OSCE trains human rights educators in Armenia

AGHVERAN, Armenia, 19 April 2013 – Teacher-trainers in Armenia will learn how to design human rights education that relates to students’ daily life in a three-day course that started today in Aghveran, Armenia.

“The school and education system is crucial in ensuring that future generations are educated on human rights and fundamental freedoms. By developing human rights learning we can help young people to exercise and claim their rights in everyday life,” said Ambassador Andrey Sorokin, Head of the OSCE Office in Yerevan.

Some 35 teacher-mentors for secondary schools from different regions of Armenia and specialists from the National Institute of Education responsible for training social science teachers will also discuss challenges and issues in planning, implementing and evaluating human rights education in secondary schools.

One-day workshops will be held in all the regions to monitor the impact of this course on the teaching and learning process as well as to help spread the skills acquired to the broader teaching community.

The course is taught by the Armenian Centre for Democratic Education – CIVITAS with the support of the OSCE Office in Yerevan. The Office will also present the recently elaborated Guidelines in Human Rights Education for Secondary School Systems developed by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights //www.osce.org/odihr/93969.

Human rights issues and themes were incorporated into state curricula for secondary schools (grades 8 to 10) in Armenia in 2001. Since 2010 the OSCE has been working with the Ministry of Education and Science to advance human rights education in formal and non-formal education.