EDUCATION FOR DEMOCRATIC CITIZENSHIP AND HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN GLOBAL CONTEXT

The present-day conception of human rights has historical roots. Rousseau, Socrates, and Plato in the West, and Manu, Vyasadeva, Gandhi, Aurobindo, and others in India have enunciated doctrine of human rights. Schools are places where it is theoretically possible to operate a community based on social justice and human rights. Schooling not only provides basic education but also aids a child to explore the world and express their thoughts. Education for democratic citizenship and human rights education (EDC/HRE) are didactic areas that add basically to our capability to live together in communities, in countries and nationwide. The aim of EDC/HRE is the establishment of sustainable and participative forms of democracy based on respect for human rights and good governance. As such, it is an ongoing venture for producing societies characterized by human rights principles like inclusion, non-discrimination, participation, and the rule of law. The National Curriculum Framework for primary and secondary education (NCERT 1988) identifies and addresses some of these concerns such as promoting values of egalitarianism, democracy, secularism, equality, removal of social barriers, and creating a sense of common citizenship. It proposes that the school curriculum reflects some world issues and helps make children become aware of and appreciate different world cultures. Hence, this study sought to explore the concepts of Human Rights Education and Education for Democratic Citizenship, its curriculum as framed by the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCERT 2000), and Teaching of Human Rights and Democratic citizenship through Co-curricular Activities.