Human rights and their basic values in the Estonian school and education policy

The Institute of Baltic Studies in cooperation with the Human Rights Centre carries out a study “Human rights and their basic values in the Estonian school and education policy: Their representation in education policy documents and implementation in the school system”.

The study aims to provide an overview of the expression of human rights and their basic values (such as equality, human dignity, inclusion, non-discrimination) in Estonian educational policy documents and school culture, and to offer recommendations for the creation of human rights education in Estonia.

The main target group of the survey are Estonian schools (10 selected schools) and their management, teacher and student bodies. In other words, the study will answer the research questions from the perspective of these three groups by focusing on mapping their awareness and attitudes towards basic human rights (equality, human dignity and non-discrimination) in school culture and learning. In addition, education policy documents (both state and school level) related to the topic are analyzed, including programs and projects promoting school culture and good practices from other countries.

As a result of the analysis, a study report will be prepared that will provide recommendations for the improvement of education policy documents, including national curricula; input into implementing human rights education in Estonia; practical examples and recommendations for the further development of the area and integration into learning; as well as suggestions on improving the cooperation in the field of human rights education between different organizations.