First: Preface

“Should the condemned people face the death penalty?” This human rights issue causes great discussion. It affects the fate of Minister of Justice. Similarly, the student's human rights also have received the large scale emphasis in the recent years and have taken seriously. But lately partial students’ sloppy life and weird behavior have caused several professors’ criticism. In contrast, some educators take conservative attitude toward students. It also raises the students’ rebuttals, such as the protest event, taking off the trousers, of nearly 2000 Tainan Girls’ High School students. How on earth to deal with the students’ human rights, how to carry on the human rights education are worth discussing.

Human rights are innate fundamental rights of people, regardless of race, sex, rank, etc. The government or individuals of any group must not arbitrarily deprive, infringe people and even actively provide opportunities for personal expression and development in order to achieve respect for individual dignity and pursue the bright life goal. The human rights education is to help us understand that we, human being, should enjoy the basic living conditions, including the physical, mental and spirit development. This article elaborates the human rights education by the middle school practice, mainly divides into three parts: first—the education essence and the human rights education; second-- school several human rights issues and measures; third-- the conclusion.

Second: The education essence and the human rights education connotation

A. The education essence

The education essence is to develop individual potential, to adapt them to the community and to achieve the better development. Each person has his own ability. How to display his capacity, grow up happily, learn the principles to conduct himself and the methods of handling things, finally be able to adapt to the society and have the good development are what the education should play.

The subject of education is the people. Educational Basic Law second clause of our country: “The people are subjects of the educational right. The purpose of education is to raise the people’s sound personality, the democratic accomplishment, law ideas, humanity acquirement, physical fitness, thinking, judgment, creativity, and to promote their respect for basic human rights and the understanding, concern for different countries, races, genders, religions, and cultures in order to be modernized citizens with the national consciousness and the international visual field. Nations, educational institutions, teachers, parents should take responsibility of providing assistance so as to realize the antecedent educational goal.” These clearly point out the educational goal, schools’ responsibility and refer to the respect for human rights.

B. The human rights education

Human rights are inherent. We can say the human right is people’s “dignity.” But nowadays some people suppose that as long as they like, every thing is OK. They extremely take seriously to strive for their own so-called human rights, but to hinder other people’s. They neglect that others also have deserved human rights and dignity. This kind of thought and attitude is unhealthy. We discuss the human rights education in order to make everybody have the healthy human rights attitude and behavior.

The human rights education is the human rights study and practice. The central idea of human rights education is to constantly explore respect for the human dignity and the humanity behavior principle. And then social members are aware of the importance of individual dignity and respect for others. It can be seen that “respect” is the human rights basic concept. Mutual rights and responsibilities are the agreement which each person should strictly observe in the fair society. Therefore, the human rights education is the guidance of cooperation, fairness, justice and other concepts and then promotes the understanding and practice of the individual right and responsibility, the community responsibility and the global responsibility.

Third: Several human rights problems in schools and responding measures

In schools, the relevant students’ human rights issues may generally divide into five aspects

A. The traditional thought and the stereotyped impression are remaining. For example, in families and schools, many people still believe “spare the rod and spoil the child” and other violations of basic human rights concepts. Team coaches are anxious to have players make great progress by various corporal punishments. Although some parents put forward and expose it, others also approve this educational mode. In addition, the adult-centered education concept is still prevalent. Parents and teachers often take “it is good for students” as a reason, replacing or not letting students disclose the right. Adults fail to offer students abundant information, analyze their characteristics, let them self-explore, find their own specialty and get the adaptive development, etc.

B. The students of disadvantaged groups do not receive sufficient care. The students of disadvantaged groups can not obtain the reasonable, adequate upbringing in their families. The condition extends to schools and affects their study. For instance, students from domestic violence, poor family sanitary, bad habits, families which paying little attention or taking incompetent instruction, the weak domestic economy cannot have fair education chances and so on.

C. Poor school education: Because of being unable to teach students in accordance with their aptitude, insufficient educational resources, non-hard-working educators, unqualified teachers, improper educational administration, etc., our students who graduated from junior high schools lack basic scholastic ability. They have a lot of difficulties in the life later on.

D. The attitude of thinking nothing but entering a higher school distorts the normal educational learning. Middle school education should be moral, intellectual, physical, social and aesthetic---round developed. Because entering a higher school first, the intellectual learning occupies students most time. Other learning, such as life experience, life education, arts study, integrated activities or something else, is suppressed and squeezed.

E. The relevant data of personal privacy has not been properly protected. The data of students is frequently obtained by cram schools. It causes students distress, resulting in damage to their human rights.

Responding measures:

1. The idea communication: Communicate human rights ideas to the school staff through workshops and relevant meetings. Urge to respect the student human rights and esteem the personal privacy right. In particular, if teachers can realize the connotation of the human rights education by the appropriate teaching materials and teaching strategies, and with the suitable class management, the school human rights environment improvement to cultivate the future generation with the human rights accomplishment.

2. Impel the friendly campus, strengthen software and hardware facilities, create the safe, warm campus without obstacles. Make the school educational activities based on caring, equality, security and respect. Mold the warm, harmonious campus environment. Enable students to have joyful and effective study.

3. Assist disadvantaged groups to learn. Provide free lunches, remedy teaching. If necessary, help to arrange the safe asylum; offer psychological counseling and so on. Implement the special education and relevant service measures.

4. Strengthen the school life education, life experience activities, the integrated activity curriculum. Let students learn to cherish life, respect others and balance various developments.

5. Counsel students to establish the autonomy. Encourage them to participate in the school public affairs. Promote democratic accomplishment. Enhance the education of laws and citizens.

Fourth: The conclusion

Secondary education students are from teenagers to grow into young people. In this period, students’ change is the greatest and their plasticity is the highest. If the human rights education at the right moment can be correctly inculcated from knowledge, skill, to the values formation, the impact of habit cultivation is far-reaching. So we can see the importance of human rights education in middle schools.

In order to complete the school human rights education, the school must first mold a suitable environment and atmosphere to promote the human rights. Let students learn about human rights knowledge and action skills in the environment of sincere concern and mutual respect, so that in daily life, they can carry out by actual efforts, form the habit, freely display themselves, and accept others’ opinions. Cultivate students’ behavior and attitude of respect, tolerance, caring for others and the environment.

Therefore, the concrete approaches of human rights education in schools are as follows:

1. The school staff and parents communicate the concept of human rights education.

2. Create the barrier-free learning environment and friendly campus.

3. Care for disadvantaged groups and special education students.

4. Enhance integrated activities, life education and life experience activities in schools.

5. Strengthen the education of democracy and law. Counsel and encourage students to set up the autonomy.

In short, the human rights education focuses on human being. If middle schools can achieve the above mentioned measures, the human rights education will be implemented in the school education. Taiwan society can also cultivate the human rights culture of the respect, tolerance, fairness, justice and care. Construct a beautiful society.