Pupils lack human rights understanding as a third of teachers feel ill-equipped to teach it, says new poll

A poll commissioned by Amnesty International and teachers’ magazine TES has found that one in three educators (32.9 per cent) does not feel equipped to teach human rights. Nearly half (47.4 per cent) think their learners do not appreciate the concept of human rights.

The survey additionally found that 46 per cent of children are unaware of their own human rights.

The TES-Amnesty survey was commissioned ahead of Amnesty’s Youth Awards, to assess how well human rights is understood in British schools and the level of commitment to it. It reveals a patchy level of confidence in teaching human rights and a varied degree of awareness among learners.

These findings are concerning yet hardly surprising. Although ‘human rights’ is on the statutory citizenship curriculum, it’s only explicit at key stage 4; key stage 3 requires learners to learn about ‘precious liberties’ yet not ‘human rights’. On top of that, about half of schools – that is, free schools and academies – are exempt from teaching the citizenship curriculum; and primary schools don’t have one to teach in the initial place.

Ann Mroz, Editor of TES, stated:

‘At a time of heightened interest in human rights it is fascinating that educators feel there is much seek to be done in this area in schools and in curriculum terms. As we look towards the anniversary of Magna Carta this year, it is surely good news that educators believe teaching human rights is so significant.’

Amnesty International’s Youth Awards Project Manager, Alice Edwards, stated:

‘These findings are a concern. Imagine if we were talking about English, Maths or Science? Human Rights are principles upon which we rely on a daily basis. Yet at Amnesty we know it’s not always easy for educators to find the space for human rights education in schools. That’s why we do everything we can to produce relevant, enriching curriculum linked materials to support educators in engaging their learners.’

Amnesty International spoke to a few of its student members to ask whether they agreed with these findings and what their peers thought of human rights.

Seventeen-year-old Rona Hardie stated:

‘Unfortunately there is a stigma that surrounds standing up for human rights amongst most teenagers I know. Yet on the other hand there is a basic appreciation of what it means to have a human right and why it is significant.’

Lizzie Wood, additionally 17, of Berkhamsted School, added:

‘The proposal of ‘human rights’ is thrown about a lot, yet not numerous query what it actually means. To many, it is a convenient excuse. Individuals know they have rights, yet not what exactly they are, or what impact not having rights would have.

‘In a society, and in a privileged corner of England, human rights are not discussed since they are never truly denied. When not personally affected, I find that global matters only go skin deep. Human rights are not a problem for the lucky few and consequently unworthy of attention. Like so numerous other commodities, we have taken them for granted.’ For further guidance, see the relevant UK information.