A/HRC/25/66 37. States should engage in open-ended consultations with the full range of minority religious groups and with wider society on measures to improve respect for all the human rights of persons belonging to religious minorities. 38. Measures to improve the representation and participation of religious minorities in all fields of life, including targeted recruitment and training initiatives, should be taken and promoted in the public and private sectors. Religious minorities, including from smaller communities, should be represented in oversight and regulatory bodies relating to, for example, law enforcement services, political institutions and the media. 39. States should promote equitable access for minorities to the media as well as information and communications technologies and tools, including the Internet and online social media channels. Such channels are an important vehicle for the dissemination of information and sharing of good practices, for encouraging the effective participation of religious minorities, including young people, in all spheres of life, and for fostering a spirit of acceptance at all levels and in interfaith discussions. E. Education 40. States must ensure that the national educational environment guarantees equal access to those belonging to religious minorities. They should also ensure that it is welcoming and non-discriminatory, and that students belonging to minority religious groups have the opportunity to learn about their own religion, manifest their religion, participate in their religious holidays, and learn about the religions and beliefs of others. 41. Governments should develop and implement inclusive and targeted education policies that provide access to high-quality learning environments for all persons belonging to religious minorities. Intercultural education approaches that are minority-sensitive should be adopted, with particular attention paid to reflecting plurality and the positive contribution of religious minorities to society, and to countering negative stereotypes and myths about their faiths and groups. 42. Where public education includes instruction in a particular religion or belief, provision should be made for non-discriminatory exemptions or alternatives to accommodate the wishes and religious education requirements/needs of religious minorities. Instruction in subjects such as the general history of religions, where it is delivered, should be conducted with a view to promoting interfaith and interreligious understanding and dialogue. Measures should be taken to ensure that children (along with their parents/legal guardians) may choose whether to participate in classes of religious education or not. 43. Particular attention should be paid to the educational needs of girls belonging to religious minorities. Ensuring that they have equal access to education may require dialogue with and within religious communities that is aimed at formulating appropriate human rights-based approaches to issues such as cultural barriers to equal access to education for girls, and dress requirements in schools, including bans on headscarves. 44. Measures should be taken to address existing barriers that might directly or indirectly prevent some religious minorities, including minority women, from accessing tertiary education due to their religious affiliation. This could be done, for example, through the development of affirmative action schemes in education policies for members of religious minorities. 45. Human rights education should integrate a minority rights component and give special attention to religious minorities, as appropriate. Governments should collaborate with religious minority actors and organizations in the development of materials relevant to 8