Guide on human rights curriculum in teacher education
This guide proposes a series of practical measures to strengthen human rights education in the curricula for teacher education. In particular, this guide is intended to support national human rights institutions (NHRIs) in promoting human rights education (HRE) in order to support States’ fulfilment of their human rights obligations and meet the commitments on sustainable development and SDG target 4.7.
This guide has two parts:
- Practical guidance with a step-by-step suggestion on how to seek impact on curriculum processes in teacher education programmes.
- Conceptual guidance that unpacks the various concepts concerning human rights education and teacher education.
The guide focuses on the formal education system, with an aim of mainstreaming HRE in official teacher education structures.
The guide will strengthen an understanding of the implementation of HRE in teacher education as a precondition for, and essential part of, implementing HRE in primary and secondary schools. As such, it complements thE Danish Institute for Human Rights' “Guide on Human Rights Education Curriculum Development in primary and secondary schools” (2021).
By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development.
In addition, the guide will support NHRIs in using their monitoring data on HRE in teacher education strategically, both when it comes to international reporting to human rights mechanisms, and in relation to national SDG review processes.
NHRIs can influence laws, policies and guidelines on teacher education, e.g., the curriculum, by making the responsible authorities aware of gaps, and of their human rights obligation to ensure that teachers are equipped to teach about, through and for human rights, and can build a rights-based and non-discriminatory school environment.
As watchdogs and advisers to governments, NHRIs can provide data, and make concrete suggestions for States’ implementation of HRE in teacher education curricula in accordance with their treaty-bound human rights obligations. Regulative documents such as curricula can become agents of change,4 and by strengthening the HRE curriculum in teacher education, NHRIs can have the most sustainable impact, as it will affect the education of future citizens.
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