Education for Peace:
We live in an age of unprecedented levels of violence,
with constant threats posed by intolerance, fanaticism,
dispute and discordance. Ethical action, peace and
welfare are facing new challenges. War and violence
occur due to unresolved conflicts, though conflicts may
not always lead to violence and war. Violence is one
of the many possible responses to conflict. Non-violent
conflict-resolution skills could be nurtured and applied
constructively to disputes between the individuals,
groups and nations. The space for peace education
within the framework of National School Curriculum
document is compellingly clear in the light of the
escalating trends of, and taste for, violence globally,
nationally and locally. Education is a significant
dimension of the long-term process of building up
peace – tolerance, justice, intercultural understanding
and civic responsibility. However, education as practised
in schools often promotes forms of violence, both
real and symbolic. Under these circumstances, the need
to reorient education and therefore the school
curriculum takes priority. As a value, it cuts across all
other curricular areas, and coincides with and
complements the values emphasised therein. It is,
therefore, a concern cutting across the curriculum and
is the concern of all teachers.
Education for peace seeks to nurture ethical
development, inclucating the values, attitudes and skills
required for living in harmony with oneself and with
others, including nature. It embodies the joy of living
and personality development with the qualities of love,hope and courage. It encompasses respect for human
rights, justice, tolerance, cooperation, social
responsibility, and respect for cultural diversity, in
addition to a firm commitment to democracy and
non-violent conflict resolution. Social justice is an
important aspect of peace education. The concern for
equality and social justice, which refers to practising
non-exploitation towards the have-nots, the poor and
the underprivileged and creating a non-violent social
system, is the hallmark of education for peace.
Similarly, human rights are central to the concept of
peace. Peace cannot prevail if the rights of individuals
are violated. Basic to human rights are the values of
non-discrimination and equality, which contribute to
building a culture of peace in society. These issues are
inter related. Peace education is thus a host of
overlapping values.
Peace education must be a concern that permeates
the entire school life – curriculum, co-curriculum,
classroom environment, school management,
teacher-pupil relationship, teaching-learning processes,
and the entire range of school activities. Hence, it is
important to examine the curriculum and examination
system from the point of view of how they may
contribute to children's sense of inadequacy, frustration,
impatience and insecurity. Also, the need to consciously
counter the negative influence of the increasing violence
around them, and its representation in the media, on
the minds of children, and in its place promote a
reflective engagement with more meaningful aspects
of living an ethical and peaceful life. Education in the
true sense should empower individuals to clarify their
values; to enable them to take conscious and deliberate
decisions, taking into consideration the consequences
of their actions; to choose the way of peace rather
than violence; to enable them to be makers of peace
rather than only consumers of peace.
