Research Summary: Human rights and religion in the English secondary RE curriculum
The relationship between religion and human rights is an ambiguous and complex one, but there are academic, moral and political arguments for the inclusion of human rights in religious education (RE). The Universal Declaration of Human Rights advocates education in human rights and the English school curriculum aims to encourage a commitment to human rights. This article examines the arguments for the inclusion of human rights in RE. It explores whether English secondary RE curricula encourage the study of human rights and the link with religion. This is perceived through a post secular context, one which is marked by the continuing presence of religion in the modern world. The article suggests that there are compelling arguments for the inclusion of human rights in RE, but identifies a questionable variability among local agreed syllabi and GCSE specifications which makes RE an inconsistent ally for the national and international human rights education movement.
Researchers
Dr Robert Bowie
Research Institution
Canterbury Christ Church University
What is this about?
This is a policy study of recent changes around the moral and values aims of education in English schooling. It shows the transition from a values vision framed around human rights to one that is framed around British values.
What was done?
The analysis of policy documentation used a triangulation of conceptual frames: Schwartz’s theoretical structure of values, Baxi’s conceptualisation of rights and Lohrenscheit’s notion of learning about and learning for human rights as these.
Main findings and outputs
Governments offer different political conceptions around what the moral formation of children in schools should encourage, in terms of social change or conservation, local or international allegiances, and moral education as state protection or advocacy around protection from the state. Different governments, at different times and facing different situations, come to different conclusions about what values education should encourage or facilitate. Policy change indicates underlying change, inconsistency and uncertainty around the negotiation of national and international values in English schools. It is clear that there has been a significant change of direction in education policy since 2007 driven by PREVENT and fundamental British values and the concerns around international terrorism and cohesion. However much there might be a feeling that the 2016 political events reflect a sudden unexpected change towards nationalism and away from internationalism, education policy was a signpost towards that direction of travel. Whether this marks an abandonment of human rights education, or a new phase of development towards a locally, nationally conceptualized HRE remains to be seen. This need not necessarily be interpreted as a loss of an ideal or indeed an obituary for HRE.
Relevance to RE
RE engages with international dimensions in that religions and belief systems reach beyond national boundaries. The article provokes reflection on the extent to which RE might be focussed on a vision of education that is framed exclusively by national interests or whether there is scope for an internationalist vision of RE.
Generalisability and potential limitations
This is a conceptual study – focussed around policy formation. It charts developments rather than proposes solutions.
Find out more
Bowie, R. (2017) The rise and fall of human rights in English education policy: Inescapable national interests and PREVENT. Education, Citizenship and Social Justice, 12 (2). pp. 111-122.