WCAR Outcomes on Education - Summary
Education is a key factor in changing racist attitudes and behavior and promoting tolerance and respect for diversity. The WCAR Declaration recognised two major aspects of education as crucial to combating racism:
1. Raising awareness of the causes and consequences of racism through public information and education programs (Declaration paras 80, 95, 98).
2. Providing access and equity in education to help create more inclusive, tolerant societies (Declaration paras 96-97; PoA 48).
1. Public education campaigns
The main goals of a consciousness raising campaign would include:
- promoting better knowledge of and respect for Indigenous cultures and heritage (PoA 15b, 117).
- spreading information
about the human rights of migrants and migration issues (PoA 33).
- developing and strengthening anti-racist gender-sensitive human rights training that targets all sectors of society, particularly children and young people (PoA 129-139).
Methods to achieve these goals include:
Appropriate Research
- The collection, compilation,
analysis and dissemination of reliable statistical data on the victims of
racial discrimination (PoA 92-93).
- Close monitoring of the situation of marginalized groups and evaluation of legislation, policies and practices that my have an impact on victims (PoA 92b).
Curriculum Development
- Development of education materials, including textbooks and dictionaries, and revising curriculum materials to combat racism and eliminate material that reinforces negative racial stereotypes (PoA 127, 129, 132).
Training
- Conduct anti-racist campaigns and training targeted at public officials, including justice and law enforcement administrators, correctional and security services, health care, school and migration authorities (PoA 133-135, 139).
New technologies and the media
- Using the Internet and media to promote universal respect for human rights and the value of cultural diversity (PoA 140-142).
Cooperation with other organizations including International bodies
- Collaborating with relevant organizations such as youth groups to support and implement education programs and cooperating with UNESCO activities (PoA 125, 126, 128).
2. Access and equity in education
Access to education is seen as a vital to creating inclusive societies. The WCAR also emphasised the links between the right to education (which is sensitive to and respects cultural diversity) and the struggle against racism (Declaration paras 96-97).
The main goals in promoting access and equity in education are:
- Ensure access to good
quality education for children and lifelong learning for adults (PoA 121-123).
Specific attention should be paid to providing education for indigenous women
and girls (PoA 18) and to migrants and minority groups (PoA 33).
- To adopt and implement laws that prohibit formal and informal discrimination in the provision of all levels of education (PoA 122-123).
The methods to achieve these goals include:
- Measure and track the educational performance of disadvantaged children and young people (PoA 123(d)).
- Consider establishing financial assistance to enable all students to attain higher education (PoA 123(g)).
- Adopt appropriate measures to ensure that persons belonging to national, ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities have an opportunity to learn their own language (PoA 124).
- Ensure that teacher
training promotes respect for human rights and equality (PoA 136).
- Increase the recruitment, retention and promotion of under-represented groups in the teaching professions (PoA 137).
Prepared by the Race Discrimination Unit, HREOC.
