Human rights lessons for students
Government schools across Tamil Nadu are going to introduce human rights education in their new curriculum to make students aware of the basic rights. The subject will be taught from standard VI to VIII from the new academic year.

O’ father, thou art the saviour
The majority of students are still financially dependent on their parents today. “That’s no news,” You are right, but what if we told you it wasn’t in India this time? Richard Garner of The Independent discovers the trend in Britain, which just might prompt some of us to say: “At last, the British have got it right.”

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Human rights lessons for students

Government schools across Tamil Nadu are going to introduce human rights education in their new curriculum to make students aware of the basic rights.

The subject will be taught from standard VI to VIII from the new academic year.

The decision received a final approval by the state government on April 1. The order was issued by the Department of Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare and will be implemented between 2005-06 and 2007-09 in 258 schools, by 492 teachers.

The programme aims at reaching out to all sections of society and developing awareness among children about human rights and how they can avail themselves of these rights. The dropout rate in the primary schools in Tamil Nadu is as high as 52.45 per cent. This kind of programme has benefited students like Raghu and his sister, who were studying in the same school until his sister attained puberty. The lesson of equality between genders inspired Raghu and he asked his parents to send her to school further, and they accepted.

One of the schools implementing the programme is the Madurai-based Institute of Human Rights Education. The campaign was already rooted in the United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education 1994-2004.

But the designing of the curriculum was a challenge, since there was no precedent to such a programme. “When we teach human rights, it cannot be textbook-oriented or exam-oriented. Rather, it has to relate to the real life of students. It is in this context that designing the curriculum was a challenge, as there was no precedent. The international syllabus had to be applied in the Indian context. All these aspects have been taken into consideration, while formulating the textbooks,” said Dr I. Devasahayam, Associate Director for Institute of Human Rights Education (IHRE).

The programme has three modules—Introduction to Human Rights, Child Rights and Discrimination. The modules are available in Tamil and English, but the subject is popular with the students, since there are no examinations conducted for the subject at the end of the year.

The participation of students in schools is more than just compared to colleges. “The classes are more interactive and the students are open to new ideas,” Dr Devasahayam feels.

Human rights education was launched in 1997-98 in private schools, which included 1756 students and 90 teachers. The reason for the introduction of human rights as subject in the village schools is to eliminate discrimination and inequalities among the backward sections.

IHRE now plans to launch the programme in 10 other states of the country. Inspired by the success of the programme in schools, it was started in a few selected colleges. The 1986 National Policy on Education laid down, for the first time in the history of Indian education, a national curriculum framework as the basis for building the national system of education.

Most of the common core elements identified in the policy were related to one or other dimension of human rights education: the history of India’s Freedom Movement, constitutional obligations, and other content essential to nurture national identity.

It was laid down that these elements would cut across subject areas and be designed to promote values such as country’s common cultural heritage, egalitarianism, democracy and secularism, equality of the sexes, protection of the environment, removal of social barriers, observance of the small family norm and inculcation of the scientific temper.

It also recommended placing local problems within the broad framework of these themes. — ANI

O’ father, thou art the saviour

The majority of students are still financially dependent on their parents today. “That’s no news,” You are right, but what if we told you it wasn’t in India this time? Richard Garner of The Independent discovers the trend in Britain, which just might prompt some of us to say: “At last, the British have got it right.”

The majority of students are still financially dependent on their parents today.

A poll of 1,200 students who graduated in 2002 for the Royal Bank of Scotland revealed that 58 per cent were still relying on their parents to tide them over three years later.

Many had moved back home in a bid to avoid bills, it added.

The report also revealed that 56 per cent of them were dissatisfied with the salaries they were earning three years on and less than a third (27 per cent) were happy with the amount they were saving.

The report comes at a time of growing controversy over student finance, with top-up fees of up to £ 3,000 a year set to be introduced by universities in September 2006.

Figures show the average student is leaving university with debts of £ 13,501, a rise of 12 per cent on 2004.

Critics of top-up fees claim they will lead to students leaving university with even bigger debts in future.

However, the report said of the class of 2002: “Financial reliance on parents was a key theme for graduates three years after university with well over half surprised at how they have had to rely on their parents for help with money.” Donna Ewing, head of graduate banking for the RBS, said: “These findings confirm that the financial path after graduation does not always run smoothly.” Amongst the graduates who have found it necessary to rely on their parents for financial help is Julian Dobson, aged 26, a sociology graduate from Durham University.

He moved back home to live with his parents and is now working as a bar manager in Cowbridge, Wales, their hometown. Julian said he wanted to save money on rent and added that he felt lucky to have such understanding parents.

Alexandra Cocklin, 25, who graduated from Sheffield University with a BA honour’s degree in history and is now working as a marketing administrator in higher education, said: “You may have to cut back on your student lifestyle when you first graduate.

“It’s important to only shop and go out within your means, but a bit of budgeting means you can still enjoy yourself while you want to land the perfect graduate job.” The report also revealed that engineering graduates were the most satisfied with their lot three years after graduating. Eighty per cent were happy with their work and reckoned they were given good opportunities for training and development leading to promotion opportunities.

By contrast, those who had gone into the hospitality industry only scored a thirty per cent satisfaction rating. Under a third (27 per cent) were satisfied with the hours they worked, while less than one in five (18 per cent) were satisfied with the training and development and promotion opportunities they received.

Wrexham was named the town in the UK where graduates were most likely to be able to afford to take out a mortgage within three years of leaving university.

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