Researcher denounces inaccurate rights terminology in textbooks

Jordanian authorities should revise national school textbooks in order to avoid erroneous human rights terminology from being taught, a researcher from the quasi-governmental National Centre for Human Rights (NCHR) said.

In an ongoing study commissioned by the NCHR, the Ministry of Education and UNESCO, researcher Suleiman Sweiss found several instances of inaccurate information related to human rights in textbooks.

One example was found in a secondary-school course book in which writers define the term “oriental democracy” as “the rule by a small group of educated people who know very well how to run the state.”

“I checked this term and was unable to find it in any scientific resource,” said Sweiss during a roundtable discussion on human rights education in Jordan, held earlier this month in Amman.

Another example of misleading definitions was found in an Islamic secondary-school textbook published last year. The book stated that “the husband has the right to beat his wife softly in a manner that would not leave any traces on her body.”

After having reviewed some 40 course books, Sweiss came to the conclusion that most textbook writers “are incompetent and not well-informed on human rights issues.”

Overall, however, the researcher considers recent steps by the education ministry to disseminate human rights information in school curriculum a positive sign.

“I’ve noticed an increase in references to democracy, citizenship, women’s and children’s rights and human rights declarations [in textbooks],” said Sweiss.

“The problem is with the implementation of these concepts,” he added.

NCHR’s report on the status of human rights education in Jordan is part of the United Nations World Programme on Human Rights Education.

Officials from the education ministry would not comment on the researcher’s findings.