Behavioural shift: 'Wholehearted efforts to help include human rights subject at schools'

CCEP organises seminar titled "Citizens' Consultation on Institutional Architecture To Protect Human Rights".


Our Correspondent December 27, 2013
CCEP organises seminar titled "Citizens' Consultation on Institutional Architecture To Protect Human Rights". PHOTO: FILE

KARACHI:


Educationists and civil society members have stressed the need for wholehearted efforts to include human rights as a separate subject in the schools' curriculum in the country.


They were speaking at a seminar, titled "Citizens' Consultation on Institutional Architecture To Protect Human Rights", organised by the Centre for Civic Education Pakistan (CCEP) at the Sheraton Hotel on Thursday.

"Sindh is leading in making legislations but unfortunately laws are not enforced properly," said CCEP executive-director Zafarullah Khan. He said that the Sindh government has passed the Sindh Protection of Human Rights Act 2011 and formed the Sindh Commission for Human Rights, but the commission has not met its objectives because of the lack of awareness among people.

Khan said that in 2012, the federal government legislated to constitute the National Commission for Human Rights and the then president gave his assent, but the commission was not established although two parliamentary committees have been formed for the appointments of its chairperson and other members.

Referring to the directives of Justice Faisal Arab of the Sindh High Court to the provincial government to include human rights as a separate subject in the secondary schools' curriculum, Khan asked the educationists to elaborate on it.

He said that under the Pakistan Peoples Party government, there was a separate minister for human rights but the Pakistan Muslims League-Nawaz's government had given the responsibility to the law ministry.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 28th, 2013.

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