A city student might actually have to visit the grieving family of a farmer when he commits suicide, to score extra marks in his college examinations if the model curriculum suggested by the National Human Rights Commission is approved by the University Grants Commission. The under-graduate and post-graduate courses in human rights, which are likely to be incorporated in the curriculum at college and university levels in the near future, would make it mandatory for students to go for field visits, so that they could actually feel the trauma of people, whose rights were violated.
For example, as per the NHRC recommendations the under-graduate foundation course should carry total eight credits split into six credits for classroom discussion and two credits for field work.
Semester system
In semester system, there should be four credits in the first semester and two credits in the second semester for class room lecture and discussion and two credits for field work in the second semester. The field work strategies should be formulated by the institution which would conduct the course.
The course also includes latest issues like “whistle blowing: public exposure of unfair practices and abuse of public authority,” a topic, which the experts felt, would inspire the young generation to fight against corruption and usher in an era of good governance.
Releasing the NHRC recommendations at a function here on Friday, Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh stressed that education should act as a sound foundation to inculcate human rights value.