JNU organises seminar on human rights

New Delhi: Aimed at examining critically the progress made by India over the years with regard to promotion of teaching and research on human rights education and duties, and thereby suggesting measures to be taken for giving it further impetus in the changing global politics, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, in collaboration with Centre for Promotion of Human Rights Teaching and Research (HURITER) and Equal Opportunity Office, JNU organised a seminar on 'Human Rights Education in India: Past, Present and Future' to mark the international human rights day on Saturday in the City.

The seminar was also supported by the Indian Council of Social Sciences Research and Corporation Bank.

The seminar began with an opening remarks by JNU's noted expert on disability studies/ human rights and advisor, equal opportunity office Dr G N Karna. Setting the agenda, Karna recapitulated briefly the contribution made by HURITER with regard to promotion of teaching and research on human rights. In this context, he also espoused for developing HURITER as a Centre of Excellence of JNU.

The programme was inaugurated by chairman of national commission for minorities, Wajahat Habibullah who highlighted the need for inculcation of human rights values across civil society.

Delivering his address as chief guest on the occasion, the internationally renowned biologist and JNU vice chancellor professor Sudhir Kumar Sopory underlined the need to have a full-fledged Centre of Human Rights and Social Justice at JNU for offering various programmes of studies ranging from post- graduation and MPhil to PhD and post PhD in keeping with the interdisciplinary character of the university.

The keynote address was delivered by former vice chancellor of Delhi University professor Upendra Baxi (Emeritus Professor of Law at Universities of Warwick and Delhi University). In his lecture Baxi made an impassioned plea for sensitising the illiterate among the literate - ie. intellectuals as a first step towards promotion of human rights teaching and research.

The inaugural session was followed by a working session; wherein papers were presented by experts on diverse aspects of human rights education. Among others who articulated their viewpoints on the occasion included Dr Amulya Khurana, former professor, department of humanities and social sciences, IIT, New Delhi, Dr Jyoti Dogra Sood, senior assistant professor, Indian Law Institute, Bhagwan Das Road, Delhi, Dr Minati Panda, associate professor, JNU and chairperson, Task Force for Tribal Education, Government of India, Dr Saroj Pandey, professor, school of education, IGNOU, among others.

Around 36 students with disabilities from JNU were also proposed by Karna for award of HURITER Scholarship with support from public sector banks and other organisations at a ceremony to be organised by this month-end.