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Teach human rights: QC

Anna Patty

29 March 2009 - Australian students should be taught human rights as a school subject, Geoffrey Robertson, QC, says.

The human rights lawyer and former Epping Boys High School student yesterday addressed a national public education forum in Canberra where he spoke about the introduction of human rights in the British school curriculum. The 12-week citizenship course will be compulsory in all British schools from 2011 and be taught in two to three periods a week.

Mr Robertson said the departments of justice and school education had evaluated a trial of the new subject in Hampshire and found it helped energise students and improve their behaviour. It also helped improve their self-confidence. Teachers reported it had made their jobs more enjoyable.

Among the course tasks, students were asked to consider a fictional set of school rules that included statements such as "teachers may hit students at any time", "students must convert to the head teacher's religion", "teachers can go through students' bags at any time and examine their property" and "anyone who criticises the new rules will be punished".

Students were also encouraged to call talkback radio programs and write letters to the editor to develop their ability to think critically about world events.

Mr Robertson said the new course would form a solid basis for teaching students about values. He was critical of the approach former education minister, Brendan Nelson, had taken with posting value statements on school walls.

After hearing the Education Minister, Julia Gillard, address the conference on Friday night, Mr Robertson said she had failed to address the need to make public education a first priority.

"A real [education] revolution will come when state schools set the standards," he said. "Then, and only then, will we have equity."

Mr Robertson also advocated the introduction of a bill of rights in Australia, saying it would have strong educational value.

"It increases a sense of confidence of national pride and citizenship. It induces a greater stability and humanity. It is a barrier against bloody-minded bureaucrats and requires them to treat the people with dignity.

"The most important impact in the bill of rights has been in making the public service more alert to ways in which peoples' rights can be denied."

The convenor of Save Our Schools, Trevor Cobbold, who previously worked for the productivity commission, said Australia should be learning from education systems in Finland, not those of America and Britain as proposed by the Federal Government.

"Australian disadvantaged students are six months ahead of those in the UK and 18 months ahead of those in the US. [But] Finnish disadvantaged students are some 12 to 18 months ahead of some Australian students.

"Overall, Finland's most disadvantaged students are over 18 months ahead of those in the UK and about 2.5 years or more ahead of those in the US."

Source: Sydney Morning Herald

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