ILIGAN CITY (PIA) – – The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) to establish a Center for Human Rights Education.
CHREs are higher education institutions (HEIs) -based institutions providing human rights education activities with faculty, staff, and community involvement. As of the first quarter of 2023, there are around 60 CHREs across the Philippines.
The MOA aims to incorporate human rights education into the university’s curriculum, promoting the importance of human rights from primary to higher education institutions.
CHR Chairperson Lawyer Richard P. Palpa-latoc, emphasized the significance of the partnership with the academe, stating that education is key to effectively promoting human rights. The CHR will provide technical support in developing human rights-based curriculum modules.
“ Mahalaga po siya kasi, ang effort promoting human rights, mas malaki ang impact kung sa edukasyon nagsisimula. Still, our position is that education is the key to the effective promotion of human rights. Ang gusto sana namin ma institutionalize ito in all higher education institutions as well as in primary and secondary education,” he said.
(This is important because, the effort in promoting human rights, impact is greater if it starts with education. Still, our position is that education is the key to the effective promotion of human rights. We would like to institutionalize this in all higher education institutions as well as in primary and secondary education.)
Meanwhile, Lawyer Alizedney M. Ditucalan, the chancellor of MSU-IIT, is elated with the signing of the MOA, highlighting the university’s commitment to the promotion of human rights. He stated that human rights should be the lens through which students understand and respect the rights of others, emphasizing the importance of integrating human rights into the curriculum.
“We are very happy because we believe that human rights are the core of the learning process. Important siya nga masabtan not just our faculty but most importantly atong mga students,” he said.
(We are very happy because we believe that human rights are the core of the learning process. This is important not just for our faculty but most importantly our students to understand.)
Moreover, the Policy Center for Human Rights and Sustainable Development at MSU-IIT has previously conducted various activities related to human rights education, such as training sessions and film showings, to deepen students’ understanding of human rights.
The university’s goal is to embed human rights education into its general education program, making it an essential component of students’ learning experience. This multidisciplinary approach aims to empower students to promote and respect human rights throughout their academic journey. (LELA/PIA-10/Lanao del Norte)
