HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION: ISSUES AND CHALLENGES

IJEGBAI, ROBERT UWAIFO (ijegbaimpp@yahoo.com)

Department of Social Studies

Collegeof Education Ekiadolor-Benin

Abstract

The decade for Human Rights Education declared by the United Nationsunderscores the concern of the international community on the subject ofHuman Rights education. The paper posits the need for the United Nationsand other regional organizations to alliance with the Americas, Asia,Middle East and non-governmental organizations to improve on theuniversal awareness of human rights, employing both formal and informalteaching strategies. Education here will promote the understanding,tolerance, peace, and friendly relations between nations and all racial orreligious groups and encourage the development of the United Nationsactivities in pursuance of literacy programmes and the dissemination ofhuman rights information. In conclusion the paper adds that boththeoretical and practical inclinations play important roles in the promotionand respect for human rights with regards to individual differences withoutdistinction of any kind such as race, sex, language or religion. Hence, theneed for human rights education policies should be entrenched in schoolcurriculum and at all levels in the academia. Despicably, in Nigeria, fewpeople are knowledgeable about matters relating to human rights andhow important such rights are to the very existence of mankind.

Introduction

The need to entrench human rights education in the

curriculum of Nigerian universities is of great

importance and relevance to the human race. There is no

field of law which is not connected in one way to the

other with duties, privileges, immunities and rights of

man. Such legal fields include: constitutional law,

administrative law, international law, company and

commercial law, property law, law of torts among

others. The teaching of human rights as an independent

course will further stimulate the awareness, in our

youth, of these rights. This process is capable of

enhancing the development and expression of ‘human

personality’ which is sin qua non to the building of an

effective opposition and possible extermination of all

forms of social and economic oppression, political

victimization and marginalization in the Nigerian

society ( Derbey et al 1979).

The wheel of society moves freely and smoothly when the

atmosphere of human rights exist. Victims of denials

are constantly struggling to regain their rights; the

perpetrators are forever struggling to safeguard their

positions which are eternally threatened by their wrong

doing. These parties stand poised to condemn atrocities

or even give material or moral supports to the victims

of human rights violations. Basically, the widespread

denial of human rights causes insecurity, instability,

and the loss of the gains made in nation building. The

human rights guarantee in the constitution are

sacrosanct that nullifies affront to the philosophy of

human rights. In this era of globalization when the

world is undergoing a drastic change in all aspect of

human endeavour-political, social economical,

ecological, science and technological. Education is

seen as the foundation of sustainable human

development. The chief dictate of human development is

investment in human capital or potential that is,

development of human faculties and capacities (Farrant,

1984).

In the content of literacy, human is seen as a movement

of struggle dedicated to improving people’s lives with

their initiatives and meaningful participation using

their initiatives. There is however, one variable with

greater influence on our world (UNESCO, 2004).

The resources of the three (3) tiers of government that

is Federal, State and Local Government in Nigeria

today, is sufficient to meet the need of education of

this country. Very often a given proportion of the

annual budgets of the various tiers of government are

allocated to education for the benefit of the formal

school system, leaving the non-formal system with

little and insufficient amount to meet the needs of the

programme. The increasing rate of school dropout and

multitude of adults who missed the formal school system

or education lead to an ever growing rate of illiteracy

in our society. In seeking to redress this situation,

the involvement of Non-Government Organization has been

advocated. Today the NGOs have been involved in

promoting literacy education National Policy on

Education 2004).

What are rights?

According to Dowrick (1995) rights are wants, desires

aspirations that people have and express. The claims

are supported by or in accord with some objective,

standard or some general theory, whether those of a

code of morality, ethical theory, legal, political,

moral, any of the two or three. It is legal when it can

be legally implemented. Human rights relate for human

beings.

The paper adds that human rights lend themselves to

specific variations and different interpretations in

certain contexts. The right to life is the most

important of these rights, and it is absolute in some

jurisdictions and no death sentence may be imposed for

any offence. Nevertheless, in other jurisdiction,

serious offences such as murder or treason attract the

death sentence.

Basically, human rights as the rights of man was first

evolved as a specific tradition of political philosophy

in the writings of Spinoza and Hobbes, which later

matured into the writing of Locke, Montesquieu,

Rousseau and Kant, among others. These philosophers

were of the view that all legitimate government derives

its authority solely from the consent of the governed.

Thus, every individual in the society possesses certain

claims and rights that cannot be taken away and which

he cannot surrender to any human authority. Nowadays,

it has been generally recognized and accepted that

individuals possess certain definite political,

economic, social and civil rights which governments

must protect. As a result, different societies have

struggled to enshrine human rights in their

constitutions and political traditions. Examples of

this, which influenced constitutional and legal

development all over the world, can be found in the

Magna Charta of England (1215), the Unite States

Declaration of Independence(1776) and the French

Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen (1789).

The world community also recognized and enshrined human

rights provisions in numerous international

conventions, the most important of which is the

international Bill of Human Rights proclaimed and

adopted at various times by the United Nations General

Assembly. The various Nigerian constitution as since

independence have provided for the protection and

observance of rights of its citizens.

Providing a solid educational foundation for human

rights

The paper posits that human rights education should be

carried out at all levels of education-primary,

secondary, and tertiary. This will ensure a wide

coverage-reaching many of our youths, even those who

cannot afford higher education. Also, teaching those at

the primary and secondary schools will provide a good

foundation for the introduction, appreciation and

facilitation of human rights education in Nigerian

Higher Education Institutions. Opting for this approach

will be necessary to structure the curriculum and

teaching at the various levels to meet the needs and

levels of the students.

Within the curriculum

Human rights education could be carried out within the

“mainstream” of the school academic work. This involves

having lectures and examinations, this can be carried

out as compulsory or elective courses- the examination

scores of the human rights courses will be used in the

computation of the students’ final grades and must be

passed before students are graduated.

It suffices to say that separate courses or topics

within courses can be combined at any given time using

different combinations that may be adopted by different

faculties or schools or departments for students at

different academic levels. For instance, Year I and II

may have human rights topics within a broad course (e.

g under General Studies). The course may be compulsory

and without credit load. Year III and IV students may

have it as topics within a compulsory course with

credit units under constitutional Law Course. The Year

V students may have it as a separate elective course

with credit units. These may be a need to carry out

refresher courses on human rights for lecturers. Each

tertiary institution may be asked to nominate a

representative to develop ways of reaching curriculum

development for public law courses to advocate for the

introduction of human rights courses and topics in the

various higher education institutions.

Outside the curriculum

The Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) will help to

create more awareness among students especially those

from other facilities that may not have had the

opportunity of having human rights education in their

curriculum. Aina, (1982) stipulates that the approach

may take the form of establishing a human right club to

educate and sensitize the members and the community

about on human rights issues. Human rights festivals

could also be organized to deliver lectures, present

drama and do some music. Other activities may include

the donation of books on human rights education to

Faculties and Departments as well as the libraries.

Prizes could also be given to best scoring students in

human rights courses sustained annually. Researches in

human rights could also be encouraged (Ogundele, 1978).

Case studies of human rights violations

Human rights are very practical issues rather than pure

ethical ones. The history of the internationalization

of human rights can be analyzed and understood in the

background of the expansion of international commerce

and globalization. It has become an essential feature

of the preservation of international peace and security

which are necessary for the continuous growth of

national economy and commerce (Lawal, 2004).

The adequate consideration of both national and

international crisis especially in Africa portrays for

instance Liberia under Samuel Doe’s administration

threatened the peace and economic growth of the abuse

of human rights. Also, the Nazi holocaust and the

devastating effect of the Second World War made it

clear that the abuse of human rights in one part of the

world is a potential threat to international peace and

security (Makinde, 1977).

In Nigeria, the landmark of sort in the Abacha

administration’s ceaseless violation of the fundamental

rights included the commencement of the trial of Ken-

Saro Wiwa, Nigeria leading minority rights advocate and

President of the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni

People (MOSSOP), his deputy Ledum Mitee and scores of

Ogoni activists who were eventually executed. Of

recent, the state Governor-elect Ayodele Fayose, of

Ekiti State in Nigeria have been dragged by the Senior

Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) to the National Human Rights

Commission (NHRC), over alleged violation of their

rights to practice as lawyers. These are just a few to

mention among others in Nigeria.

Conclusion

In the light of the discussion, the paper is by no

means an exhaustive study of human right education that

would require enormous effort and detailed analysis

indicators that is largely concerned with the

effectiveness of methodologies in use for communicating

human rights education among others. Most probably, it

will take years before the transition from the

pretence of human rights educators in saying some words

and which of the methods recommended for use in

teaching human rights education for the human factor-

dominated discourse. But the transition has already

begun and there is no turning back.

RECOMMENDATION

For a rapid development within the field of human

rights education research development in the recent

years both conceptually and methodologically, the

following recommendations are made:

i. The government should encourage a systematic

academic research often seems to be distant from

the immediate concern of human rights education.

ii. The people should be encouraged to dig into a

historical construction of human value, desires

and practices across different periods in their

history.

iii.A social, cultural and economic globalization in

such a way that community leaders could be

carried along to help shape the contemporary

human rights matters should be encouraged.

iv. There should be working templates to monitor all

programmes being implemented on human rights

education.

v. Human rights education issues should be infused

into the in-service training programmes for

educators.

vi. A streamlined data collection and utilization

format for tracking implementation on human

rights education programmes should be introduced

in the higher institutions.

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