
b. promotion of the concepts of human rights through education, and humanrights in education through the following concerns:
 curriculum (using integrated approach, single subject approach, orboth) teaching and learning materials
 teacher training programme teaching and learning methodologies
 extra-curricular activities school rules and management system parents and community participation
 programme on role of non-governmental organizations and othersectors of civil society
c. relationship with other school-based programmes such as education forsustainable
development,
peace
education,
globaleducation,intercultural/multicultural education, citizenship education, and values
education.
d. cooperation with regional and international institutions (intergovernmental
or private) in policy development and implementation.

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia 209

- Does the policy provide a clear definition of human rights education as provided in
the Plan of Action under the United Nations World Programme for Human Rights
Education?
- Does the policy refer to human rights-related provisions in the national constitution,
legislation, state policies, other existing human rights education programmes?
- Does the policy require the teaching/learning of international human rights
instruments such as the- Universal Declaration of Human Rights- Convention on the Rights of the Child- Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against
Women- other international and regional human rights instruments. List other
instruments.
- Does the policy identify a particular agency within the Ministry of Education tocoordinate policy implementation?
- Does the policy provide for the mechanism and resources for the following:- information dissemination- research- international information exchange on human rights education.
- Does the policy provide for the mobilization of resources from various institutions
that can be used to implement a national human rights education programme forprimary and secondary schools?
- Does the policy provide for assessment measures such as- items to be evaluated at certain points in the implementation process- feedback mechanisms from agencies concerned, school heads, teachers,
students, NGO workers, education researchers, etc.
- system of periodic monitoring of the implementation by the main agency
concerned and other stakeholders.
2. Development of the education policy on human rights education- Was the policy developed with the participation of offices/divisions within the
Ministry of Education involved with the following concerns:(a) Educational policy(b) Curriculum development(c) Teaching and learning material development(d) Teachers/education staff training(e) Teaching and learning methodology(f) Research

210 Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

(g) Programme planning(h) Information dissemination(i) Regional/provincial/local administration.
- Was the policy developed with the participation of other Ministries such as those
involved on children and women issues?
- Was the policy developed with the participation of human rights -related institutions
such as the national human rights institutions?
- Was the policy developed with the participation of non-governmental organizations
and other sectors of civil society?
- Was the policy development process publicly advertised to encourage inputs fromconcerned individuals or institutions?
- Was the policy developed with the participation of regional and international
institutions? If yes, identify and explains the institutions

b. Policy Implementation
1. Analysis of current situation- Was there a mechanism established to coordinate the collection and analysis of
information regarding the current situation of human rights education in the school
system?
- Did the information come from any of the following:- national and local reports on human rights education in the school system- government reports sent to any of the United Nations treaty monitoring
bodies such as the Committee on the Rights of the Child, the Committee
on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women- reports of non-governmental organizations and other sectors of civilsociety- reports of international agencies including regional intergovernmentalorganizations, non-governmental organizations, and United Nations
agencies- studies of research institutes- others.
- Did the analysis of the current situation of human rights education programme in the
country dealt with the following concerns:- strengths and weaknesses of the concerned agencies of the Ministry in
implementing the programme- threats and opportunities in implementing the programme

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia 211

- As for stakeholders in the programme, their- expectations, interest and viewpoints- degree of influence, power, and role in the implementation of the
programme- mode of participation of the stakeholders- other forms of support.

2. Setting priorities and planning a national strategy framework (or national
programme)- Is there is defined mission statement in the national strategy framework?
- Are there defined goals?
- Are the goals properly linked to means of implementation (activities, resources,materials)?
- To implement this mission, were the priorities set?
- What were the bases of the identified priorities? Provide examples.
- What measures have been identified that will result in change in (or impact on) the
current situation? Provide examples.
- Are the measures designed to be sustainable, such as by creating any or all of thefollowing:- support structures (within the Ministry and/or with other institutions)- training and capacity building programme- preparation of materials and other educational resources- networking with other institutions - national and international.

3. Implementing the programme- How long has the programme been implemented?
- Which offices/divisions within the Ministry of Education are involved in
implementing the programme? They can be any, some, or all of the offices/divisions
involved with the following concerns:- Educational policy- Curriculum development- Teaching and learning material development- Teachers/education staff training- Teaching and learning methodology- Research

212 Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

-Programme planning
Information dissemination
Regional/provincial/local administration.

- Which other governmental ministries/offices/agencies are involved? What role didthey play? Identify the other government agencies and their respective roles.
- What role do any of the following play in implementing the programme?
(a) Teacher colleges(b) Faculties of education in universities(c) National/federal and local/state legislative bodies(d) NGOs and other sectors of civil society(e) Education research institutes(f) University-based human rights centres(g) National human rights institutions
4. Output of programme implementationa. School curriculum
Does the school curriculum integrate human rights education- In all subjects- In some subjects (indicate which subjects)- In one subject (indicate which subjects)- As part of extra-curricular activities.
In what year levels are human rights taught?

b. Teaching human rights- Has there been any review of teaching materials based on human rights principles?
- Has there been appropriate changes made on the teaching materials, as may havebeen found necessary by the review?
- Are there human rights teaching materials such as
x Model lesson plans/teaching guides
x Comprehensive yet easy-to-understand human rights reference materials(including those using new information technologies)
x Audio-visual aids on human rights (including those using new information
technologies)
x Guides on appropriate teaching and learning methodologies
x List of resources (including list of possible resource persons in the local
community) that can be used in classes.

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia 213

- Are there sufficient number of these materials for use by most teachers in the
country?
- How many of the teachers are able to avail of these materials? (percentage of
total:____)- Are human rights discussed in relation to the daily lives of the students? Please cite
examples.
-Are human rights concepts taught according to the year level of students?

- Are appropriate, student-centered, experience-based, human rights-friendly teaching
methodologies employed?
- Are NGOs and other sectors of the civil society tapped to help in teaching humanrights inside and outside the classroom?
- Are students evaluated using human rights principles such as transparency, equality
and fairness?
- Is there a variety of evaluation tools available?
- Is the evaluation process meant to foster further development of students, as well as
development in them a positive attitude toward evaluation?
- Are the evaluation tools used to assess outcomes and impact of human rights
teaching?
c. Learning human rights- Has there been any review of learning materials based on human rights principles?
- Has there been appropriate changes made on the learning materials, as may havebeen found necessary by the review?
- Are there human rights learning materials such asx Textbooks (appropriate to the different year levels)
x Simple reading materials about human rights for the class/school libraryx Audio-visual aids on human rights (including those using new information
technologies)
x Activities on learning human rights during class and as extra-curricular
activities, cite some examples.

214 Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia

d. School rules and regulations- Have the school rules and regulations been reviewed to find out if they subscribe tohuman rights principles or not?
- Has there been any change in the school rules and regulations in order to subscribe
to human rights principles? Cite examples.
- Any features of the revised school rules and regulations proved effective inachieving the following?
- active participation of students in school life
- recognition and subscription to rules- resolution of certain issues with human rights implications (such as
discrimination of some students, bullying, inability to obtain school
materials by some students due to poverty or other reasons)- performance of recognized responsibilities as students (such as supporting
activities to promote human rights in the school)- fulfillment of specific child rights (such as protection against bullying anddangerous school facilities).
e. Teacher training- Are there pre- and in-service human rights training programmes for teachers? school
principals? supervisors?
- Are there special human rights courses available for teachers in teachers'colleges/education faculties of universities (including distance education courses)?
- Are the teacher training programs of NGOs given recognition by the government?
- Are there incentives provided for teachers who want to get more training on humanrights teaching? Please cite examples of such incentives.
- Are these training programs/courses meant to develop knowledge, skill and attitude
on human rights?
- Have these training programmes been evaluated?
- Did the teachers participate in the evaluation process?
- Has there been any change the training programmes as a result of an evaluation?
- Are human rights courses available in curriculum of teacher colleges?

Human Rights Education in the School Systems in Southeast Asia 215