Regional News of Monday, 13 September 2004

Source: GNA

Social Science Teachers attend human rights education workshop

Tamale, Sept 13, GNA - Some 40 Social Science teachers in Tamale are attending human rights education workshop as part of the policy to include human rights in the curriculum at the basic school level and as a special course at tertiary institutions. The forum, which forms part of a pilot programme, is to help the teachers to understand the concept of human rights and the appropriate methodologies to use in teaching human rights when the policy is implemented.

The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) is organizing the 10 days' workshop with the Ghana Education Service (GES) collaborating.

The teachers would be taken through: " the introduction to human rights education, fundamental human rights and freedoms, the rights and responsibilities of citizens under the 1992 constitution, culture and human rights, rights of women and vulnerable groups as well as the role of international and national human rights institutions" among others. Addressing the participants Mr Benjamin K. Opong, the Deputy Commissioner of CHRAJ in charge of Public Education and Anticorruption, said the country could realize its human development only when children were targeted and given serious human rights education.

"Human rights education will be the best legacy that we can bequeath them to respect the rights and views of others at their infancy and become useful citizens of the country".

Mr Dajiah J. Iddrisu, the Northern Regional Director of CHRAJ, told the teachers to ensure that the programme becomes successful in their schools and in their communities. 13 Sept 04