  Context of Human Rights Education in Asian Schools Asian Schools jEFFERSoN R. PlANTIllA m isunderstanding of human rights and human rights education, fear of government disapproval of human rights education, and fear of human rights education as additional burden to teachers are some of the obstacles to having open and full support for human rights education in Asian schools. Both governments and educators may find solace in considering certain educations as hu- man rights education, or in teaching human rights under different names, or using broader educational frameworks that incorporate human rights education. 1 And for those who agree with the teaching of human rights in schools, they face the problem of inadequate reference and teaching/learning materials, lack of training on human rights and human rights education, lack of support from the education/school officials, and even lukewarm support from the parents and community. Human rights education in schools devel- oped in different periods of time and forms. As explained in the 1998 consultation workshops report of HURIGHTS OSAKA, education programs that relate to human rights arose as responses to problems faced by groups in society who were disadvantaged or discriminated. Human rights education in schools can be traced to the time when schools began to teach the ideas of democracy, social justice, national independence and the right of people to their own (human) dignity and well-being. 2 A second phase in its development occurred when schools have to deal with more concrete issues such as the discrimination against the Buraku people in Japan, or the abuses that children suffer in the hands of parents, relatives, family friends, teachers, school heads and strangers. Human rights educa- tion eventually has to deal with real issues that students face in school, family and society. 3 The appreciation of issues considered im- portant in a particular time determined the type of education that facilitated the teaching and learning of human rights. Issues International definitions of human rights education adopted by governments should have settled any debate on how the teaching and learning of human rights should be done inside the classroom and the school as a whole. The UneSCO-organized international confer- ence on human rights education in 1993 in Montreal, Canada, and followed by the 1999 Asia-Pacific conference in Pune, India provide such international definition of human rights education. 4 The Vienna declaration and Pro- 