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Workshop to promote human rights teaching kit for children

The Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Michael Suen, today (Saturday) praised efforts to impress upon young children the basic concepts of human rights through innovative teaching aids.

Speaking at the opening of a workshop organised by the Committee on the Promotion of Civic Education (CPCE) to promote a new human rights teaching kit for children, Mr Suen said that he was deeply impressed by the content of the teaching aid which stressed the indivisible relationship between everyday life and the application of fundamental human rights concepts, namely the value of life, freedom, mutual respect and equality.

With the help of interesting activity plans and attractive illustrations, Mr Suen believed the teaching kit would arouse children's interest and improve their understanding of basic human rights concepts. It would also become a useful reference for teachers when they prepare extra-curricular activities for their students.

He called on members of the public to support the human rights education campaign. "Promotion of human rights could not be done by the CPCE alone but has to rely on everyone of us," he stressed.

Speaking on the same occasion, the Convenor of Human Rights Education Sub- committee of the CPCE, Mr William Tsui, said human rights concepts were often construed as abstract and not easily understood.

"In fact, there is an indivisible linkage between the fundamental concepts of human rights and the cultivation of a positive attitude to life. However, to instil these basic concepts to children is no easy task. We have thus decided at the outset to adopt a lively and diversified approach and through interesting activities, introduce to children the profound meaning of human rights," Mr. Tsui said.

The new teaching kit, which includes a handbook for teachers on human rights concepts and a handbook on 15 activity plans, has translated abstract notions in human rights into everyday life scenarios so that they can be easily understood by children aged between seven and 14. It has been well received by voluntary agencies and

schools.

"