School-Based Understanding of Human Rights in Four Countries: A Commonwealth Study. Education Research Paper.

This project is the result of a three year study of a sample of secondary schools in Botswana, India, Northern Ireland, and Zimbabwe. The study is backed up by longer interviews with students, teachers, and administrators, an audit of the curriculum, a review of educational materials, and an examination of the teacher education available. A questionnaire was administered to 915 students aged 14 and 16 in 23 schools. The study was designated as a key Commonwealth contribution to the United Nations Decade of Human Rights Education. It looked at how the education systems are currently providing an infrastructure for human rights in these member states. The project concentrated on: (1) how national commitments to human rights instruments are reflected in the school curriculum; (2) whether young people are acquiring basic concepts in selected dimensions of human rights; (3) what the difference two years of study makes to the understanding of young people; (4) whether there are any significant variations between countries (by gender or between different types of school within the same country); (5) what are the key priorities identified for strengthening this area of the curriculum; and (6) what scope there is for Commonwealth cooperation in the future. (Contains 45 references.) (BT)