CHRAJ pushes for human rights in schools

The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) is engaging the Ministry of Education on the possibility of integrating human rights education in the Ghanaian school system.

As a first step, the CHRAJ has presented a document titled, “Mainstreaming human rights education in the Ghanaian school system”.

A three-man delegation from CHRAJ led by the Deputy Commissioner of CHRAJ, Mercy Larbi, met with the Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Adu-Twum, over the issue at his office.

Stand alone

Ms Larbi highlighted that the commission, in partnership with the Danish Institute for Human Rights and other stakeholders, had developed a framework to standardise human rights education in pre-tertiary schools.

She expressed the commission’s desire for human rights to be introduced as a stand-alone subject in schools.

New subject

In response, Dr Adutwum explained that adding a new subject would not be feasible due to the crowded nature of the curriculum.

Instead, he proposed embedding human rights into existing subjects, such as Our World, Our People and Government, at the junior and senior high school levels respectively.

For younger learners, he suggested developing storybooks focused on human rights for kindergarten to primary six, which could serve as compulsory supplementary readers.

The minister further recommended extending human rights education to the tertiary level, making it part of examinable coursework, particularly for professions such as teaching and nursing, whose practitioners often serve as first responders in human rights violations.

The meeting concluded with a strong commitment from both sides to prioritise the integration of human rights education into Ghana’s school system, recognising it as a crucial step towards shaping responsible, informed citizens and fostering a culture of respect and dignity for all.