As part of its efforts to promote and disseminate a culture of human rights within the school environment and in implementation of the principle of participation, the National Human Rights Council (CNDH) organized an interactive meeting with children and youth on “Human Rights in School Textbooks,” held within its participation in the International Children’s and Youth Book Fair (SILEJ) on Saturday, December 21, 2024.

During the opening of the meeting, Mr. Abdelghafour Dahchour, from the Council’s Promotion Directorate, explained that the institution advocates for the institutionalization of children’s participation. For this reason, it has made it a guiding principle across all its activities and events during the fair, emphasizing its commitment to engaging directly with children and interacting with them on issues that concern them.

In his intervention, Mr. Abdellatif El Yousfi, a researcher and expert in educational programs, considered that education in values is a shared responsibility between the family, the school, the media, and all other institutions involved in education and awareness-raising. He stressed the central role of educational institutions in consolidating values and a culture of rights and duties.

In response to questions and contributions from children and attending educators, Mr. El Yousfi emphasized the need to mainstream human rights principles across all educational levels and disciplines. He also underlined the importance of training and equipping education professionals in the field of values and human rights education, and ensuring that both the educational process and pedagogical practice are grounded in these values. He further noted that achieving positive and responsible citizenship requires building a coherent and inclusive education system rooted in human rights values and aligned with other socialization institutions. He concluded that combining all these elements helps “ensure the harmonious development of the child and the upbringing of a generation that is familiar with the fundamental principles of human rights, aware of its rights and responsibilities, capable of embodying them in daily behavior, and able to defend them when violated.”