Assessment of Students’ Awareness of Human Rights in Social Studies Classrooms in Nasarawa State

This study assesses the level of human rights awareness among secondary school students in Social Studies classrooms in Nasarawa State, North Central Nigeria. Human rights education is a core component of Social Studies and civic education, intended to equip learners with knowledge of their fundamental rights and obligations as citizens. In Nasarawa State, the extent to which Social Studies instruction effectively transmits human rights knowledge to students remains underexplored. Using a descriptive survey design, 300 SSS2 students from eight public secondary schools in Lafia Local Government Area were surveyed with a validated Human Rights Awareness Scale. Data were analysed using frequency tables, mean, and standard deviation. Findings show that students had moderate awareness of basic rights such as freedom of expression and right to education but limited knowledge of economic, social, and cultural rights. Students whose teachers employed discussion and role-play methods demonstrated higher awareness levels. The study recommends the inclusion of more practical human rights education activities in Social Studies lessons, including simulated court proceedings and rights-based scenario analyses. The state ministry of education is encouraged to partner with human rights organisations to develop supplementary classroom resources. Keywords: human rights awareness, Social Studies, secondary schools, Nasarawa State, civic education.