The Preparatory meeting of HRE

Human Rights Education

Along with protesting against violation of human rights, MASUM, since its inception has been trying to connect with various sections of society, particularly the marginalized ones, and generate in them an awareness of rights. With this end in view, MASUM has organized workshops in different areas in Hooghly, Medinipur, Murshidabad, North and South 24 Parganas to interact with the people on the rights issue. MASUM believes that Human Rights (HR) campaign should not be confined to protests and demonstrations only. HR should be a part of our culture, our outlook on life.

Against this background, at the invitation of People's Watch - Tamil Nadu (PW-TN), MASUM took part in a convention at Madurai during 4-5 April this year. PW- TN has been working in Human Rights education over the last six years and has set an example in India by introducing Human Rights as a subject in a sizeable number of secondary schools in Tamilnadu. It was decided at the convention that PW-TN's attempt would be extended to ten other states and MASUM was selected for the task in West Bengal.

Back in Kolkata, MASUM organized an inaugural programme on 29 April at Rotary Sadan.

The Preparatory meeting

The Preparatory meeting on National Programme for Human Rights Education in Schools in West Bengal was held at Rotary Sadan, Kolkata on 29th April 2005. The Meeting was organised by Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM) with supports from Peoples' Watch-Tamilnadu. The meeting started at 5-00 p.m. and continued till 9-00 p.m.

Justice Samaresh Bannerjee (Retd.) Calcutta High Court, now attached with Legal Service Authority, West Bengal, as its chairman presided over the meeting. About 50 people (attendance registered 38) from different walks of life attended the meeting. It includes educationists, human rights activists, lawyers, teachers, central govt officers (HRD), social activists involved with women's organisations, activists from West Midnapur district, mental-health organisations, local NGOs, local members of Amnesty International, HRLN-Kolkata chapter and representatives from UNICEF.

Outlines of the first module of study for HRE for the students in West Bengal, prepared by MASUM was distributed among the participants for discussion.

In his introductory deliberation, Sri Kirity Roy, Secretary of MASUM spoke at large about the UN World programme on human rights education and stressed on the necessity of introducing the same at school level in our country. He also spoke about the initiatives so far taken by PW-TN with this regard, its great experiences and the plans and programmes chalked out at a recent national meet of the NGOs in Madurai, this year. The decisions taken in that meeting was also explained. Mr. Gautam Sen has been selected after due consideration to act as State Coordinator. Sri Roy introduced elaborately the contents of the modules of study, devised by PW-TN and also one by MASUM commensurate with the standard of the students in West Bengal with citing instances of consciousness of rights in the psyche of the Bengali mind.

Justice Samaresh Bannerjee, also spoke, with illustrative cases, incidents, episodes, why the Human Rights Education should be started at school level, immediately. He also narrated about the possible hindrances in carry out the programme but also stressed in doing something for the cause of human rights education, despite all odds.

Sri Henri Tiphagne, Executive Director of Peoples' Watch - Tamilnadu spoke in detail with audio-visual presentation about the proposed human rights education programme-the mission, it's objects, narrating his own experience in conducting the same in the state of Tamilnadu - how their organisation initiated the programme, facing the problems and overcoming the odd situations. There was a lively interactive session with Henri and he handled all questions and quarries in lucid terms.

There was a lot of good suggestions and responses from the participants - even some good critiques. Sri Amitabha Dutta, Principal of an English Medium School expressed his solidarity with the proposed HRE programme in West Bengal with a commitment for extending future support. Dr. Subrata Chatterjee, a retired Head Master of a high school suggested for taking initiative to integrate the HRE programme with the projects like 'Education for all' and others, so far taken by the WBBSE. Sri Bilas Majumder, Vice President of MASUM and a teacher, imparting lessons to the street-children raised the point 'how he could reply to a starving student, if he would ask about his/her right to food?' The meeting had taken notes of all the suggestions.

Three modules of HRE, introduced by PW-TN were distributed among the participants. All the participants wholeheartedly supported the mission of introducing HRE in schools but were unequivocal in introducing a Bengali module, suitable for the students in West Bengal considering their standard. Kirity Roy informed the participants that initiatives had already been taken by MASUM and a Bengali module is almost ready and to be distributed to the teachers and specialists in the field of education for further discussion with regard. Henri suggested for a meeting on a larger scale at a convenient and spacious place so that more participants could be invited. It was decided to hold the next meeting on 11/12th June, 2005 and was informed to the participants accordingly.

Mr. Sandip Bandyopadhyay, a noted education-rights activist of West Bengal shared his experience. He urged to incorporate the local names/incidents instead of Tamil names, in the module set up by PW-TN. He also offered himself to translate and/or restructuring of the module in Bengali language, which was accepted by the meeting.