A/HRC/36/24
commercial, technical and higher preparatory examination programmes, must develop and
improve knowledge of and respect for human rights. It also highlighted a governmental
action plan to prevent and combat bullying among children and a new bill implemented in
2017 extending protection against bullying amongst children and youth. As a result of a
survey on human rights education in secondary vocational schools, the Netherlands adopted
a decree on the examination and qualification requirements of vocational education,
requiring them to integrate human rights into their curricula as of 2016. The National
Human Rights Commission of Korea noted that the growth in human rights education
efforts in 2016 could be partially attributed to an amendment to the Act on the Welfare of
Persons with Disabilities concerning mandatory training on the rights of persons with
disabilities. The Plurinational State of Bolivia highlighted a series of laws supporting
human rights education.
10.
In Guatemala, a study conducted by the Procuraduría in 2015 found that human
rights were missing from the education system. In 2016, a technical group composed of the
Procuraduría, the International Institute for Social Reconciliation, the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP), OHCHR, the United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the human rights office of the Guatemalan
Archbishopric, in cooperation with civil society organizations, presented a plan to the
Ministry of Education for strengthening the citizenship education subject. The plan includes
teaching guides on themes such as historical memory, multiculturality and human rights,
which will be piloted in 2017 with 1,200 teachers. The Procuraduría also provided
information on related programmes reported by the Ministry of Education, including the
national strategy of citizenship education, consisting of teacher training, the development of
teaching materials, monitoring and evaluation.
Teaching and learning processes and tools
11.
Several States indicated that human rights were being taught in primary and
secondary schools. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, a course entitled “Democracy and human
rights” was introduced as an extracurricular subject in primary and secondary schools. In
the secondary schools of the Russian Federation, courses on social studies and history
included modules on human rights principles, legal norms and effective mechanisms for
human rights protection. They aim to develop students’ skills for critical analysis of
situations involving human rights and engage them in a constructive dialogue on finding
solutions to disputes. Serbia introduced a new curriculum with a subject on civic education
and human rights and empowered teachers to integrate human rights education into all
aspects of a student’s learning. The Commissioner for Human Rights of Azerbaijan
highlighted an educational programme for secondary school students, with the support of
the Ministry of Education, focusing on the rights of the child through a peer-to-peer
approach, whereby students are trained to conduct human rights briefings for lower level
classes. In Argentina, human rights were included as a transversal content in various
subjects in primary schools and more specifically within the ethical and citizenship
education subject in secondary schools; the Defensor del Pueblo highlighted various
projects, including La defensoría en la educación, in which secondary school students
discuss issues such as gender equality and discrimination, and a secondary school campaign
on human trafficking.
12.
States also highlighted the work of their respective Ministries of Education to revise
the national curricula. In Namibia, the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture revised the
national life skills curriculum, which integrates human rights education and covers issues
such as respect for diversity and religious freedom. In Germany, human rights education
measures were included in reforms of the framework curricula and guidelines. In Qatar, the
Ministry of Education and Higher Education ensured the integration of the principles of
human rights, women’s rights, children’s rights and international humanitarian law into the
national curricula. The Finnish Human Rights Centre reported that human rights education
was integrated into the new curriculum on basic education. In the framework of a
memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Education, the Afghanistan
Independent Human Rights Commission supported the Ministry in integrating human rights
education into school curricula at all levels. In Honduras, during 2015-2016 an agreement
between the Secretaría de Derechos Humanos, Justicia, Gubernación y Decentralización
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