September 3, 2003	Wednesday	Rajab 5, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, Sept 2: The government is introducing a new system in schools, under a project titled Human Rights Mass Awareness and Education, to create an understanding among the students through syllabus about their rights and responsibilities.

This was stated by education minister Zobaida Jalal while talking to reporters here on Tuesday. She said the government had paid much attention to the issues of human rights and dignity.

The ministries of education, law and justice, and human rights, under the financial assistance from NORAD and Swiss government, are executing the project.

Under the project, the education ministry has been entrusted with the task of curriculum material development and teachers education within three years (2001 to 2004). The project will include development of curriculum contents of human rights education at school level, infusion of HRE concepts in the existing textbooks of English, Urdu and Islamic studies, development of instructional material for teachers and organizing teacher’s orientation programmes.

The education ministry, with the involvement of experts from the federal and provincial levels, has developed curriculum contents on HRE at the elementary level (Class IV to VIII) to be included in the textbooks of English, Urdu and Islamic studies for all the four provincial textbooks boards. These books will be printed from the next academic session, the minister said.

To apprise the younger generation about the concepts of HR, roles and responsibilities, the teachers in school system will be trained to get desired attitudinal change among students, she said.

The education ministry, under the project, now plans to develop instructional material in the form of teacher guides. The project, an initiative of the education ministry, aims at highlighting the importance of human rights and helping the youth live a responsible and sensible life.

After the completion of the project, the ministry intends to institutionalize the activities through a regular programme. As a result, human rights aspects of caring and sharing, tolerance, truthfulness and conflict resolution, will become part of the school activities and its learning programmes.