Human rights, education for democratic citizenship and international organisations: findings from a Kuwaiti UNESCO ASPnet school

While universal human rights frameworks and democratic models of government have gained global support and even adherence, they often exist in tension with local cultural and religious practices. In Kuwait, tensions arise between its constitution, legal system and Islam, with several groups consequently marginalised. These tensions extend into the education system. This paper seeks to explore both theoretically and contextually the potential of a curricular module introduced in 2006 in deepening education for democratic citizenship in Kuwait. Theoretical analysis reveals the module, introduced without altering the authoritarian ethos of the system, to be quite a thin engagement with the concepts of rights and democracy. However, its enactment within the case study school – both representative of an authoritarian state school and a member of UNESCO's Associated Schools Project Network (ASPnet) – uncovered its deeper potential and perhaps discovered the reason for its swift relegation from a three-year to a one-year programme. Keywords: citizenship educationdemocratisationhuman rightscurriculumKuwaitUNESCO ASPnet Notes 1. As covered by (among several others) guardian.co.uk through an interactive timeline of the Arab Spring by Garry Blight and Sheila Pulham on 8 June 2011 (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/interactive/2011/mar/22/middle-east-protest-interactive-timeline). 2. As reported on the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) website on 26 March 2011 (http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2155397&Language=en). 3. The name of the school and all participants have been changed to protect anonymity. 4. As reported by Arab Times online (a Kuwaiti online newspaper) on 18 May 2011 (http://www.arabtimesonline.com/NewsDetails/tabid/96/smid/414/ArticleID/169293/reftab/149/t/Kuwaiti-Shiite-and-Sunni-MPs-in-parliamentary-fistfight-/Default.aspx). 5. As reported by Arab Times online on 24 May 2011 (http://www.arabtimesonline.com/NewsDetails/tabid/96/smid/414/ArticleID/169532/reftab/69/t/Teacher-believed-to-have-incited-boys-to-write-abusive-graffiti/Default.aspx). 6. As reported by The National online on 20 December 2009 (http://www.thenational.ae/news/worldwide/middle-east/kuwaiti-bedouin-stage-rally-over-racist-tv-programme). 7. As reported by Arab Times online on 24 September 2010 (http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/13548.aspx and http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/1361). 8. Further details of the award have been purposely omitted to protect the anonymity of the school. 9. The first stage was carried out in March and April 2009, the second in March and April 2010, and the third in April 2011. 10. The information about the CHR module in this paragraph is from an informational brochure created by Dr. Saud Alharbi to present to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in support of Kuwait's Universal Periodic Review in 2010. 11. Examples include the Ministry of Education's Social Studies departmental goals 2009–2010 and The National Report: Development of Education in the State of Kuwait 2004–2008 (Ministry of Education, 2008). 12. See the aforementioned Vision Kuwait 2030 report by Tony Blair Associates (2009). 13. It should also be noted that Kuwait University's Faculty of Education did not alter its programme of study to incorporate this new addition to the curriculum.