05 Aug 2016

Patna, 5 August. A consultation meeting on Human Rights Education Training for educator teachers was held on the premises of Asian Development Research Institute.  Delivering the keynote address, ADRI Director Professor Prabhat P. Ghosh said that the human rights scenario in the country is very weak, particularly in Bihar.  He talked about the need for dignity and justice, development, environment and culture.  Human rights will be attained only when everybody participates.  The punitive part of human rights is nearly meaningless as it is difficult to punish violations.  It is more important to prevent violation.  Professor Padmalata Thakur of Patna University wanted human rights education to be so enabled so as to make it transformative.  She said that an egalitarian society can be achieved only through fortification of the foundation of human rights by gender sensitization.  Akhilesh Kumar, DPM, Jeevika talked about the need and scope of Human Rights Education in school education.  Gyandeo Mani Tripathi, Head Master in Hajipur, wanted ADRI to work with private institutions also in human rights education orientation and training. The Chair of the Meeting, Shrimati Nisha Jha, Chairperson of Bihar State CRPC suggested that children could learn about human rights through cartoons.  She did not want that we should look at human rights as a duty of society.  Instead, we should see how we can make a good human being.  Smt. Abha Rani and Dr. Imtiyaz of SCERT also spoke on the occasion. Smt. Abha Rani disagreed about teaching human rights as a separate subject.  She spoke about the need to remove bias from school textbooks.  Shree Sudeep Pandey of ADRI suggested that sports be given more importance in the education of school children so that they develop the ability to solve problems.  Rashmi Jha of Patna University stressed on the importance of introducing human rights education at the school level rather than later on in life.  Also present were Dr. Tej Narayan of SCERT, and Dr. Binodanand Jha, Director, Mass Education, Government of Bihar and Shri N. P. Narayan of Research and Training, Education Department, Government of Bihar and a number of principals of DIET and teachers of Teacher Training colleges.  The meeting was coordinated by Shree Rajesh Kumar Singh, State Coordinator of the Institute of Human Rights Education, Madurai.