AN EXAMINATION OF STUDENTS AND ADMINISTRATORS PERSPECTIVE ON FREEDOMS AND HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST, (CASE STUDY OF CAPE COAST UNIVERSITY, GHANA)
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Human rights and freedoms education has long been regarded as a global issue. The United Nations (UN) treasured agenda has always been that all nations, regardless of status, should adopt and promote human rights and freedom issues with zeal. This is the result of a period in which constitutional rights and liberties were routinely violated. Children, women, people under colonial authority, and those under dictatorial rule are the most vulnerable victims. In Africa, the frequency, severity, and openness with which fundamental rights, administrative powers, constitutional pledges, and guarantees are violated is increasing. Despite the fact that their new constitutions adopted after their liberation from colonial rule included liberal bills of rights or ratified the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights,
Some African countries, including Libya, Guinea Bissau, the Republic of Congo, Niger, and Madagascar, are ruled by military or one-party dictatorships.
While the goal of social justice-focused educational leadership courses is to train administrators who are concerned about the lives and well-being of all children, these approaches can easily lead to social justice-minded administrators being inherently conflicted in their daily operations. A plethora of statutes, regulations, and court rulings govern the daily professional lives of public school administrators, all of which may be detrimental to the well-being of many students (Karpinski and Lugg, 2006).
Furthermore, over the last ten years, university administrative preparatory programs have become more concerned with issues of social justice. Concerns about the rising
Some of this growth has been fueled by the increasing number of public school students who are considered at-risk for a variety of negative academic and life outcomes (Karpinski and Lugg, 2006).
The references to human rights in the UN Charter have served as a foundation for developing the content of standards as well as the system for enforcing human rights protection. On December 10, 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In the pursuit of peace and development, all modern constitutions recognize the importance of free expression. Their constitutions guarantee free expression, press freedom, and the right of citizens to assemble peacefully. Governments prefer to prioritize education in order to further improve the situation. Every modern constitution requires free elementary education.
Secondary and postsecondary education are both available. “By increasing their knowledge and ability to articulate demands, education protects individuals from injustice and exploitation.” Brownlie (Brownlie, 1971, p.145). Brownlie’s perspective has been viewed by authorities as a more compelling reason for aggressively pursuing educational policy. Human rights education is regarded as the first step toward increasing human rights awareness and empowerment.
According to Brown (2004), the goal of education is to develop the whole person. This means that as a result of their education, they should be able to perform well in society. A person’s social life, spiritual upliftment, and intellectual development should all improve and change. The more recent view of education is fundamentally the same turf, often defined as the “eye opener,” “key to development,” “liberator,” and “visionary.”
‘for tomorrow’, ‘our future,’ to name a few.
It should come as no surprise, then, that our educational policies have been reviewed and reformatted on a regular basis in order to keep up with cultural and social developments as well as people’s expectations. Since the 1970s, Ghana has experienced rapid educational reforms, particularly in primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions.
The goals of education can only be realized if the rights and freedoms of students and learners are vigorously defended and pursued, because there can be no meaningful learning or education under hostile and strenuous conditions. As a result, scholars, educational stakeholders, and the government must collaborate to eliminate all negative attitudes or inclinations toward human rights and to create enabling and favorable learning environments. This is due to the fact that, according to Chaffee (1966), living
Academic performance is hampered in homes and communities where there is violence, neglect, or substance abuse. Staying in school becomes a major issue for children who live in families where one or more parents abuse alcohol or drugs, or where one’s safety is a concern. Similarly, the consequences of social injustice and institutionalized child abuse are equally devastating.
Any definition of education that includes human rights must start with the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Since then, human rights declarations have backed up the UDHR’s interpretation of education’s role in achieving and protecting human rights. The preamble to the UDHR emphasizes the importance of human rights and fundamental freedoms in achieving peace.
global justice, as well as education’s role in achieving it:
The General Assembly proclaims the Universal Declaration of Human Rights… with the intention that every individual and every organ of society, with this Declaration in mind at all times, must seek to foster respect for fundamental rights and freedoms through teaching and instruction… (On December 10, 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 217 A (111)).
1.2 THE PROBLEM’S STATEMENT
Human rights and social justice appear to be widespread in today’s educational administration. Administrators, superintendents, and researchers are looking into the long-ignored issues of race, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, ability or disability, and class as they relate to children’s welfare.
and their experiences at public schools in the hopes of improving academic and social outcomes for all students (Cambron-McCabe and McCarthy, 2005; Larson and Murtadha, 2002; Marshall, 2004; also Furman and Gruenewld, 2004, cited in Karpinski and Lugg, 2006).
Higher education should be a safe haven for respected intellectuals to gather in order to foster a calm environment conducive to good teaching, learning, and research. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, and the situation can sometimes be described as volatile. Demonstrations, vandalism, hooliganism, and riots have long been seen as fertile ground for violent disputes and violations of people’s rights and liberties at universities. Human rights and liberties are always jeopardized in such situations, regardless of how justified they appear to be.
In recent times, There have been cases of fundamental human rights violations and violations of people’s liberties and freedoms from all walks of life over the years. Every day, there has been news in both electronic and print media about riots, disruptions, violence, lawlessness, and inhuman treatment of people of all levels and categories, including those in institutions of higher learning. The Legon students-Police clash in Accra in April 2006; the violent clash between Casley Hayford Hall and Atlantic Hall and the subsequent circumstances that led to the closure of Casley Hayford Hall at the University of Cape Coast (UCC) in April 2008; and the violent clash between Casley Hayford Hall and Atlantic Hall and the subsequent circumstances that led to the closure of Casley Hayford Hall at the University of Cape Coast (UCC) in April 2008.
Casley Hayford Hall at the University of Cape Coast (UCC) was closed in April 2008. Despite this, no research into the prevalence of human rights violations in Ghanaian colleges has been conducted. As a result, it is necessary to investigate how administrators pursue and preserve human rights and liberties, the causes of violations or abuses of rights and liberties, and how human rights and liberties are integrated into university operations.
1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The study’s overarching goal is to:
i. Determine the level of human rights awareness among UCC administrators, staff, and students.
ii. investigate the administration’s and students’ perspectives on freedom and human rights in the administration of the
The University of Cape Coast is located in Cape Coast, Ghana.
iii. Examine how far the administration of the University of Cape Coast goes to protect and promote human rights and freedoms.
1.4 QUESTIONS FOR RESEARCH
The following research questions guide the study’s objective:
i. What is the level of human rights awareness among UCC administrators, staff, and students?
ii. What is the administration’s and students’ perspective on freedom and human rights in the administration of the University of Cape Coast?
iii. How far are human rights and freedoms pursued in the administration of the University of Cape Coast?
1.5 THE STUDY’S IMPORTANCE
The findings of the study will benefit administrators, educators, policymakers, non-governmental organizations, government agencies, and students. The research has provided
knowledge and insight into human rights and social justice issues, as well as a foundation for strengthening human rights education teaching and learning in Ghana’s higher education institutions. This data could serve as a starting point for administrators and educators interested in learning more about human rights and social justice in higher education.
Furthermore, the findings could help policymakers strengthen human rights policies in higher education. The findings may shed light on Ghanaian mechanisms that promote the suppression of human rights in schools. Finally, the findings add to the body of knowledge about human rights issues in Ghana’s higher education institutions.
Finally, this study would contribute to the existing literature on the same topic, thereby assisting researchers.
1.6 THE SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The case study for the study is the University of Cape Coast in the Central Region’s Cape Coast Metropolitan Area. The study is conceptually limited to the fundamental concept of human rights and freedoms as outlined in the Fundamental Human Rights and the Republic of Ghana’s Constitution (Chapter Five, Articles 12–33). The research focuses on people’s basic rights, freedoms, and liberties. It does not, however, go into detail about economic and political rights.
1.7 STUDY LIMITATIONS
The study is limited to the perspectives, opinions, and impressions of the research participants. Respondents may withhold or distort critical information for the study due to the sensitive nature of the topic under investigation. Furthermore, some perspectives on human rights and liberties may be deceptive.
as a result of uninformed research participants. Another limitation is that student leadership is only in place for a limited time; they come and go, changing hands every year.
Despite the care taken in selecting respondents to represent the various categories of students and administrators, the small number of respondents should yield study findings that can be used as pointers for future research as well as hints for possible educational policy direction regarding human rights.
1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS
STUDENTS: a person who is enrolled in a university or other institution of higher learning.
ADMINISTRATION: the process or activity of running a business, organization, etc.
FREEDOM: the ability or right to act, speak, or think as one wishes.
HUMAN RIGHTS: Human rights are the fundamental rights and liberties that every person in the world has from birth to death.
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