Amnesty International Moldova (AIM), in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, is piloting an optional education for human rights course in 21 schools from 13 districts and the municipalities of Chisinau and Balti. The course is intended for fifth-ninth graders, IPN reports.
Lilia Savciuc, coordinator of the project “Equality Begins with Education”, told a news conference that by implementing this project, Amnesty International Moldova wants the teachers and students to realize and know their rights and freedoms. “We tend to educate the future citizens in the spirit of the respect for the human rights and human dignity so that the students can identify situations when their rights are violated, have abilities to promote or claim rights, and take definite steps to defend their rights and the rights of other people,” she stated.
One of the authors of the teaching aids for this course Nina Uzicov said the course is divided into four modules. The first includes general information about the human rights. The second focuses on definite rights and freedoms, from the perspective of children’s rights. The third module centers on the principle of non-discrimination and on equality. The last module deals with sustainable development problems, environment, poverty, and other issues.
Parascovia Mandrescu, a teacher of history and civic education at the Chisinau Lyceum “Miguel de Cervantes”, said the students are very interested in the new course. The parents also want their children to study their rights so that they are more responsible and more active.
Head of the Education Ministry’s Preuniversity Education Division Eugenia Parlicov said the school curriculum includes a discipline about the human rights – Civic Education – but it focuses more on children’s rights. The new optional course supplements this discipline.
Within the pilot-project, the teachers will give by two lessons a week. Until now, 450 students gave their consent to attending this course.
