The State of in Northeast Asian School Systems: Obstacles, Challenges, Opportunities

Human Rights Education in Mongolian Schools

Altangerel Choijoo

he 1992 Constitution and relevant laws capacity.” This mission statement is a Ｔbrought by ’s transition to a significant step in changing the previous democratic nation-state identify education theoretical and conceptual framework of as a key component in its development. Mongolian education.

The new educational policy is supported by In accordance with Paragraph 7, Article 16 of several laws and resolutions passed by the the 1992 , the state State Great Hural (Parliament of Mongolia) provides free general education for all. in 1995 including the State , Paragraph 2.3, Article 39 of the Law on the Education Law, the Higher Education Education provides that a child shall be Law, and the Primary and Secondary provided with free, compulsory basic Education Law. These laws introduced the education up to seventeen years of age, and policy of and openness in his or her interest and desire to learn should educational administrative structures, not be hindered. On the basis of this decentralized the administration and provision, Paragraph 1, Article 6 of the Law financing of all public schools, transferred on Protection of Child Rights (1996) states the management of schools to local that the State shall support free general in the aimags (provinces), education, study of native language, , increased the autonomy of colleges and and development of each person’s abilities. , and enabled the establishment The Education Law and the State policy of private educational institutions. provide for the basic principles of education such as a free general education for all, Educational Policy Environment and creation of all conditions for children’s Human Rights Education education, equality and non-discrimination in education. The State Education Policy defines education as a priority sector of society, as Another feature of Mongolia’s development well as an important source of support for is the country’s adherence to human rights rapid growth in scientific, technical, standards. Mongolia has ratified over thirty economic and social development fields.1 In major human rights treaties and protocols. the policy, education in Mongolia has the Thus, fundamental human rights principles mission “to create the environment and have also been incorporated in Mongolian conditions favorable for the citizens of laws. Mongolia has made progress in Mongolia to choose and obtain the submitting regular reports required as part knowledge, capacity, technology and cultural of the State parties’ obligations. values needed for their life and work in a democratic society showing their full At the national level, a number of national policies and programs in relation to human 58 Human Rights Education in Northeast Asian School Systems

rights education have been adopted such as rights by promoting public awareness on the National Action Plan for Human Rights human rights and legal protection.”5 (2003), the Master Plan for Education (2006-2011)2 and a set of policies on National It also states that, on the basis of the Development Strategy based on the research on the current state of human rights Millennium Development Goals (2007).3 education in the country, the formal and The State Great Hural, in defining its non-formal education systems for Millennium Development Goals (MDG), Cabinet officials, leaders, and added the 9th goal of “Guaranteeing Human students at all levels shall develop human Rights and Strengthening Democratic rights education programs. It further states Governance.” Also, it approved the inclusion that a sub-program on training national of human rights in the “MDGs of Mongolia trainers and educators to support and and their indicators” through Resolution #25 encourage advocacy through the mass media (2005). shall be developed and implemented. Knowledge of human rights shall be used as National Human Rights Action a criterion in selecting officers in public Programme 4 services (e.g., administrative and special professionals like teachers and social The State Great Hural adopted the National workers). 6 Unfortunately, the Sub- Human Rights Action Programme Programme on Human Rights Education has (NHRAP) in October 2003. The NHRAP not yet been developed. sets out the direction and methods of 1) broadening and making efficient the The NHRAP has provisions on the role of participation of state organizations, civil the National Human Rights Commission of society, (particularly, local self-governing Mongolia (NHRCM) and NGOs in human organizations, non-go ver nmental rights education, and on specific human 7 organizations [NGOs], and the mass media) rights education and training activities. and the private sector in strengthening state There is therefore a clear legal mandate for efforts to guarantee human rights and rights-based education and education about freedoms. It also encourages citizen’s and for human rights. On the right to initiatives on this task; and creates education, NHRAP provides that: mechanisms to ensure human rights protection, prevent violations, and provide • The form, content, and delivery of remedies when rights are infringed. In education shall be continually reformed conformity with the nature of democracy to meet modern requirements. A legal and market relations, the main objectives of environment and the necessary the NHRAP are to reform social, cultural implementing actions shall be and intellectual relations in support of established to meet the national human rights and freedoms, including objective of providing free and through social and state institutions, and compulsory primary education for all local administrative systems; and to broaden children. state coordination and legal guarantees and • Policies shall be developed to eliminate create appropriate human rights the disparities in access to education mechanisms. between rural and urban areas. Informal The NHRAP justification and goal include and distance learning courses tailored to “reform [of] the system, content and various age and gender groups shall be methodology of education, and [the teaching developed to eradicate illiteracy. of] skills necessary to enjoy and protect one’s • Steps will be taken to improve the consumer value of 59 Human Rights Education in Mongolian Schools

and to enable graduates to explore their being implemented stage-by-stage as part of professional interests. Schools shall the development of the national social and begin to offer vocational training. economic potentials. • The educational and cultural rights of minorities shall be guaranteed through Master Plan of Education in Mongolia - practical measures to preserve the 2006–2015 9 heritage of native languages and scripts, The Government of Mongolia has adopted a customs, history and cultural traditions. Master Plan of Education in Mongolia - • Special attention shall be paid to 2006-2015 that defines an overall framework stabilizing the supply of rural teachers for the development of the education sector and facilitating their work. Steps shall and aspires to be more responsive to the be taken to ensure that all mandatory demonstrated needs of children and youth classes designated as such by the central by: public administration are taught, including if necessary during non- ❍Promoting the development of a scheduled hours. School officials shall be learner-friendly environment held accountable if mandatory classes ❍Shifting to a competence-ba sed were not held. curriculum • Public and non-go ver nmental ❍Strengthening planning and monitoring organizations and community groups mechanisms. shall be encouraged to provide The plan is considered to be the first in educational opportunities, collaborate Mongolia to be developed utilizing a sector- through common information networks, wide approach. It builds on an earlier work continually monitor and analyze the to develop an Education for All (EFA) situation and offer solutions. Action Plan. The Master Plan places high • Step-by-step actions shall be taken to priority on the expansion of the school broaden the economic and financial system, and seeks to bring it in line with basis of education services and to global practices. This objective drove the strengthen their capacity. shift to the newly implemented twelve-year educational system and the launch of a new National Programme of Action for the curriculum with output-based learning Development and Protection of objectives for the 2008-2009 academic Children (2002-2010) 8 years. The strategy will incorporate more frequent renewal of education content, The National Programme of Action for the textbooks, curriculums, and standards for Development and Protection of Children is school environments. an important document covering a wide range of issues such as child health, Finally, the Master Plan reveals a sound nutrition, development, education, social understanding about a range of issues that participation and protection of their rights have relevance to education about and for and their living environment. The objective human rights: vulnerable groups, enrolment, of the program is to build a legal school retention, issues relating to herder environment to protect the rights of children, dormitories, the school children in Mongolia, and to develop environment, gender, disability, inequality, children themselves, allowing them to obtain access to information and communication good quality education and profession, and technology (ICT), health and hygiene.10 It to improve their livelihood. The program is also provides for mid-term issues and targets part of the state policy on population and is relating to early childhood education, 60 Human Rights Education in Northeast Asian School Systems

primary and secondary education, non- policy, management and support to formal and , technical children. education and vocational training (TVET), and higher education.11 The section on In principle, all programs recognize these primary and secondary education defines the five dimensions as necessary and mutually program, program content and outputs reinforcing conditions of CFS success. A under Access, Quality and Management school is child-friendly where all of the components.12 Strategies to improve access elements are addressed, and the ability to be and equity include training teachers, the child-friendly on each dimension is enhanced introduction of new learning methods and by action on the others. appraisal systems, development of special In Mongolia, the “child-friendly school” programs, and the development of project started in 1999. Since that time, educational resources. UNICEF, the Government of Mongolia, and other stakeholders have been active partners Policy Framework for Child Friendly in implementing this initiative. The Ministry 13 Schools Promotion of Education, Culture and Science developed The “child-friendly school” (CFS) concept, a policy document entitled “Policy now spreading throughout the world since Framework for Promotion of Child Friendly its introduction in 1997 in Thailand, refers to Schools” in 2004 to promote child rights in 14 providing learning, working and living every school. This policy document environments that are healthy, safe, and includes basic principles, framework of protected. A child-friendly school must activities, implementing strategies and respect child rights and ensure equal access administration support, assessment and its to education by all children regardless of indicators. In order to achieve this goal, the nationality, race, physical disability, and policy document provides the following social background. objectives: ❍ The CFS framework consists of the To provide equal access to education following five dimensions: and equal opportunities to participate in all school activities for all children 1. Proactively inclusive, seeking out and ❍To promote healthy, safe, protective, enabling participation of all children and addict-free school environment especially those who are different ❍ ethnically, culturally, linguistically, socio- To promote gender equality economically, and in terms of ability; ❍To enhance community participation 2. Academically effective and relevant to and partnership children’s needs for life and livelihood ❍To provide quality learning environment knowledge and skills; that addresses each child’s learning 3. Healthy and safe for, and protective of, needs as well as effectiveness. children’s emotional, psychological, and physical well-being; Structure of the Mongolian Education System 4. Gender-responsive in creating environments and capacities fostering The central education authority in Mongolia equality; and is the Ministry of Education, Culture and 5. Actively engaged with and enabled Science (MECS). It defines policies with student, family and community regard to education, science and culture and participation in all aspects of school it is responsible for the implementation of these policies. In addition, MECS publishes 61 Human Rights Education in Mongolian Schools

and approves textbooks and curriculums and upper secondary level. Graduates from provides support for the supervision of local Grade 9 can join technical and vocational educational centers and national universities. training schools. Higher education in Each of Mongolia’s twenty-one aimags Mongolia is provided by universities, colleges (provincial centers) has an Aimag Education and institutes for mostly four to five and Culture Department within the local academic years. government, which serves as the local educational authority. This Department is The education system is centralized and the responsible for the administration and MECS and its implementation units, such as management of government services relating local education departments, have the to formal and non-formal education. primary responsibility for educational policy, curriculum design and practice at the local The Mongolian education system includes level. pre-school education ( ) and general secondary schools (primary, lower According to educational statistics, in the and upper secondary). Schools for the 2009-2010 academic year 142,065 children primary, lower and upper secondary levels are enrolled at eight hundred fourteen generally do not exist separately. The ( institutions), Mongolian Law on Education (2002) 522,100 students at seven hundred fifty-five mandates that every Mongolian regardless of public and private secondary schools, 44,600 “ethnicity, language, race, gender, socio- students at sixty-three vocational training economic status, wealth, employment, institutions and 164,700 students at the one position, religion and personal values” has a hundred forty-six public and private right to receive education in his/her native universities and colleges.16 The accumulated language (Article 5.1.4) and must attend basic number of learners comprise almost thirty education (Article 6.3) provided by the state percent of the total population. High level of free of charge as required by the enrolment at formal educational institutions Constitution of Mongolia (Article 6.2). 15 presents certain advantages in providing human rights education in the primary and Pre-school education (kindergarten) is not secondary schools. compulsory and caters to children aged three to six years. According to the latest Human Rights Environment at education reform plan, Mongolia will shift to Mongolian Schools a twelve-year education system (6+3+3) from 2008-2009 academic years. Primary The implementation of various education education covers a period of six years for programs over the last decade has had pupils aged six to eleven years and is substantial effects in meeting the children’s compulsory. Lower secondary education is rights to education and access to educational the final stage of compulsory schooling and services. The government, since 2000, has lasts three years (age group 12-14, grades 7-9), fully subsidized expenses in school when certification of non-complete dormitories and took measures to repair all secondary education is granted. Upper school buildings. Public funding for school consists of grades 10 and 12 dormitories has had a positive impact on the for sixteen to eighteen year-old students. school enrolment rates since 2000. Upper secondary education is not Nowadays, the literacy rate and educational compulsory; however, it is a prerequisite for levels of the population of Mongolia has college admission. The school year consists approached that in developed countries. of thirty-four working weeks at the primary This is a result of the attention the level, thirty-five weeks at the lower government has given towards the secondary level, and thirty-six weeks at the 62 Human Rights Education in Northeast Asian School Systems

involvement of everyone in education, “economic” violence by teachers in the form providing education of appropriate level to of imposing informal payments. Rural all students and preventing them from students more frequently reported physical possible dropouts by creating a relevant legal violence including corporal punishment. environment closely related to the specific features of the phases of the social and Health in schools economic development of the nation and by taking organizational measures for The government took strides towards implementing those laws and legislations. improving the physical health of students by providing free school snacks and lunches for Gender in educational settings children in grades 1-5. The measure is considered to have had a positive impact Unlike in many developing countries, girls in nationwide on primary school enrolment, Mongolia have equal access to education. which reached 273,966 children in the Mongolia has achieved impressive results 2009-2010 academic years. regarding girl’s education. In primary, secondary and tertiary schools 50.1 percent The National Standards on Health of the students are girls. The children are not Education for primary and secondary discriminated on the basis of gender, but the schools were adopted in 1998, and at that disparity in school enrollment grows time lessons on sexual and reproductive between girls and boys as the age increases. health were integrated into the compulsory School enrolment indicates an unusual Curriculum for secondary “reverse gender gap,” with more girls schools. The training of health education enrolled than boys – in every province across teachers is now institutionalized through the the country. This is particularly noticeable at of Education and teacher colleges, the higher levels of education where and each secondary school has at least one typically girls greatly outnumber boys. In trained health teacher. However, schools face secondary education, gross enrolment rates high turn-over rates and shortages of health of girls are 20 percent higher than boys, teachers. A needs assessment survey among while in tertiary education women now health education teachers in 2008 found that account for 70 percent of all students.17 more than 50 percent of health education teachers at primary and secondary schools Violence in schools have limited skills in participatory teaching methodology and the majority of them did According to a 2007 study,18 violence is high not specialize in health education. About 21.5 and institutionalized in the Mongolian percent of them reported that health education sector. At least one-third of education resource materials are inadequate. children at the kindergarten through upper Non-formal education programs also secondary level reported having experienced incorporate health education curriculum. some form of violence (economic, emotional, Unfortunately, TVET institutions do not yet physical or sexual) while at school. The offer health and classes. perpetrators were, in order of frequency, peers, older children and teachers. Girls Water and sanitation at schools more frequently reported emotional violence, humiliation and intimidation, but Water and sanitation facilities are either also reported physical abuse by male peers. non-existent or extremely unsatisfactory in Boys more frequently reported economic most rural and some peri-urban schools. On and physical abuse such as the extortion of top of this, monitoring progress is especially money by peers or older students and difficult because data on water and sanitation bullying. Across the board, children reported are not integrated in the current education 63 Human Rights Education in Mongolian Schools

management information system. In 2007, a could not accommodate the influx of study on school dormitories conducted by migrants from rural areas. the MECS and the UNICEF showed that residents at 73.9 percent of five hundred two Children with disabilities operating dormitories must bring water from outside water sources such as kiosks and Children with disabilities enrolled at wells. In 45.7 percent of the dormitories, ordinary schools would not be provided with water did not meet hygienic standards. Only special training modules, textbooks and 21.7 percent of the surveyed dormitories had manuals and other needed tools. Another indoor latrines and the remaining 78.3 factor affecting the by percent depended on mostly unsafe and children with disabilities is lack of unhygienic outdoor latrines. Data on bath psychological preparedness and support. and shower facilities at dormitories is Most of the children with disabilities grew unavailable as well as water and sanitation up at home without effective skills for facilities inside classroom buildings. communication. On the other hand, a culture of acceptance and respect for special Water and sanitation significantly impact on needs of the children with disabilities is not the quality of students’ lives and their nurtured in the school environment. educational achievements. According to the Another concern is lack of appropriate above mentioned study, students perform evaluation standards. Evaluation of children higher when residing in a dormitory with a with disabilities using assessment systems central water supply system. The study designed for children without disabilities looked at students from grades four, six and leads superficially to overall under nine, and found that those with access to a performance of the school which is avoided water supply system and indoor latrines by the school administration, hence explains performed higher than students with no to some extent the resistance to enroll such access. Specifically, students with children with disabilities. central water performed better in mathematics by nine points and in Ethnic and linguistic minorities by 7.4 points.19 Mongolia has twenty ethnic groups, mostly Rural versus urban living in rural areas. The majority in Mongolia consists of the Khalkh (85 percent), Rural to urban migration in Mongolia has followed by the Kazakhs (7 percent, who brought new challenges to the Mongolian mostly live in Bayan-Ulgii aimag). Bayan- education sector. For example, schools in Ulgii, with a Kazakh-majority, has some of urban centers have seen a substantial the country’s lowest education indicators: increase in the demand for services, while the highest dropout rates, the lowest pre- some rural schools are now operating below school enrolment rates, as well as an capacity. In the late 1990s, many small illiteracy rate of 6.8 percent, which is higher primary schools in remote bagh schools than the national average of 4.6 percent. The (village level schools) were shut down government has recently taken initial steps because of the scarcity of students, most of towards mitigating the disparity between the whom had immigrated to urban areas. In majority Khalkh people and the many ethnic contrast, by the end of the 1990s almost all minority communities by providing bilingual urban schools began offering two shifts of education to Kazakh, Tuva and other groups. classes each day because of overcrowding, and a few offered classes in three shifts. The students suffered from a chronic shortage of classrooms and dormitory space, which 64 Human Rights Education in Northeast Asian School Systems

Human Rights Education and the as Rule and law, Rights and responsibilities, School Curriculum Government, and Applied law. “Content domain” refers to a core knowledge system, Human rights education is becoming an which develops from simple to complex important component of the formal throughout primary and secondary levels. education policy in Mongolia. Under the United Nations Decade for Human Rights An analysis of international curriculums Education (1995-2004), the government indicates that knowledge, skills and values significantly and comprehensively revised about and for human rights are included the curriculum of secondary across all stages of schooling and in most schools. The revision was implemented subject areas. The area of the curriculum through the “Street Law” program of the where there is a special emphasis on human Mongolian Foundation for Open Society rights is in the subject area of Citizenship. during 1998-2003 period. The program Given the importance of human rights and attached great importance to the human child rights in Mongolia, a study rights education for Mongolian youth and recommends that they be made a significant children: curriculum development for each part of the revised Civics and Citizenship grade contains human rights components curriculum.20 and in the 6th grade students study human rights as a separate subject. The human Regarding the current educational policy, the rights course taught since 2003 under the Educational Standard of History and Social revised legal education curriculum aimed to Studies at primary and secondary levels improve human rights knowledge of the cover three main subjects: history, students, develop their abilities to become citizenship and social studies. At the primary aware of prevention mechanisms, and build level, history, citizenship and social studies an attitude in them respectful of the rights are integrated into one subject entitled and freedoms of others. Certainly, these “People and Society.” Starting from competencies cannot be developed solely secondary level, there are independent through teaching methodology. Thus classes like History, and Citizenship. application of child-friendly school policy, Accordingly, human rights topics are taught rules and environment is very important. from 1st to 11th grade in relation to age and psychological development of students. This The comprehensive revision of the national is an important step forward. educational standards in 2004 is another significant action taken by the government, The subjects and total hours of the which includes a complete revision of all curriculum for social studies are presented in 21 curriculum areas for primary and secondary Table 1. schools. With the complete change in the It is important that human rights topics are national educational standard of History and incorporated into the standard curriculum of Social Studies for primary and secondary the school system. The primary vehicle for levels, human rights and citizenship are teaching and learning about human rights is studied both directly and indirectly from the incorporated within the Civics stream of the primary schools up to upper secondary Social Sciences learning area. education levels. The Educational Standard of History and Social Studies approved by Citizenship studies, as an independent MECS incorporates an independent “Human subject in Grades 6-9 at the secondary level, Rights Domain” throughout the key learning includes general knowledge of human rights, areas of social science and citizenship classes freedom, equality, principles of democracy, at all stages of schooling. The standard the Constitution, crime, the judiciary, the consists of four basic content domains such economic system and civil responsibilities. 65 Human Rights Education in Mongolian Schools

Table 1: Core Curriculum for Social Sciences and Citizenship in Primary and Secondary Schools

Level Grade Subject Hour Total Hours

Grade 1 People and Environment 34

Grade 2 People and Environment 34

Grade 3 People and Environment 34 Primary Education 211 Grade 4 People and Society 36

Grade 5 People and Society 36

Grade 6 Citizenship-I 37

Grade 7 Citizenship-I 37

Lower Secondary Education Grade 8 Citizenship-II 37 111

Grade 9 Citizenship-II 37

Grade 10 Social Studies-I 57 Upper Secondary Education Grade 11 Social Studies-I 114 171

Grade 12 n\a -

Knowledge, skills, attitudes and critical following: K1 - construct knowledge on the thinking acquired at the secondary level are a subject, K2 - take action using this foundation for civic empowerment. knowledge, K3 - learn life skills, and K4 - learn citizenship and social values. Following are the different components of the Citizenship Studies subject: Methodology: New objectives, principles, and content are required to change Objectives and outcomes: Citizenship methodologies for all classes. The new Studies subject aims to develop learning standard suggests that teachers combine a competencies that include knowledge, skills, variety of interactive and participatory and attitudes for citizens. The goal of such techniques for their classes. It encourages education is empowerment, that is, giving the critical analysis of real life situations, students the knowledge and skills to take taking appropriate action to protect human control of their own lives and participate in rights and various participation methods in decisions that affect them. decisions that affect them. Contents: As above mentioned, the Social Evaluation: The former education standard studies classes consist of four domains: Rule on student assessment concentrated only on and law, Rights and responsibilities, knowledge. Now, student assessment is Government, and Applied law. For based on the competencies acquired by the citizenship classes, the competencies are the students during their studies. 66 Human Rights Education in Northeast Asian School Systems

Human rights education is incorporated into teaching and learning about human rights Citizenship and Social Sciences education at into other subjects like History, Arts, all levels of schooling. However, the ‘scope,’ Mongolian and foreign language and or what is taught, in Citizenship and Social literature and other curriculums. sciences can be defined differently by the different curriculums. If human rights Within this change, besides teaching human education is primarily located within the rights, the secondary schools must: Citizenship area at primary, lower secondary ❍Ensure that all other subjects studied in and upper secondary schools, then it needs secondary schools are based on human to occupy a clear and significant place within rights-based approaches; those curriculums to meet national goals, priorities and obligations relating to human ❍Everyone, including the school rights. management and other staff should be accountable for creating the human Following the 2006 amendments to the Law rights environment in their schools; on Primary and Secondary Education, the ❍Provision of human rights education is secondary education school system was not only contingent on classroom converted from an eleven-year to a twelve- activities but also on the environment year schooling system starting at the outside the classroom. An important 2008-2009 academic year onwards. As a objective of human rights education is result of this transition, major reforms are to create human rights culture at the taking place in the education sector, schools and communities. including revision of the primary and secondary education standards and ❍On the other hand, human rights curriculums with the following goals: education cannot be attained fully where there is no human rights - Bring the content of primary and atmosphere. Human rights environment secondary education in line with the is a vital condition for children to learn internationally accepted levels about their human rights. Therefore, - Ensure applicability of educational everything in the school starting from curriculum to Mongolian context the rules and regulations should be based on human rights. - Increase students’ life-skills, knowledge and capacity to encounter new and ❍The school management should take emerging challenges. into consideration the principles of human rights for evaluation of the work This fundamental change in the educational of teachers, equality of opportunity standard has been bringing innovations in among students, accountability and subject content, curriculums, teaching discipline mechanisms that ensure methodologies and textbooks for teachers respect for human dignity and and students. Since the curriculums are reputation. Democratic school changing from being highly standardized to environment is the most favorable a more flexible and locally relevant ones condition for the advancement of under the Education Law of 1995, schools human rights education. and teachers can use a certain part of the curriculums for teaching whatever they see Teacher Training Curriculum fit. This provides an excellent opportunity for willing teachers to teach citizenship, Teaching human rights in schools has human rights and democracy. Also, there is a generally taken two approaches: integration big opportunity to appropriately incorporate into existing curricular subjects, or as separate subject. Teaching of human rights 67 Human Rights Education in Mongolian Schools

should be a fundamental organizing principle findings into instructional content of for professional practice, so that all the programs prospective teachers come to see themselves - Develop theoretical and methodological 22 as human rights educators and advocates. teaching aids on human rights education Therefore, the most important task of and rights-ba sed approaches to teachers would be the integration of human education rights education within their subjects. A second approach in order to expand human - Conduct trainings and workshops on rights education in schools is to train human rights education for pre-service teachers in order to enhance their awareness and in-service teachers, trainers and of human rights and improve their teaching education professionals skills in active and participatory learning. - Conduct independent reviews and Thus, teachers should explore human rights, studies on human rights education, freedoms and justice issues in their personal children’s rights issues and other aspects. and professional lives. One substantial input of the Center is the The United Nations World Programme on introduction of new academic course on Human Rights Education declares that "Children's Rights Education" at the MSUE. The course is a one-semester compulsory introducing human rights education in course for pre-service teacher-students, primary and secondary education implies those majoring in teaching social studies and that the school becomes a model of human rights learning and practice. Within the history. The course is designed to develop school community, teachers, as the main the knowledge, skills attitudes of depositories of the curriculum, play a key undergraduate students with regard to role in reaching this aim. human rights education at secondary school level. The teacher-students will be able to Thus, the role of the teacher training teach and disseminate child rights issues and institution is of particular importance in tools to their students, the other members of enhancing the quality of teaching the school community, and the whole society. methodologies and strategy in the area of The course has sixteen lecture and thirty- human rights education and for the creation two seminar hours. Each seminar begins with and best use of learning materials. a short introduction to the topic under consideration and its key issues and The Human Rights Education Center problems. During the seminar sessions, (HREC) was established in May 2006 at the students use a variety of resource materials Mongolian State University of Education related to child rights issues such as violence (MSUE), the largest teacher training in school, child labor, school environment institution for all educational and science and children's meaningful participation. sectors of Mongolia, within the framework Through the course, students can learn many of the joint project on child-friendly school interactive and participatory methods and between MECS and UNICEF. Branches of group discussion, presentations, etc. All the HREC were established at teacher teacher-students are expected to present at colleges in Arkhangai, Bayan-Ulgii and least one course paper during the classes. Dornod provinces. In line with its goals, the HREC undertakes the following activities Although HREC is a newly-established for the pre-service and in-service teacher organization, the following activities have training programs: already been implemented: - Conduct needs assessments and studies • Over nine hundred sixty students from on human rights education and convert MSUE were involved in pre-service

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teacher training on the principles of the course. In most of the law schools, human Convention on the Rights of the Child rights topics are taught only within the in education during four-year period Constitutional Law courses with no link (2007—2010) between human rights and specific • Children’s Rights Education (manual for professional courses. Also, university officials pre-service teachers), Human Rights tend to undermine the importance of Passport (students workbook), Violence- teaching human rights as a separate subject free School (module for in-service and try to squeeze human rights into other 23 teachers) and other teaching aids were courses of legal education. developed as part of CFS initiatives, In 2008, the legal education curriculum of • Pre-service teacher-students have been law schools was reviewed with the support encouraged to write their key of the World Bank. The review clearly assignments including diploma thesis showed lack of direct link between human and course papers on child rights rights education and law courses. The education. project stakeholders undertook hard efforts to develop a human rights course as a As a result of these activities, human rights mandatory course for law schools. The pilot education courses are bringing new curriculum includes forty-hour course on approaches to teaching and learning human Human Rights Law and forty-eight-hour rights in the teacher training system. In optional course on the Rights of the Child these circumstances, the child rights for their specialization. education course is a starting point that incorporates human rights education into Non-Formal Education System teacher training curriculums and promotion of child-friendly approaches in Mongolia. While human rights education is implemented in numerous ways through the These actions are intended to provide a base formal education systems, it is also an upon which to build a human rights literate inherent part of non-formal education society, specifically by integrating human (NFE) programs for the citizens. The State rights education into Mongolia’s formal Education Policy, mentioned above, education system at all levels. To achieve a recognized for the first time in 1995 the human rights literate society, the HREC is importance of non-formal continuing making efforts to introduce human rights education-for-all. The aim of non-formal education to pre-service and in-service education is to give a wide variety of teachers, thereby creating a systematic opportunities to citizens to acquire required human rights framework in the Mongolian knowledge and skills by forms and ways of education system. training appropriate for them. This is meant to deliberately make a tremendous Human Rights Education at Law contribution to the process of upgrading Schools their education level on a continuous basis. Human rights have been studied in law At the national level, the non-formal schools since 1997 following a joint Decree education is managed by the MECS and #230/200 (1997) by the Minister of Justice through its agency, the National Non-Formal and the Minister of Enlightenment, through and Distance Education Center (NNFDEC). independent course with thirty-six hours per The functioning Non-Formal Education semester. However, very few law schools (NFE) learning centers at local levels offered human rights as a mandatory course nationwide, called Gegeerel (Enlightenment) whereas majority offered it as an optional centers, play a crucial role in providing

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educational services and retraining for the minimum qualification standards for the youth, as well as adults on life-skills, health, teachers of human rights. The main findings ecology education and so on. At present, from the evaluation showed that human more than a hundred training modules have rights education is still unsatisfactory at the been developed by the NFE learning centers. national level. Recommendations for future Some of the modules cover the topic on action based on lessons learned throughout social relationship, civic participation, the study were developed and disseminated democracy as well as human rights to the relevant stakeholders, government education. authorities and the public.

The National Human Rights Within the framework of the work, Commission NHRCM developed the minimum qualification standard for teachers who teach The National Human Rights Commission of human rights. The Teachers Standard has Mongolia (NHRCM) has been contributing two independent sections. The first section in the effort to integrate human rights is based on pedagogical competencies for education into the formal education system. teachers. It includes basic knowledge on The NHRCM is an independent institution human rights, and the ability to teach and mandated with the promotion and adapt them to students. It means that all protection of human rights and charged with teachers who are teaching human rights monitoring the implementation of the must acquire basic pedagogical abilities, provisions on human rights and freedoms which will lead to preparation, teaching, and enshrined in the Constitution of Mongolia, assessment for students. The second section laws and international treaties to which concentrates on human rights principles and Mongolia is a party. According to its law, the aims to create a rights-based approaches for NHRCM is also mandated to promote school environment. This part consists of human rights education and training.24 Since basic human rights principles, such as its establishment, the NHRCM has been universality, inalienability, non- taking many efforts in human rights discrimination, etc. education, training and information activities. The Teachers Standard establishes criteria to assess their performance on rights-based In 2004, NHRCM implemented a project learning. It is a useful tool to develop and called “Human Rights Education for Law implement professional development schools” that aimed to integrate human programs and to create a monitoring rights courses in law school curriculums. mechanism to measure the performance of Within this framework, NHRCM developed human rights education at the school level. a model human rights curriculum and piloted Also, it can be used by education it in three law schools (National University administrators to provide financial incentives of Mongolia, Shikhikhutag and Bileg Law (bonuses) to teachers based on performance Schools). results, and to improve the quality of the teachers’ instruction. The Teachers Standard The NHRCM has been implementing the together with the Recommendations on project “Human Rights Education in Human Right Education were disseminated Secondary School” with the support of to the relevant authorities for future action. UNESCO since 2005. The objective of this Unfortunately, the MECS lacks ownership project is to evaluate how human rights and use of these tools to integrate human education is taught in secondary schools, rights education into the formal education develop proposals and recommendations to system. the relevant authorities, and develop

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Civil Society working on the following objectives on human rights education: Over the past two decades, the Mongolian civil society organizations have begun to 1. Incorporate international human rights replace the government as the main provider norms into the Mongolian social life of education. Civil society especially plays a 2. Promote human rights education as crucial role in providing education on effective tool for social transformation democracy, civic and human rights in all spheres of society. Their main goals are to 3. Introduce new approaches and teaching inform, educate citizens and disseminate methodologies in the human rights democratic values and human rights. In this education program trainings and regard, a number of NGOs implement short- activities and long-term projects that promote human 4. Promote schools to become human rights knowledge and values. rights-friendly spaces. For example, the Open Society Forum, Within these objectives, the AIM has held a Academy of Political Education, Centre for number of initiatives, like independent Civic Education, Centre for Democracy projects, advocacy, campaigns such as human Education, Centre for Voter’s Education, rights-friendly school, training of trainers, Globe International, Amnesty International human rights parade, festivals, “Belinda” Mongolia and Zorig Foundation conduct human rights education scholarship training activities and academic events for program, and many other events. both relevant professional groups such as teachers, government officials, In order to implement the United Nations decisionmakers and the public. Their public World Programme on Human Rights education programs cover the topics of Education, the AIM has been working for democracy, rule of law, human rights, gender the incorporation of human rights education equality, reproductive health, gender-based into existing educational curriculums at the violence, civic and voter education, child secondary school level. In this regard, the rights, citizen participation, legal reform, AIM implemented an independent project international treaties and many other entitled “Human rights education for subjects. Most of them have developed secondary school teachers” supported by the extracurricular programs and produced Australian Agency for International manuals and training materials in Development (AUSAID) and UNDP. This collaboration with other supporting actors. project started with a training of trainers (ToT) for education experts, professors at The Amnesty International Mongolia (AIM) teacher training institutions, and in-service is one of the leading institutions working for teachers in 2008. In order to develop a sub- the development of human rights education program on human rights education, under program at the national level. The human the National Human Rights Action rights education program is one of the main Programme, the AIM organized a number of strategic direction of the AIM. It holds lobby actions together with the MECS and various training, advocacy and campaign NHRCM. Following these actions, MECS activities for various social groups and has established a Working Group on the institutions. The human rights education development of a sub-program on human program is one of the main components of rights education for formal education, its current Strategic Paper and several comprising of staff members from NHRCM, initiatives have been implemented under this Ministry of Justice, MECS, AIM, academia component. Within the framework of its and other stakeholders. 2008-2009 activities, the AIM has been

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The AIM translated Amnesty International’s International experience has also shown that Teachers’ Book for the Dissemination of Human in introducing educational innovation there Rights and distributed copies to seventy-one is an advantage in treating the innovation as institutions, including public libraries, a cross-curriculum study, catering to teachers schools, NGOs and human rights and students in a number of key learning organizations. Afterward, a series of ToT areas. Such an approach allows particular seminars were organized on “Teaching about schools to emphasize human rights within human rights and responsibilities at primary their curriculum. This approach to human schools” and a total of one hundred thirty- rights education which goes beyond the eight teachers attended these sessions. The classroom and into all aspects of school life AIM reported that “the successful is commonly called a ‘whole-school distribution of the book means that there is approach,’ or ‘holistic approach.’ These a need to conduct more seminars and terms indicate the involvement of all workshops throughout the countryside.” members of the school community in Interview with the AIM staff member building an environment where human rights reported that many teachers expressed a are learned, taught, practiced, respected, desire for follow-up activities and further defended and promoted. Here are two collaboration on the delivery of the existing good examples of making schools integrated human rights curriculum. human rights friendly spaces in the Mongolian context. In January 2010, the AIM announced the contest on “Good Practices on Integrating A Human Rights Friendly School Human Rights subjects” throughout the country. A number of teachers were Starting from 2009, the Mongolian-Indian motivated to develop model lesson plans that joint school (a secondary school) is making integrate human rights issues. In just one efforts to become a model for “Human school, twelve model lesson plans were Rights-Friendly School” in Mongolia. This is developed by the teachers and selected as a part of the first global human rights inputs for the compilation of good practices education project for schools of Amnesty on teaching human rights. AIM is currently International (AI) and the initial pilot phase planning to complete the compilation that includes secondary schools from fourteen will be distributed to schools. The countries: Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Denmark, compilation of lesson plans on human rights Ghana, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Moldova, education will be a useful human rights Mongolia, Morocco, Paraguay, Poland, teaching aid for Mongolian teachers in local Senegal and the United Kingdom. context. The “Human rights-Friendly School” project Good Initiatives on Human Rights aims to promote a culture of human rights in Education schools through supporting school communities to integrate human rights Schools are widely believed to socialize values and principles into key areas of school younger generations, preparing learners to life, and to demonstrate an impact of human become active and democratic citizens of rights-friendly schools approach. In short, a society. Promoting human rights-friendly Human Rights-Friendly School ensures that educational environments is crucial to equality, dignity, respect, non-discrimination ensuring a universal culture of human rights. and participation are at the heart of the Schools fulfill that responsibility through learning experience and present in all major both direct and indirect education programs areas of school life; it is a school that is from the beginning of the schooling years friendly to human rights. and through the entire educational process. 72 Human Rights Education in Northeast Asian School Systems

The pilot phase of the project is a two-year • A fully democratic, participatory process running until August 2011. During approach to school governance where all this time, AI national offices provide support members of the school community are to their partner schools in implementing the involved in the decisions that affects project. These schools have to integrate them human rights values and principles across • Empowerment of students, teachers and four key areas of school life: school staff to meaningfully and equally participation and governance; community participate in the creation and relations; curriculum; extra-curricular implementation of school policies domain and school environment. • Student involvement in debates about AI sees the “Human Rights-Friendly change Schools” project as an opportunity to • An increased sense of inclusivity and support countries in making human rights an interconnectedness that fosters mutual integral part of their national education responsibility and local and global systems. Schools that work towards solidarity becoming human rights-friendly will act as examples that can demonstrate that such a • Rich learning experiences about human culture is achievable, and the tools and rights inside and outside of the processes used to become human rights- classroom. friendly school can be readily adapted to The table below shows the activities in four various contexts at modest expense. A key areas of school life for “Human Rights Human Rights-Friendly School has the Friendly School” under the Mongolian- following characteristics: Indian joint school project. • An overall school-wide atmosphere of equality, dignity, respect, non- discrimination and participation

Main objectives: Implemented activities: Reflections:

Key area 1 – School participation and governance

Develop a new vision statement - The school organized trainings - Students were encouraged to in partnership with all school and awareness raising activities participate actively in the stakeholders among teachers and students in consultation partnership with AI Mongolia - These activities influenced them - In order to support staff and to follow and reflect class/ students to develop better school rules in school relationships, the school held surroundings two training sessions for teachers focusing on education A total of twenty-nine teachers law amendments that prohibit were involved. All teaching staff corporal punishment and all received training manuals for forms of discrimination in teachers developed by Save the schools. Children in Mongolia.

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Main objectives: Implemented activities: Reflections:

Conduct an internal audit of - In order to set up a school - The analysis of the school current school policies in relation policy in relation to human policies based on human rights to human rights and develop an rights principles, each class principles and discussion of the action plan discussed its classroom rules new rules by the teachers and and enabled active participation students were successful. They of every student in this process. have started implementing - Each class discussed the aim them. for the academic year. - Ensuring student participation in - The School Council adopted the discussion on the classroom new Code of Conduct, rules and school policies developed by a working group contributed to the deepening of comprised of students and the students’ understanding on teachers. their rights and responsibilities - Classroom rules and school and the importance of their discipline regulations have been participation. displayed on the information board in each classroom. Support teachers and students for - The Student’s Council held - A total of four hundred sixty representing their interests Taking the Human Rights three students, thirty four staffs Temperature in Our School and one hundred eighty three activity in all classrooms among parents participated in this the students. assessment of the human rights - All classroom elections held for climate in the school. The first class leaders. survey (June 2009) had 67 - All Student Council members percent score out of the 100 have been trained as human percent human rights friendly rights activists inside their environment. The second stage respective classrooms and the of the survey had 71.4 percent school. result. - The student council has a total of thirty two member-students, including twelve class leaders, elected in a democratic way to represent their classmates’ interests. - Successfully organized a - After the lessons all teacher- “Student Day” in the school on students discussed the positive 5 February 2010. On that day and negative points on the thirty four students experienced peer-teaching process and they teaching by peer-teaching, also shared their opinions on replacing their teachers for being a teacher. some time.

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Main objectives: Implemented activities: Reflections:

Key area 2 – Community Relations

Support students to develop - In order to provide support for - Conflicts between students necessary skills for working managing conflict and started to be discussed and together communication skills, class dealt with by the children teachers developed their own themselves first in some training agenda on new classes under the facilitation of subjects like the classroom teacher. - communication skills - Also, teachers facilitated - managing conflict students’ group in the - decision making. classroom to help students solve their problems. These activities enabled students to develop their skills on managing conflict and understanding each other.

Facilitate the involvement of - Organized trainings among - The change of methods of parents and school communities parents on the topic of holding the parents meeting in “Understanding and Supporting each classroom has been Your Child,” “How to Help Your effective in increasing the Child Succeed.” participation of parents. The - Class teachers organized their number and the quality of parents meeting with more activities initiated and innovative approaches and coordinated by parents developed their plan on increased dramatically. involvement to school-based activities. - Parents’ groups initiated a number of life-skill training activities including one-day field trip to Astronomy Research Center at the “Khurel Togoot.”

- On the occasion of the - Increased the cooperation with International Human Rights public and non-governmental Day, students groups held a organizations, such as Police Human Right Tour to human Departments, Center for Child rights NGOs including Save the Rights and Save the Children Children, Center for Child Japan – Mongolia, Amnesty Rights and Amnesty International Mongolia in International Mongolia. organizing training and activities among students and teachers.

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Main objectives: Implemented activities: Reflections:

Key area 3 – Curriculum Innovation

In-service teacher training on Organized trainings for all teachers Training sessions are highly human rights on HRFS and teaching strategies beneficial to support teachers in to support participatory training teaching human rights-based methodology and human rights approaches and designed to issues such as child rights, gender motivate teachers in teaching sensitivity, relationship between human rights issues through their poverty and human rights. respective subjects. Held three training sessions All trainings strived to develop an involving all teaching staff on the awareness of the human rights following topics: “Human rights issues and standards among friendly teaching strategies”, teachers and contributed to “Child rights in a curriculum,” developing their sensitivity to and “Integrating human rights in the capability to deal with human curriculum,” “Child rights in school rights issues in daily life, environment,” “Non-discrimination especially in the school setting. and education law amendments,” “Positive discipline.” Review of existing school At the beginning of the 2009 The review of school curriculums curriculums school academic year, three and the contest enabled teachers school departments audited their to share their existing knowledge respective teaching curriculums to and ideas about teaching human identify where human rights could rights and feedback to all be integrated and discussed how teaching staff for further they could be taught. discussion. In October 2009, the departments After practice teaching on human organized demonstration lessons rights issues, teachers agreed on some subjects with integration that teaching basic human rights of human rights principles. After concepts, indicators and real that, in December 2009 the cases are a useful method, which school organized a demonstration met practical requirements and lesson contest with the support of students’ needs. It also AI Mongolia. A total of seventeen empowered students to monitor teachers attended the contest human rights’ implementation and named "Integrating human rights to get the capacity to effectively in a school subject." handle any problems with human rights sensitivity. A team of mathematics teachers The activity enabled the students organized the monthly “Human to deepen their existing Rights through Mathematics” knowledge and skills on how presentations. mathematics can clearly show basic indicators and modeling for poverty level, climate change, environmental pollution, school drop out and their relevance to human rights. 76 Human Rights Education in Northeast Asian School Systems

Main objectives: Implemented activities: Reflections:

The Technology Department This activity was a very significant organized in February 2010 the contribution to realize in a exhibition on students’ creative practical way the child right to works named “Creating Human development. There were Rights Friendly Art Works” in specialized subjects for the relation with the HRFS Project,. creative works, such as fashion There was a wide range of designing, computer graphics creative art works on display and designing, interior designing, hair multimedia presentations for dressing styles, electronics and students, parents and teachers. computer software subjects.

Started a human rights library Now the school has a Human with the help from AI Mongolia. Rights Education Library with To provide access to teaching nearly two hundred sixteen books materials to all teachers, the and HRFS toolkits and increased school built a human rights teachers’ use of books and education library and received a materials on human rights. number of books from other organizations, such us Save the Children Japan in Mongolia, National Child Rights Centre, UNICEF in Mongolia, and AI Mongolia.

Key area 4 – Extra curricular domain and school environment

Partnership with international and In 2009 on the occasion of the During these extracurricular national human rights community International Human Rights Day, activities, students were highly the school organized the Human encouraged to participate in Rights Week (7–19 December) various competitions, campaigns consisting of the follow main and awareness-raising activities activities: and expressed their voices and - Wall charts competition on solutions to their peers, teachers human rights and other school community - A human rights visual arts members. exhibition Some highlights of the activities - Signing for human rights are presented with more detailed information below. - Public speech on “Poverty and Human Rights” - Mini United Nations (UN) activity - Essay contest on “Human Rights and Environment”

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Main objectives: Implemented activities: Reflections:

Signing for Human Rights During this activity a total of two activity: hundred eighty signatures had By the initiative of 11th grade been collected and 18,540 students, a campaign on “Signing tugruks (around thirteen U.S. for human rights” conducted with dollars) were collected in the the combination of fundraising charity box. These activities strategy under the slogan “A focused on making students human life” “One signature” “A become aware of how they could hundred tugruks”- to help end help end human rights abuses human rights abuses. globally and nationally.

Mini UN is a project-based The Mini UN activity offered the learning activity. Students opportunity to develop important demonstrated “World Peace leadership skills such as public Flags” and depicted their speaking, team and consensus understanding of the UN mandate building, negotiation and and missions. Also, they took the research. Quiz “Know Your Rights,” to Students demonstrated the ability examine their knowledge and to exchange information, understanding on human rights questions and ideas while issues. recognizing the perspective of others.

Study Tour to Human Rights As main results, a total of four Organizations: hundred ninety-five students On the occasion of the became more knowledgeable on International Human Rights Day, civil society work for human rights some teachers organized a study issues at global and national tour to human rights non- levels. Also, ten students out of governmental organizations sixteen, who visited AI Mongolia (NGOs) such as Save the joined it as young members. Children, The Center for Child Rights and Amnesty International Mongolia. The purpose of the tour was to be acquainted with vision, mission, goal, and activities of these organizations and bring them closer to the students. A group of three students and two The conference was beneficial teachers attended the among the school community International Students members in showing examples of Conference organized by Villiers raising a voice at the international High School in London (United level. This practice demonstrated Kingdom) in October 2009 for that the school could work their experience sharing and effectively by developing wider external relationships. relationship with the school community.

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Main objectives: Implemented activities: Reflections:

Moreover there were a number of activities held among the students in partnership with the local community. These activities were mainly information session by professionals on topics like; - “The harmful effects of drugs” - “Safe Traffic Rules” - “Crime prevention of Juveniles” - “How to choose a career”

Based on the experience of implementing of achieving a more harmonized and these activities, the school obtained a peaceful society. At the end, AI Mongolia number of advantages compared with non- sees the Human Rights Friendly Schools target schools. The students’ involvement in project as an opportunity to make human the discussion of the school policy, mission rights education an integral part of and rules and procedures built trust and a Mongolian education systems. A project friendly environment between teachers and monitoring and evaluation plan will be students and motivated students to implemented with the stakeholders to implement their rules that they approved ensure that project successes, challenges, themselves. Majority of school staff and lessons learned and human rights impact are teachers are now well aware about the collated and disseminated. importance of participation of all members of the school community and democratic A Child-fiendly School (CFS) election for class leaders, student council members and others. The school also The child-friendly schools (CFS) program in celebrated World Teachers Day in 5 October Mongolia is designed to address the 2009 under the global slogan “Invest on the country’s challenges in basic and secondary teachers now.” During the event, teachers education. The first step of the “Child- expressed that participating in the Human friendly school” initiative in Mongolia was Rights Friendly School Project is a one of UNICEF’s project titled “Primary the great investments for the teachers’ Education and Community Participation” professional development on rights-based which was implemented during the education, one of the main goals of 1999-2002 period. Thirty-five schools from education reform of Mongolia. fifteen provinces were involved in this project. The activities under this project Responding to the imperatives of the United mainly focused on enhancing teachers and Nations World Programme for Human parents’ knowledge and attitude on human Rights Education, the project seeks to rights education and promote equal promote a holistic approach to the opportunities at school activities. Also, the integration of human rights education into pilot schools had school self-assessment and school systems. The principles of human implemented their respective school rights can give schools a shared language of development plans for child-friendly schools. equality, dignity, respect, non-discrimination and participation that is crucial to the goal 79 Human Rights Education in Mongolian Schools

With technical assistance from UNICEF, with and strengthen families, helping the MECS is currently implementing the children, parents and teachers to CFS approach in two pilot schools in establish collaborative partnerships.25 city. These pilot schools are “Bolovsrol" complex school at Baganuur Most of these characteristics have been District, and School #13 at Bayangol district. incorporated as core principles of CFS pilot These pilot schools follow participatory schools in their management and daily life. teaching methodologies and train teachers The CFS project was reviewed in November on using them effectively. Priority is given to 2008 covering the two pilot schools building the lifeskills of students, promoting Bolovsrol complex school and School 13 in child rights through classroom dynamics and Ulaanbaatar city and non-pilot schools in children’s participation, and addressing Zavkhan, Bayan-ulgii, Dundgovi, Dornod, issues of school safety and protective and Sukhbaatar provinces. A total of one environments for children. According to the hundred seventy students, one hundred national policy on CFS, these pilot schools thirty three parents and ninety six teachers should establish child-friendly management participated in this comparative study. This based on the following steps: review concluded that the CFS program in 1. Conduct school self-assessment pilot schools significantly enhanced teacher skills. Teacher performance was also 2. Develop a mid-term or yearly-basis monitored and evaluated with tools that development plan for the school based meet CFS evaluation and school assessment. on the assessment In addition, trust and mutual understanding 3. Implement the plan of action based on between teachers and children led to meaningful participation by students improved overall performance. and school community members The review has mainly positive results in the 4. Emphasize the meaningful participation CFS pilot schools. Students have the chance of all stakeholders in school to get information from a wide range of management activities by the sources and have opportunities to develop Management Team. their social competencies. The schools According to one educator, a rights-based support parents’ participation in approach to schooling aspires to: decisionmaking on school policies and activities, encourage them to take an active - Recognize the rights of every child interest in school management, and ask - Promote quality learning outcomes. them to take part in the learning experience Students are encouraged to think of their children. For example, parents have critically, ask questions, express their been informed of extracurricular activities. opinions, and master basic skills They have also expressed great satisfaction with the CFS approach, noting the increased - Promote student rights and interest of their children in learning. responsibilities within the school environment as well as activism within Interviews held under the review show the their community at large change in the behavior and attitudes of - Enhance teacher capacity, morale, various school community members on the commitment and status by ensuring that three main areas of child-friendly schools. the teachers have sufficient training, recognition and compensation - Focus on the family by school administrators by attempting to work 80 Human Rights Education in Northeast Asian School Systems

Interview with a school principal: Interview with representatives of teachers:

School All stakeholders should School School should provide adequate management participate in school evaluation management condition for student and identify weak or non-child- organizations to conduct their friendly points in their schools. activities. The main outcomes of the self- assessment should be the basis Student Students should help each other of a school development plan. All discipline at the school. stakeholders should make efforts to implement the plan. School Teaching Teachers should communicate regulations and rules should be practice with students in a friendly developed based on human manner and guide their activities. rights principles.

Teachers and school administrators’ Student Students should have the attitude attitudes toward students, school discipline that “our school misses me.” management, and teaching and learning Teachers do not punish students changed positively in the following ways: who are late. Instead of They agree that school and teacher punishment, teachers should evaluation should consider the students’ know the reasons why they are voices and participation. They agree that late. student involvement in any evaluation process should be a routine school activity. Teaching Teachers do not present Interview with representatives of students: practice themselves as very powerful persons. If they do so, they may forget their students. Putting School School environment should be equipments inside the management improved based on what the classrooms is intended to provide students want. direct services for their learning and development. Student Students should help and support discipline each other. It is important for students to be friendly with each other. School administrators pay attention to providing healthy and safe school Teaching Teachers should facilitate environment. The school community helps practice students’ activities and they renovate the school facilities (classrooms should talk freely with students. and laboratories) and establish centers for teacher and student development with financial support from parents, local donors, The students’ attitudes also changed and professional organizations. Drinking positively. They respect and support each water facilities are placed in the hallways of other. Their communication with the school the school. Recreational and sport area community has become friendly and polite. created and equipped in the school yard. Students have opportunities to develop their Student registration and information system abilities by participating in activities of is created and student privacy is protected. child-led organizations and clubs. They can

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express their opinion freely and spend time - Develop guidelines/recommendations with their teachers. Finally, the involvement on distinctive features of child-friendly of parents in decisionmaking and school schools and dormitories that show their activities has improved and they are advantages compared to regular schools motivated to support their children’s and dormitories learning as well as school activities. - Develop alternative funding modalities One of the distinctive features of the for student-led organizations to Mongolian child-friendly pilot schools is the implement their activities. existence of student-led activities supported At the local level: by the school principal and teacher- facilitators. “A child-friendly school - Strengthen the implementation of the recognizes the importance of children’s ideas CFS policy at the local level by and feedbacks and encourages them to disseminating the best practices of contribute to their own learning processes child-friendly pilot schools and school environment,” says Ms. D. - Develop and implement a local level Erdenechimeg, a Principal of a CFS in policy and action plan on the Mongolia. In other words, the key to the development of CFS and establish an child friendly school’s management is assessment system for their genuine and meaningful participation of implementation. student-led organizations in the school management. There are over ten student-led At the school level: organizations that are currently very active at the schools. The child-led organizations - Support the increasing involvement of conduct their activities at the Student the community in the implementation Development Center that the school of CFS initiatives management established. - Establish a database for analyzing school self-assessment findings to reflect them The review concluded that as a result of the in further school development plans. CFS project, the MECS and the general public have a better understanding of the Based on the positive results of the child-friendly school concept. There is a evaluation, the CFS coverage will be continued need to extend the coverage of expanded to cover roughly 10 percent of the the policy implementation and scale up schools in the country. In order to child-friendly schools nationwide. In this disseminate child-friendly school initiatives, regard, the review provided the following UNICEF and MECS have jointly developed recommendations at the national, local, and nine CFS training modules, which are school levels for further improvement of designed to support CFS activities, school CFS initiative: administrators, teachers and students. The training modules are used for training At the national level: activities for CFS participants: - Revise the CFS assessment indicators • Module 1: School self-assessment tools and questionnaires and provide guidelines for conducting assessment • Module 2: Designing a school using the revised indicators and development plan questionnaires • Module 3: CFS management - Establish a mechanism to support local information system initiatives on child-friendly schools • Module 4: Promoting socio- psychological school environment 82 Human Rights Education in Northeast Asian School Systems

• Module 5: Child-centered teaching In 2008, the youth movement organized a methods Freedom Parade, Human Rights Festival and • Module 6: Partnership development a Human Poster Walk-About to spread among school, parents, and community awareness of human rights and freedoms, especially freedom of expression, and • Module 7: Livelihood knowledge and life gender-based violence among the public. All skills activities were highly visual including face- • Module 8: Inclusive education painting, fun decorations (including a big • Module 9: Violence free school. paper cake for the 60th anniversary of the Universal Human Rights Declaration), self- Also, the stakeholders collaborate with decorated T-shirts with human rights media partners and other NGOs. The Open messages, self-made banners and posters. School newspaper and Tsokh children’s Events featured popular singers and artists, newspaper actively organized CFS-related dance competitions, quiz contests and other activities such as promoting child activities. These campaign activities allowed participation in the development of CFS, an opportunity for young people and others supporting initiatives of student to express themselves freely and creatively organizations, and clarifying students’ duties and enjoy their right to free expression and responsibilities at the school. boldly and creatively. Youth initiative: “Erkhuulei” as a human rights One of the good features of the campaign is defender and super-hero for children the creation of a “national hero” (role model) of human rights named Erkhuulei by the The “Hands Up 4 Your Rights!” is a youth youths. Erkhuulei is a national super-hero movement that is very active in the human who has super powers to develop each child’s rights education field in Mongolia. It was and each adult’s ability to understand, initiated and led by the “Let’s Develop” respect and defend human rights and Youth Club and Youth Group of AI freedoms of oneself and others. This non- Mongolia and supported by gender-specific perpetual child with super MONFEMNET (Mongolian Women’s abilities was created to popularize the spirit NGOs Network). The “Hands Up 4 Your of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights!” youth campaign is intended as a fun, Rights and promote human rights education dynamic and participatory mechanism to of children. support young people’s empowerment and activism for human rights, gender justice and democracy in Mongolia. The campaign strategy is the marketing of human rights in a fun, accessible, creative and positive fashion, focusing specifically on youth, using peer training and fun public activities as well as media. The name Erkhuulei comes from the Mongolian word (erkh is the Mongolian word for right) and (erkh chuluu is the Mongolian word for freedom). Erkhuulei’s character was born at the first Training of Trainers (TOT) of the “Hands Up 4 Your Rights!” campaign. Participants of the

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campaign developed a simple human rights on specific human rights and gender equality lesson plan, content and methodology for issues. primary and secondary school students. Sixty young people were trained to be “Erkhuulei Challenges trainers” and they conducted Erkhuulei’s lessons at twenty-nine secondary schools of A number of factors have contributed to the Ulaanbaatar, reaching out to over one ongoing problems of human rights education thousand students in 2008. In March 2009, in Mongolian educational settings. These two Erkhuulei trainers (two law school difficulties can be categorized into different students) traveled to Dundgovi and areas: Umnugovi aimags and taught about human a. Lack of teaching practices and supportive rights to over one thousand secondary teachers’ attitude school students. Again, “Hands Up 4 Your Rights!” campaign participants created a The main findings of evaluations and studies comic book to introduce Erkhuulei to their on the Mongolian educational quality and peers and friends. The talent and dedication achievements show that schools at present of a young artist (Ts. Delgerjargal) helped pay more attention to the improvement of breathe life into Erkhuulei. The comic books their physical environment and upgrading of were widely distributed during Erkhuulei’s the qualifications of their teachers and staff. human rights lessons at various schools in However, in reality, some negative Ulaanbaatar and Dundgovi and Umnugovi phenomenons are still observed such as aimags as well as through informal networks. discrimination against children based on their academic performance, failure to “Hands Up 4 Your Rights!” TOT (one and provide equal access to each and every child, half to two days) and peer training (one day) and lack of human rights-friendly or workshops are important components of the supportive atmosphere inside classrooms campaign. The training programs include and schools. The evaluation of human rights sections on human rights, civics, gender education in secondary schools (2006, equality and the nature of patriarchy, and NHRCM) identified the following creative campaigning for social change. All weaknesses: sections are highly interactive and include roleplay and group work and incorporate • Significant difference in teaching human collective analyses. In 2008, the campaign rights as a compulsory and an optional trained over a hundred young people and, course under the support from the Australian Agency for International Development • Failure of training managers to maintain (AUSAID), held four TOT workshops and regular supervision over the education twelve peer training workshops in 2009. Fun standards and plans activities such as drawing and creating one’s • No significant professional support to own campaign T-shirt are included in these teachers in terms of content and workshops. As they participate in the methodology on human rights education development of the training content and • Lack of teachers and high turn over of methodology, the youth develop skills on teachers who are specialized in social research, analysis, teamwork, facilitation, sciences and citizenship. coordination, and training as well as skills on listening, speaking, and problem-solving. In It is important to understand the addition, they learn to hold press- importance of teaching human rights as an conferences, plan public events, and street independent subject and to integrate it into actions to focus public and media attention existing school curriculums. But teaching

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human rights and citizenship at the primary c. Lack of coordination between stakeholders and and secondary levels is still teacher-centered systematic support om government and characterized by passive and rote learning. There are also lack of experienced One of the major challenges is the lack of teachers and managers who are able to use collaboration and networking of relevant rights-based approach to education in terms stakeholders in the human rights education of teaching methodology and . field. For example, in accordance with These studies reported that the main causes Article 1.1.26 of the NHRAP, the Sub- of the negative approaches are poor human Programme on Human Rights Education rights education practices and lack of aims to create a national mechanism to teaching skills to promote mutual support human rights education and understanding, respectful and safe promotion and training of trainers in all environment inside their classrooms. sectors. Unfortunately, this ambiguous goal has not been implemented up to date. In this b. Lack of teaching materials and supportive school context, partnership and collaboration are environment also still lacking between the relevant stakeholders. Many Mongolian schools do not have “learning-friendly” environments. “Learning- Mongolia still has no stand-alone human friendly” environments are often rights education policy or conceptual misunderstood to refer only to the physical framework. The failure to develop the Sub- environment.26 Students still experience Programme on Human Rights Education bullying, and corporal punishment from shows that there is a strong need to create a their teachers.27 An enabling learning national human rights education and training environment can be achieved by building system and its monitoring and evaluation self-awareness, developing artistic capacities mechanism. And for the rest, there is a lack and creative thinking, strengthening ethics, of well-thought, planned policy or systematic and instilling social and aesthetic values. interventions, which will promote social Such development should be provided to all relationships, mutual understanding and high children, including those with disabilities respect between teachers-students-parents- and from minority groups. public, and make schools supportive and child-friendly spaces for children’s learning, Due to the lack of resources, the physical development and participation. environment of schools cannot meet the rights of children to study in healthy and safe d. The lack of opportunity to network between environment, and to access adequate training schools and educational partners materials and teachers. Curriculums and teaching methods are often not relevant to Another major problem related to the the life-skill and basic issues challenging the current educational structure is the need to students. Sometimes, the human rights develop more horizontal and education curriculum itself does not multidirectional channels of communication conform to the realities and needs of across the country. At present, there is no different communities. Most of the teaching system of direct communication between the materials are translated from other languages schools (especially in rural areas) and other and cultures. Therefore, the lack of books educational partners. It is likely that many of and instructional materials on human rights NGOs do not reach into rural areas and and civic education written in Mongolian could not create networks in aimag or soum language and context provides difficulty for (rural district) levels. Therefore, large-scale teachers. human rights education campaigns in rural areas are not yet possible.

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Evaluation and Review of Human in progressing and coordinating Rights Education education about and for human rights. 2. Develop, approve and publish a clear, Currently, there is no specific research or precise vision statement for rights- study that look into the incorporation of based education and education about human-rights based approaches into the and for human rights. This vision Mongolian educational system or even into statement should describe the essential the human rights environment in schools. An elements of the initiative. international evaluation of the best practices in rights-based education28 provides the 3. Because of the need to meet national needed analysis of the situation in Mongolia. goals, guarantee teaching and learning This external evaluation covered Mongolia’s about rights and responsibilities for at UNICEF country program and the least one quarter of the course at all implementation of the Government levels, and about priorities and Education Master Plan. It has the following obligations relating to human rights in specific objectives: the Civics and Citizenship course within the Mongolian school 1. Review the existing ‘Children’s Rights curriculum. Education Syllabus’ for fourth-year pre- 4. Make an audit or curriculum mapping service education students, developed of the Civics and Citizenship course by staff at the Mongolian State during the Third Education University of Education (MSUE) and to Development Project period in order to make recommendations on how the identify the extent (hours by grade) and course could become more complex, focuses of the human rights component comprehensive and accurate. (knowledge, skills, attitudes). 2. Conduct training of the members of the 5. Make an audit or curriculum mapping MSUE curriculum development team on of education about and for human international principles of child rights rights across learning areas and stages education in primary and secondary of schooling during the Third schools. Education Development Project period. 3. Develop a report and recommendations This audit should identify the core about rights-based education and knowledge, skills, values and education about and for human rights participatory aspects of education programs; and, that this advice would about and for human rights. cover curriculum content, education 6. Undertake an audit of the Non-Formal resources and implementation. and Adult Education programs to identify training about lifeskills related Based on the review of the policy and to human rights. If there is insufficient curriculum documents, the external training related to the development of evaluation recommended that education for these skills, these should be developed. and about human rights should be a priority for all parts of the Mongolian Education 7. Develop with input from key System (Pre-school, Primary and Secondary, stakeholders in Mongolia a detailed Non-formal and adult, TVET, and Higher cross-curriculum ‘Statement’ about Education). Following are the specific education about and for human rights, recommendations offered:29 and have it published and distributed. 8. Make a range of stakeholders accept the 1. Establish a Project Reference Group responsibility of adapting, developing (for the CFS project) that includes and providing educational resources representative stakeholders interested 86 Human Rights Education in Northeast Asian School Systems

about and for human rights for children 16. MECS should investigate the potential and young people. of online student global projects to 9. MECS should advise stakeholders of connect Mongolian students with their those areas and topics within the peers in other countries. curriculum relating to human rights that require support through the Conclusion development of educational resources. The current emphasis in international 10. Identify and agree through consensus educational policies and cooperation on the key human rights and child rights institutionalization of human rights issues. Develop educational resources education in the school system of Mongolia that sensitively and appropriately would have strategic significance in the explore these issues for children and national development policy. Mongolia has young people in Mongolian schools. many initiatives in the formal and non- Feature in these resources the formal education system that can be seen as connections between local, national and good examples of human rights education. international aspects of these issues. 11. House at MECS or at the NHRCM and National research findings on human rights make available to resource developers as and democracy clearly indicate that human models a repository of internationally- rights education would be a valuable developed, exemplary educational component of general education for the resources about and for human rights. public. All these findings indicate the need 12. Identify, coordinate and promote for more effective and integrated human existing and planned training by rights education programs. To solve the stakeholders of education about and for above-mentioned problems, the Mongolian human rights or child rights. Develop education system needs to develop complex new professional learning to support educational programs on human rights education about and for human rights education. Therefore, it is recommended both within the formal curriculum and that a comprehensive Conceptual also with a cross-curriculum emphasis. Framework be developed that will provide a theoretical and practical framework for the 13. Revise the current ‘Children’s Rights teaching of human rights at Mongolian Education Syllabus’ developed by the schools. This conceptual framework would MSUE and make it a model that can be provide an educational rationale, the aims of used at other universities, colleges and the innovation, recommended learning teacher-training institutions. emphases or themes; and advice about 14. Establish a website with sections for appropriate teaching and learning, teachers and students, including age- curriculum resources, professional learning, appropriate information and advice how to engage parents and the community, about and for human rights. This and pre-service education. website may be part of an existing website. The website must be easily In order to improve the quality of human discoverable by Mongolian students and rights education in secondary schools, it is teachers. important to re-train the teachers, improve 15. Such website should provide the training facilities, upgrade training opportunities for educators to connect management and create the human rights with their peers across Mongolia, and to environment in schools. Assistance of the exchange ideas and practices that best UN and other international donor support education about and for human organizations is highly needed for the rights/child rights. integration of human rights education into 87 Human Rights Education in Mongolian Schools

the Mongolian formal education system National Human Rights Commission of considering the lack of resources faced by Mongolia, 19/1, 2007. the country. ______, “Human Rights Education and Civic participation in Mongolia” (paper presented at the References international roundtable on “Role of Research in Modernizing Teaching and The State Great Hural, Constitution of Humanities in Central Asia and Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar: 1992 Mongolia”, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, ______, State Education Policy, October 2003) . Ulaanbaatar: 1995 Altangerel Choijoo, Tuya Ukhnaa, ______, Law on Education, “Citizenship Education: Concept and Ulaanbaatar: 1995 Reality,” Educational Sciences, 31/2, 2007. ______, National Action Plan for D. Byambajav “Participation of NGOs in Human Rights , Ulaanbaatar: 2003 Policy Development and Decision- Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, Making: Improving Legal Environment Master Plan for Education Development and Institutional Mechanism.” Policy (2006-2015), Ulaanbaatar: 2006 paper. ______, National Standard on John Weidman, “Developing the Mongolia Primary and Secondary Education 2004 Education Sector Strategy 2000-2005,” Current Issues in Comparative Education, MESTC, Content Framework of Social Sciences 3/2, May 1, 2001. and History; Ulaanbaatar, 2005, page 70. Narangerel Rinchin, Mongolia: Human Rights Statistics Bulletin of the Education, Culture, Education in Schools (A Paper presented Science and Technology Sectors, in HURIGHTS OSAKA, 1998) 2009-2010 Academic year. Ulaanbaatar: available at www.hurights.or.jp/archives/ Ministry of Education, Culture and human_rights_education_in_asian_scho Science, 2010. ols/section1/2000/03/volume.html. The Academy of Political Education David Shiman etc., “Teacher Education and “Comparative study on Civic Human Rights Vision: HRE” in George Education,” Ulaanbaatar, 2007. J. Andreopoulos and Richard Pierre NHRCM, Research Report: Human Rights Claude, editors, Human Rights Education Education at Secondary School System, for the Twenty First Century (University of Ulaanbaatar, 2005, page 51. Pennsylvania Press, 1997), page 168. NHRCM Strategic Plan Appendix D, Felisa Tibbits “School based approach to Ulaanbaatar, 2003. Human Rights Education,” Journal of Article 26, October, 2005 Amnesty NHRCM Report on Human Rights and International, page 2. Freedoms in Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, 2007. Nancy Flowers and David A. Shiman, Altangerel Choijoo, “Human Rights “Teacher Education and the Human Education in Mongolian Schools” Rights Vision” in Andreopoulos and Human Rights Education in Asian Schools, Claude, op. cit., pages 161-175. 9/2006, Osaka, Japan World Programme for Human Rights ______, “Human Rights and Education (A/59/525/Rev.1) in Appendix Education” Human Rights Quarterly of E.20

88 Recommendations For Primary And 19 MECS & UNICEF, Study on school Secondary School Teacher Training For dormitories, Mongolia, 2007. Human Rights Education 20 Robert Baker, Report on Rights-based www.hrusa.org/workshops/ Education and Education About and For hreworkshops/usa.html Human Rights in Mongolia (unpublished), page 16. 21 This table is taken from National Education Standard of History and Social Studies: Primary Endnotes and Secondary Education, 2005 - Decree #164 of the Minister of Education, Culture and 1 The State Great Hural (Parliament of Science, 20 May 2005. Mongolia). The State Education Policy 22 Flowers. N. & Shiman. D., page 162. Ulaanbaatar, 1995. 23 Human Rights Education in Formal 2 Master Plan for Education (2006-2011) was Education, Speech by Ms. Khishigsaikhan endorsed by the Ministry of Education, B., Director of the NHRCM, Presented at Culture and Sciences in 2006. the 10th Forum of the Asia-Pacific Forum of 3 The National Development Strategy based on the National Human Rights Institutions, Miennium Development Goals (2007) was August, 2005, Ulaanbaatar Mongolia. endorsed by the Parliament of Mongolia in 24 The National Human Rights Commission 2007. of Mongolia Act, Chapter 4, Article 13. 4 Annex to Resolution number 41, 2003 of 25 Felisa Tibbits distinguishes between the State Great Hural. "school-based approach to human rights 5 Ibid, paragraph 11. education" and "human rights-based 6 Article 1, NHRAP. approach to schooling”. See her article 7 Articles 1 and 2, NHRAP. “School- based approach to Human Rights 8 National Programme of Action for Development Education” in Journal of Article 26, October, and Protection of Children, (2002) was 2005 Amnesty International U.S.A., page 2. endorsed by the Parliament of Mongolia in 26 The amendments to the Education Law of 2002. 2006 stipulate that a “learning 9 Masterplan to Develop Education of Mongolia, environment” refers not only to the physical (2006) was endorsed by Minister of environment but also to teaching and Education, Culture and Science. learning interactions and processes. 10 Master Plan of Education in Mongolia - 27 There is much literature indicating the lack 2006-2015, pages xx–xxiii. of enabling, child friendly environments in 11 Ibid, Chapter 4: Mid-term Action Plan Mongolia, such as Mongolian Education 2006–2010. Alliance, The Mongolian Drop Out Study 12 Ibid, Chapter 4, Section 4.2. (Ulaanbaatar, 2005); Save the Children UK, 13 The Policy Framework for Promotion of Child Children on the Move: Rural-urban Migration Friendly Schools (2004) was approved by the and Access to Education, Children’s Views on Minister of Education, Culture and Their Experiences in Kindergartens, Schools and Sciences. Child Care Institutions (Ulaanbaatar, 2005). 14 Decree 190 of the Education Minister, May 28 The UNICEF Office of Mongolia requested 2004. an international consultant (Mr. Robert 15 Amgaabazar, Gerelmaa. 2005. World Bank Baker of CC International, Australia) in Dra Policy Brief on the Mongolian Drop Out 2007 to advise the MECS and MSUE about Rate (unpublished) international best practices in rights-based 16 Statistics Buetin of the Education Sector, education, particularly related to the rights 2009-2010 Academic year. Ulaanbaatar, of the child. Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, 29 These recommendations are based on the 2010. set of recommendations included in the 17 Human Development Report Mongolia, 2007. report of Robert Baker, op. cit., pages 8-10. 18 MECS & UNICEF, Research report on violence against children at schools and kindergartens, Mongolia, 2007. 89