Teaching peace education in schools is a necessity
The past century and a half have given conflicts a bad rap. There is quite nothing like the goal of world peace to set one’s sights on, whether you are a grassroot leader, or a clicktivist. To study peace and conflict, is to know that conflicts are not inherently bad, and peace not necessarily good. At least not all the time. It is imperative for students to understand where conflicts arise from, their potential to bring change, and also to find solutions to avoid escalation to violence.
Conflict as concept
The conceptual basis for the study of peace and conflict arises from understanding the relationship between change and status quo. Progress can lead to conflict, just as much as prejudice. If our classrooms are able to navigate these discussions with students, through the lens of contemporary and historical events, students will be better prepared to understand a world where conflict traverse time, nations, and actors.
Studying how conflicts move from issues of contention to violence, how issues get protracted through identity and ideology, will help students grasp not just international or national events, but even everyday life. Developing a meta-analytical thinking from the macro to the micro, can even create safe spaces in schools and at home. To understand the root of the conflict, if it is a tool for change and improvement, or one of dogmatism and disagreement, is a very helpful 21st century skill to have.
STUDYING HOW CONFLICTS MOVE FROM ISSUES OF CONTENTION TO VIOLENCE CAN HELP DEVELOP SIGNIFICANT
LIFE SKILLS
Peace as panacea
Taken as a zero-sum game, conflicts and peace do not always work as such. What may seem like a ‘peaceful’ society, may just be a simmering pot without an adequate space for dissent, or one where the status quo is prized over evolution. Johann Galtung, the Norwegian sociologist considered the founder of peace and conflict studies, elaborated upon the difference between negative peace – understood simply as lack of violent conflict; and positive peace – ending structural and cultural systems of violence to create truly peaceful societies.
When understood as such, the nuances of issues such as protests as spaces of conflict, arising out of systemic violence and a discriminatory negative peace, will lead to better understanding and perspective building in the classroom. Educators trained in peace studies, will also be better mediators in interpersonal conflict, wherein we understand that just getting all parties to the negotiating table is an uphill task. The skills of peace studies are instrumental to have as citizens of a globalised world.
Peace and conflict as a discipline
The CBSE curriculum does deal with topics of peace and conflict in its curriculum. The Grade 11 NCERT textbook for Political Science has a chapter devoted to understanding the dimensions to Peace, both negative and positive. However, the concepts and skills of this topic warrant a wider reach. Imagine a nation where every citizen has understood the dynamics to conflicts, and knows how to be a mediator. Where we understand the difference between a peace which stifles voices, and a conflict which allows them. Students
studying the subject will consolidate vital skills such as communication, critical thinking and collaboration, as they navigate applying the subject’s tenets and perspectives to global and local arenas. I have seen this visible when discussing Peace in the classroom, students are able to apply their understanding to national and international conflicts, as well as to issues of citizen rights and state legitimacy. Conflict resolution also teaches us the value of compromise, which can be a critical skill to understand and make sound professional and personal life choices in future.
The National Education Policy (2020) outlines Global Citizenship Education “to empower learners to become aware of and understand global issues and to become active promoters of more peaceful, tolerant, inclusive, secure, and sustainable societies.”
This endeavour should be tied with enhancing teacher training in the domain, as illequipped teachers will find it difficult to balance these conversations, making the initiative counter-productive. In our school, we encourage teacher and student conversations on issues of conflict, and to understand even smaller conflicts as spaces for discussion, allowing students to have a meaningful voice. Conflicts in our school spaces are used as training guides towards this. The Student Council is encouraged to play the role of mediators where possible, thus training them in this critical leadership skill. The teacher guides them through the multi-stage process which includes bringing the two parties to the table, brainstorming the best options forward, moving to greater awareness and reflection and finally towards an effective resolution. This process helps not just end the conflict, but prepare all involved to handle such issues in the future.
This is the perfect time to align peace studies with our curriculums, to work with NEP 2020 as well as United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals 4 towards inclusive and equitable education. Conflicts and peace are intrinsically tied to issues of access, equality, discrimination, and these will only get heightened in a post-pandemic world. The inequalities of online learning, technical, intellectual and emotional, may bring conflict into the classroom.
Students, who have spent over a year in isolation, may also find it challenging to resume interpersonal and social behaviour. As schools continue to work within the pandemic, and gear up for the immense social and emotional learning journey post COVID-19, understanding what peace and conflict really mean, will go a long way towards creating resilient students, citizens and communities.