
As Political Repression undermined the role of the Bahraini Teachers inAchieving Sustainable Development BahrainForum for Human Rights calls upon UNESCO in a speech on the occasion of WorldTeachers' Day to review its OpinionRegarding King Hamad’s Award Bahrain Forum for Human Rights (BFHR) sent a letter to the Director-General of the United Nations Organization Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO) Ms. Irina Georgieva Bokovacalling her to reconsider the UNESCO’s position regarding King Hamad’s award for the use of information and communication technologies in the field of education; because the Bahraini authorities exploited it to cover up the magnitude of violations of the professional and human rights of Bahrainis teachers The letter said: "While we celebrate the UNESCO World Teachers'Day, the president of the Bahrain Teachers' Society Mahdi Abu Deeb sits inBahraini prisons, and those who subjected himto torture and inhuman anddegrading treatment have escaped punishment. Moreover,the Bahraini authorities persistto devote political persecution and discrimination policies against educationalcadres; which undermined their role in achieving sustainable development. The letter added: “A lot of employers in theeducational field have exposed to different types of violation for politicaland sectarian reasons. These violations take the forms of arbitrary dismissals,arrest, detention, and denial of bonuses and scholarships for postgraduatestudies or deduction from their salaries, as well as obstruction of careerprogression opportunities; a matter which transformed the educationalenvironment to a hostile and unsafe environment, especially after targetingthem as a result of exercising their right to freedom of expression The BFHR stressed the importance of the supposed role of UNESCO andother international institutions in promoting cultural rights to secure qualityeducation for all, and to promote cultural diversity and intercultural dialogueand the culture of peace, which necessitatesputting pressure on Bahrain toreform the educational reality in line with international standards ineducation |