Recommendations to the Minister of Education and Others for Institutional Reforms to Strengthen Human Rights Education in Teacher Training Programmes
– Recommendation to designate a ‘human rights course’ as a mandatory subject for teacher certification and to propose foundational guidelines through practical manuals, among other institutional reforms –
□ On 2 April 2025, the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (hereinafter “NHRCK”) issued recommendations to the Minister of Education, presidents of national universities of education, the Korea National University of Education, and presidents of universities offering teacher training programmes, calling for institutional reforms to enhance human rights education within teacher training curricula.
○ The recommendations to the Minister of Education include the following: ▲ Revise the Detailed Standards for Obtaining Teaching Qualifications for Kindergarten, Elementary, Secondary, and Special Schools (Ministry of Education Notice) to mandate the inclusion of ‘human rights courses’ within the professional competence category of teacher education; ▲ Incorporate core human rights education content—such as Understanding Human Rights, Human Rights-Friendly School Culture, and Pedagogical Methods for Human Rights Education—into the teacher qualification examination guidelines, and provide a basic curriculum outline for the mandatory human rights course; ▲ Consider pilot initiatives, secure qualified teaching staff, and provide financial support for relevant research to facilitate the introduction of diverse human rights education courses in teacher training institutions.
○ University presidents of national education institutions, the Korea National University of Education, colleges of education, and universities with secondary education programmes are requested to actively develop and offer human rights courses that include key themes such as Understanding Human Rights, Human Rights-Friendly School Culture, and Human Rights Education Teaching Methods.
□ In 2012, the NHRCK had previously recommended, through its Comprehensive Policy Proposals for Creating a Human Rights-Friendly School Culture, that teacher training institutions include human rights and human rights education in both general and major-specific coursework. Building on this, a 2023 study titled Research on the Current Status and Improvement Measures for Human Rights Education in Teacher Training Institutions was conducted to assess the extent of human rights education offered in teacher training colleges and colleges of education. The findings were as follows:
○ Although some courses address human rights-related topics in part, there is a notable lack of courses specifically dedicated to human rights and human rights education, indicating a significant gap in the current teacher training system.
○ Furthermore, the content of the few human rights-related courses that do exist tends to focus heavily on theoretical and conceptual knowledge, with insufficient coverage of practical aspects such as methods for integrating human rights into daily school life or teaching strategies for human rights education in classrooms.
□ Teachers play a critical role in delivering human rights education through both classroom instruction and broader educational activities. They are also legally obligated to uphold the human rights of students, as stipulated in the Framework Act on Education, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. From this standpoint, human rights education for teachers must go beyond theoretical instruction to include the development of a human rights-based perspective on education and practical methods for implementing rights-based approaches in schools.
□ In light of the growing societal concern regarding human rights issues within educational settings—and the necessity for future educators to understand both the rights of students and the rights and professional authority of teachers—it is essential to expand the offering of human rights education courses within teacher training institutions. Furthermore, designating such courses as mandatory for teacher certification is a necessary step toward institutional reform.
□ The NHRCK hopes that these recommendations will contribute to systemic improvements that enable future teachers to develop the expertise and competencies necessary for human rights education in a structured and comprehensive manner. The Commission also encourages universities to voluntarily provide a range of elective human rights courses as part of both major-specific and general education curricula.
