Globalisation and education policy issues: human rights education in Australia

The chapter argues for giving a higher priority to human rights education in our schools. While the humanities-based subjects of History, Geography and Legal Studies in the senior secondary years, and Civics-based subjects in the lower secondary years have clear references to human rights in the curriculum (as noted earlier the discussion of Human Rights Education in the School Curriculum Report), for many other subjects, including such important subjects as English, the focus is more diffuse. Therefore, the overwhelming evidence is that there is a relatively narrow base of subjects in the curriculum spectrum across Australia that specifically offers human rights-based learning opportunities for students. The chapter suggests that teachers need to be better trained to work with human rights issues and some of the controversies that surround them. For sustained change and to ensure quality pedagogical practices in the teaching of human rights issues, teachers need professional development support and access to quality innovative resources that enable global perspectives and linkages that highlight human rights issues.