On 10 October 2016 I joined the British Institute of International and Comparative Law as the Bingham Centre Research Fellow in Citizenship Education and the Rule of Law. At the Centre I lead an England-wide programme teaching young people about the rule of law, human rights and citizenship education. It is my first academic position and represents a tremendous achievement for me.
In 2018 my role was expanded by dropping the ‘Education’ element of the title to include a more holistic conception of citizenship. Active participation. The involvement of citizens in their democracy. The countervailing claims that complex interrelations of duties and rights have on governments. Part of this expansion involves the co-ordination of the organisation’s All-Party Parliamentary Group on the Rule of Law. An APPG is a cross-party, informal meeting of MPs to encourage the discussion of a particular topic. By focusing on the rule of law we bring the issues of equality, legality and legal certainty to the forefront of public discussion and provide parliamentarians with a practical understanding of the rule of law.
If you are a teacher and would like to get involved with the programme, send me an email at schools@binghamcentre.biicl.org!
I gave a presentation in January 2019 in which I outlined major findings from the evaluation of the programme. Have a look and tell me what you think!
Abiodun Michael Olatokun 