Global Citizenship Education and Human Rights in Scottish education: An analysis of education policy

Abstract

Recently, doubt has been cast on the ability of Scottish education to meet relevant Human Rights requirements relating to education. This article will outline both a means of clarification for international requirements for Human Rights Education, and an analysis of documentation outlining Scottish educational policy for compatibility with these requirements. In doing so, this article will outline the development, and application, of a tool for document analysis focused on international requirements for Human Rights Education. The findings of this analysis suggest a number of key limitations in the current approach favoured by the Scottish Government. This approach posits Global Citizenship Education as a cross-curricular theme capable of fulfilling obligations in relation to rights in Curriculum for Excellence. I suggest that there is a distinct lack of support for the Human Rights Education requirements relating to the inclusion of taught content about human rights and that problems of apoliticality and the misguided focus on responsibilities all stand as significant barriers to Global Citizenship Education meeting the aims of Human Rights Education. I argue, on this basis, that the strategy currently adopted in Scotland appears to fall short of meeting basic international requirements for Human Rights Education.