Reflections on the Human Condition - Api-fellowships.org

386 SESSION VI
Rights Education in Schools was organized to dispel
misconceptions of human rights among teachers and
decision makers.
Integration of Human Rights into Subjects
Through the cooperation between SUHAKAM and
MOE, human rights are integrated in “Moral Education”
and “Civics and Citizenship”. In Moral Education, after
the revision of syllabus in 2003, “Values related with
human rights” was clearly situated as one of the seven
core learning areas in secondary schools, under which
rights of children, women, workers, consumers, and the
disabled are taught. SUHAKAM also contributed to the
revision. Topics such as “freedom of self expression and
worship”, “living together in peace”, “respect for the
integrity of other nations” also refer to human rights. In
the textbooks for Form 2 and Form 4 (second and fourth
year of high school), SUHAKAM’s function is taught,
and a visit to SUHAKAM is one of the recommended
activities for Form 4 students.
However, the Moral Education has limitations as
it is taught only to Non-Muslim students. There is a
division of subjects that non-Muslim students attend
Moral Education, while Muslim students attend
Islamic Studies. Moral education was created for non-
Muslim students to learn moral values because Muslim
students have already been taught values in Islamic
studies since long before Moral Education was started.
It was explained by the Ministry of Education that the
values taught in Moral Education and Islamic Studies
were designed to be parallel, but there is no direct input
from SUHAKAM for the Islamic Studies because it is
under a different department - Department of Islamic
and Moral Education: JAPIM, while Moral Education
is under Ministry of Education.
Considering such division, from year 2005 the new
subject “Civic and Citizenship” was introduced as a
compulsory subject for both Muslim and Non-Muslim
students. The subject aims to create consciousness among
students about their roles, rights and responsibilities in
society and country, as patriotic and integrated (racially
and culturally) citizens that can contribute to society,
nation, and the world. As the subject is just at its first
year for both elementary and high school in 2005, it
is too early to review and evaluate how human rights
concepts are integrated at this stage; but SUHAKAM
has been consistently cooperating with Ministry of
Education. CRC is not yet directly taught in on-going
curriculum stage but it is planned to be integrated in
future curriculum. SUHAKAM also cooperate with the
Ministry of Education in providing resource materials
Ref lections on the Human Condition: Change, Conflict and Modernity
The Work of the 2004/2005 API Fellows
to complement the textbooks. It is a meaningful and
practical support to schools, provided that teachers
had to start teaching new subject with limited sources
at hand. Local and regional NGOs, such as Amnesty
International Malaysia and Hurights Osaka contributed
their ideas and materials to schools.
Information Activities: Publications of Reports
Aside from the education in schools, what impressed
me in the work of SUHAKAM is the tremendous effort
made for preparation of reports and its publications.
As mandated in the Act, all the matters referred, action
taken, recommendations, and all the activities are to
be included in its annual report. All the reports are
submitted to the Government, and at the same time
disseminated to the public either in printed form or in
its website.
In fact, such effort for preparation and publication of
report is not only of SUHAKAM’s but also of NGOs’
effort. For example, ERA has been organizing national
consultation of NGOs with SUHAKAM every year,
and publishing the reports, in which the wide range of
discussions and criticism from civil society are included.
The report of the consultation resembles a “counterreport”
of NGOs about the work of SUHAKAM. Such
publications of both SUHAKAM and NGOs are also
important as a source of information because media
freedom is restricted.
Public Support
Government responded to SUHAKAM’s annual
and special reports in 2003 and 2005. SUHAKAM
welcomes the fact that Government responded to the
reports, but there were differences in responsiveness in
different government agencies. While some agencies
were responsive, others tend to list existing laws as their
response. As an advisory body without executing power,
SUHAKAM has difficulty to obtain Government’s
response and action to what it recommended.
However, SUHAKAM’s strength may lie in the public
support. ERA has been organizing annual consultation
with SUHAKAM and many NGOs and individuals
have been participating in them. SUHAKAM’s
commissioners have attended them to discuss with
civil society. Such dialogue is crucial for SUHAKAM
to hear the opinions from civil society, as well as to
strengthen cooperation with NGOs working in local
communities.
CONCLUSION