Test Blog

STRENGTHS/OPPORTUNITIES

Government and Educational Systems

• World Programme of Action for HRE focuses on primary and secondary school education from 2005-2007, calls on countries to develop plans and begin implementation, supported by the OHCHR and UNESCO.
• Existing systems for: (1) preparing teachers, (2) monitoring quality and effectiveness, and (3) professional development.
• Human Rights Education is now integrated into national constitutions (i.e., the Philippines, Baihran, and many Latin American countries).
• Countries have ratified key international human rights treaties committing to their promotion and teaching of human rights education.
• International conferences have drafted declarations related to HRE (i.e., Education for All Conference, UNESCO’s Education of the Child, and the 2005 Chile conference).
• Political climate open to human rights (i.e., As countries move toward democratization, accession to the EU, etc., there are spaces created in the curriculum and teacher training systems that are favorable toward human rights and create opportunities).
• Government support of democratic environment.
• In HR education, there is a big push on democracy.
• National Human Rights Education Action Plans (i.e., Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines).
• The presence of a HR commission (national agencies) in a country is a powerful tool.
• National HR education policy (i.e., South Africa ) and Regional education policy (Council of Europe).
• Current education reform/revitalization creates space for new ideas.
• Existing programs in schools (i.e., anti-violence, conflict resolution, anti-bullying, citizenship education).
• International Education Teachers’ Union integrates human rights education into its principles.

Teacher Training and Professional Development/Content Integration

• Teachers motivated and excited when talking about human rights.
• Openness of teachers to human rights education training.
• Licensing exam for teachers, includes a section on human rights (i.e., New York)
• Strong NGOs, Multinational, and International doing HRE.
• Global HRE Community that allows access to and sharing of materials, experiences, and best/emerging practices.
• Twinning program and pre-service faculty exchanges between organizations/universities in different regions.
• Free access to human rights education materials.
• Advancements in information technology, the Internet, and other multimedia.
• Right now HRE is supply, rather than demand, driven. How can we get teachers to see the need?
• In university, it is "either publish or perish." Could that be a good way to drive the agenda?
• Retired teachers and other community members may be a good source of HRE trainers for in-service training and support for teachers in teaching HRE in schools.
• Providing in-service teachers professional development opportunities for teaching exchanges with human rights schools or human rights organizations in other regions.
• Existing fellowship grants for professional development for teachers are available.
• Providing pre-service teachers with pre-service training opportunities in a human rights school or with a human rights educator mentor.
• Creating partnerships with HRE organizations and schools interested in teaching human rights.
• Developing an HRE Teachers’ Association to facilitate networking and teacher training.
• Existing Global Human Rights Education listserv (with more than 3,300 members is facilitated by the Human Rights Education Associates) as well as regional HRE listservs facilitated by HREA and local partners. A new Global HRE Network is anticipated and a World Conference on HRE will be held in November 2006.

CHALLENGES

Government and Educational Systems

• No national education policy in some countries and, in others where policy exists, no teacher training for HRE exists (i.e., Centralization vs. Decentralization).
• Education systems are in crises.
• Lack of finances and human resources.
• Social challenges (i.e., poverty, discrimination, and inequality).
• Lack of collaboration among stakeholders.
• Lack of infrastructure and no opportunity for in-service teacher education.

Teacher Training and Professional Development/Content Integration

• Lack of knowledge by teaching institutes/universities and schools of human rights training available in non-formal sector.
• Current traditional teaching methods in teacher training institutes/universities don’t take into account human rights.
• Lack of knowledge of human rights and skills of teacher educators and academics to provide HRE.
• Difficult to integrate human rights into a traditional teaching environment.
• Current model of professional development (i.e., one time training session with no follow-up hinders sustainability).
• Attitudes of teachers to change.
• Top down approach does not work with teachers.
• Not much support from governments for HRE (i.e., lack of resources and in many countries "the lip-service of government steals the day.”)
• Lack of access to human rights education materials for schools.
• Lack of a common understanding of human rights.
• Rights of individuals vs. group identity are issues when teaching about HRE.