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`Rights education will instil confidence'

Staff Reporter

Cusat plays host to the regional conference on human rights education

MAKING A POINT: Kerala High Court Judge K.S. Radhakrishnan interacting with Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the Cochin University of Science and Technology N.D. Inasu at a regional conference on human rights education in the city on Tuesday. Photo: Mahesh H arilal

KOCHI : University Grants Commission (UGC) Vice-Chairman Mool Chand Sharma has said that human rights education needs to impart confidence in people to stand for their rights and the rights of others.

Speaking at the regional conference on human rights education held at Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) on Tuesday, Prof. Sharma said the challenge before human rights education was to make people understand their life structure, deconstruct their experiences and values.

"Ensuring human rights means building a culture that is more sensitive, reflective and responsive to human suffering, pains, needs and aspirations. Human rights education aims to do so by spreading awareness of the rights enjoyed by the weak, poor and ignorant," he said.

Prof. Sharma said human rights education was not a simple affair. It is multi-disciplinary, multi-experienced, and requires deep commitment. In this kind of education, teaching and learning should lead to action. This action should lead to classroom learning.

He said human rights education demanded skimming away some of our prejudices and beliefs that were derogatory to the dignity of others. Such an education should lead people to understand the differences and believe in the positive value of pluralism, he said.

Highlighting the importance of human rights education, Prof. Sharma said the efforts have to be made to include human rights as a topic in the curriculum pursued by the youth.

"It is our young people who are the voters, legislators, judges, teachers and police officers of tomorrow. Human rights education is one of the most reliable investment a society can make in the future," he said.

Kerala High Court judge K.S. Radhakrishnan said that delay in the disposal of cases pending before the courts could be considered as a violation of human rights. He stressed the need to speed up trial proceedings.

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