Peace Education: Importance

Strategies for achieving peace fall under three basic categories: peacekeeping, peacemaking, and peace
building. Peacekeeping generally involves police or military action and strives to achieve peace through
strength and force. Peacemaking involves communication skills like conflict resolution and mediation
strategies for interacting non-violently with others. Both of these categories are reactive approaches
that kick in after a violent incident has occurred. Peace building, on the other hand, is a more proactive
approach that uses peace education as a means of creating a more stable and peaceful culture, thereby
preventing violent incidents from occurring. Peace education is critical to creating a culture that reduces
the need for peacemaking and peacekeeping by developing a comprehensive program that teaches
people how to interact with others and avoid unnecessary aggression. Let's look at the objectives
typically found in peace education.

Objectives

There are ten primary objectives of peace building, or peace education. These goals rely on the
assumption that while violent conflict is unavoidable, there is a process by which we can address conflict
and minimize violence. Peace education seeks to reduce violence and promote peace building using the
following objectives to inform the instruction. Let's review each one:

Appreciate the Concept of Peace

This objective is met by studying the arts and humanities as they relate to peace. Literature such as
novels and religious text, films, and documentaries; fine art such as paintings and photography; and
even performance art such as theater and music all provide a rich backdrop for understanding the
concept of peace and appreciating the art created in its honor.

Address Fears

It is in the nature of warmongers to incite fear among people to generate support for their genocide.
Dismantling this deeply ingrained fear is one of the goals of peace education. Peace educators are
prepared to allay the fears their students have about both major world conflict and war, as well as their
own interpersonal conflicts.

Provide Information about Security

Peace education students need to understand the way national security systems work so they can begin
to conceptualize alternatives to war that will keep the nation safer in the future. Peace educators teach
about the implications of the arms race and international policy, the nature of the military, the
militarization of the police, and the prison industrial complex.

Understand War Behavior

Another objective of peace education is to understand the behavior of war and the conditions under
which a group will seek organized violence as an answer to conflict. Peace education students gain
exposure to several peaceful societies as well as the role of individuals like Hitler and Napoleon in
historical conflicts.

 Peace education encompasses the key concepts of education and peace. While it is possible to
define education as a process of systematic institutionalized transmission of knowledge and
skills, as well as of basic values and norms that are accepted in a certain society, the concept of
peace is less clearly defined. Many writers make an important distinction between positive and
negative peace. Negative peace is defined as the absence of large-scale physical violence–the
absence of the condition of war. Positive peace involves the development of a society in which,
except for the absence of direct violence, there is no structural violence or social injustice.
Accordingly, peace education could be defined as an interdisciplinary area of education whose
goal is institutionalized and no institutionalized teaching about peace and for peace. Peace
education aims to help students acquire skills for nonviolent conflict resolution and to reinforce
these skills for active and responsible action in the society for the promotion of the values of
peace. Therefore, unlike the concept of conflict resolution, which can be considered to be
retroactive–trying to solve a conflict after it has already occurred–peace education has a more
proactive approach. Its aim is to prevent a conflict in advance or rather to educate individuals
and a society for a peaceful existence on the basis of nonviolence, tolerance, equality, respect
for differences, and social justice.

Why do we need to study peace?

Why choose peace and conflict studies? It is an interdisciplinary programme, which is an advantage
because it provides you with skills and knowledge to study and analyse the multifaceted nature of peace
and conflict.

10 Ways to Promote Peace in Your Classroom

While you’re setting up your classroom for the new school year, you’ll be planning lessons for language,
math, history, and geography.

But one thing we sometimes forget to plan for is peace education.

Promoting peace was a large part of Dr. Montessori’s career – one of her most famous quotes is
“Averting war is the work of politicians; establishing peace is the work of education.” She thought it was
extremely important in her day; today it may be more important than ever.
Here are 10 ways to include peace in your curriculum:

1. Start by defining the word “peace” with your students. You can ask children what they think it means;
their answers will probably be very enlightening. They are often surprised to realize that peace can be
found many places. It doesn’t just refer to “world peace”. They can have a hand in creating a peaceful
environment wherever they are.Peace may look a little different to everyone. To me, it doesn’t mean
the absence of conflict. That would be an idealized world in which none of us live. Rather, it’s learning
how to deal with conflict in a way that doesn’t put the rights, wants, or needs of one person over the
other. It’s learning conflict resolution skills that stress respect for the individual and the group.

2. Declare your classroom a “peace zone”. Do not tolerate any kind of bullying. Lay down ground rules at
the beginning of the year that are posted for everyone to see. Have all the children agree to the ground
rules (even signing the list of rules) and hold them accountable.

3. Teach conflict resolution skills. One way (that children enjoy very much) is through role-playing.
Choose a time when everyone is together and there are no unresolved conflicts. Role-play different
situations that you notice amongst the children. Talk about peaceful ways to resolve the conflict. You
can define and discuss compromise, taking turns, and listening skills.One conflict resolution technique
that children love is to have one object in the classroom or home that is always used when children are
resolving conflict. Children face each other (or sit in a circle) and whoever is holding the object gets to
talk. No one can interrupt, and once the object is passed on, the next person gets to talk exclusively. I
have seen this work wonders in tension-filled situations.

4. If you have an annual event, like a poetry recitation, a musical, or other performance, choose “Peace”
as the theme every so often. Challenge the children to find stories, poems, and songs about peace. They
may also want to draw or paint pictures of “peace” and what it means to them. Again, much insight can
be gained by looking into their responses.

5. Peace education can vary by age; older children will naturally be able to get into the history of peace
and conflict by studying different countries and cultures. They can participate at a higher level by
researching and writing about peace and peace education.

6. Have children participate in the care of their environment, showing respect for the materials, pets,
plants, and other children.

7. When studying geography, history, and other cultures, emphasize respect for the diversity of
traditions and customs found around the world.

8. Consider having your school named an international peace site. The World Citizen organization heads
up that project, and they have information about peace education as well.
9. Be a good example. Don’t argue with parents, your spouse, or other teachers in front of the children.
Speak respectfully about other people. Don’t gossip. Show kindness. It can be easy to forget that
children are watching your every move, and learn more from what you do than what you say.

10. Establish special holidays and rituals for your school or home. These can include joyful celebrations
as well as sad occasions (like the loss of a pet). Everyone can share in the planning, decorating, and
celebratin

What is the meaning of peace education?

Peace education is the process of acquiring the values, the knowledge and developing the attitudes,
skills, and behaviors to live in harmony with oneself, with others, and with the natural environment.