Peace Education and Human Rights
Primary 4 · Social and Religious Studies
Peace Education and Human Rights
Lesson 3 of 5
14 min
A new girl, Umutoni, joins P4. She comes from another district, she speaks with a different accent and she uses crutches to walk. At break, two boys copy the way she speaks and laugh. Keza walks over and sits beside Umutoni. "Do you want to play a game with us?" she asks.
Keza is showing respect and tolerance. Let's find out what these words mean.
Respect means treating other people as important and valuable. You show respect when you use kind words, listen without interrupting, greet elders, and never mock anyone.
Tolerance means accepting people who are different from you and living in peace with them, even when you do not agree. People can be different in their religion, language, home area, looks, ideas or abilities. A tolerant person does not hate, insult or leave out anyone because of these differences.
Both Christianity and Islam teach respect for all people.
| In the Bible | In the Qur'an |
|---|---|
Christians call this the Golden Rule: treat others the way you want them to treat you. |
Muslims learn that people are different so that they can get to know one another, and that good behaviour matters most. |
Equality means everyone gets the same: the same rights, the same respect and the same chances. Girls and boys have equal rights. Rwanda's Constitution says that women must hold at least 30 out of every 100 places where decisions are made. In 2024, 51 of the 80 members of Rwanda's Chamber of Deputies were women.
Equity means everyone gets what they need to have a fair chance. People do not all start from the same place, so sometimes fairness means giving extra help to someone who needs it.
| Equality: the same for all | Equity: what each one needs |
|---|---|
| Every pupil gets the same textbook. | A pupil who cannot see well sits at the front and gets a book with large print. |
| Every pupil uses the same school door. | A ramp is built so Umutoni can come in easily with her crutches. |
Discrimination means treating someone unfairly because of who they are: for example, because she is a girl, because he has a disability, or because of their religion or home area. Discrimination goes against human rights.
Tip
Equality gives everyone the same pair of shoes. Equity gives everyone a pair of shoes that fits
Answer: Accepting people who are different from you and living in peace with them.
Answer: Any two of: use kind words, listen without interrupting, greet elders, never mock anyone.
Answer: Equality, because everyone gets the same.
Answer: Equity, because Mutesi gets what she needs to have a fair chance.
Answer: To respect and treat all people well.
What you learned today
Sources and credits
The figures for women in Parliament were checked against the Parliament of Rwanda (parliament.gov.rw) and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (link only, no text copied). The rest of the lesson is written by Ganzaa.
Quick check
A ramp is built so Umutoni can come into class easily with her crutches. Is this equality or equity?
