The world needs to know more about the concept of Peace Education. Let us take a look at some of the important points regarding Peace Education.
What Is Peace Education?
Peace, a word that is the ultimate goal for everyone. This goal is a privilege today in this world, where everyday incidents of violence fill our newsfeeds, and a feeling of disappointment and a prevalence of pain and hurt is around us. To make people aware of how such acts are creating chaos and how we all can make peace and harmony take root in the form of education.
The concept of peace education is therefore considered as an essential step to achieve this. Peace education is not restricted to a particular age group but is vital for people of all age groups and who come from different walks of life. It is a global subject that every human being must be aware of and adopt in daily life.
When Is The Best Time To Learn About This Concept?
But an important question arises here. There is always an appropriate time when a particular human being must learn about something or be engaged in an activity to make it a habit or result in making it a part of their personality. That time is definitely childhood. This age, in my opinion, is the most effective time to engage in the concept of peace education by also learning about the various aspects of peace-building, negotiations, and conflict resolutions.
A child’s mind grows at this age, and a unique perspective about every topic is formed in their mind. Therefore, in this crucial age, the knowledge about peace would help them build peaceful perspectives of the world they are around. Characteristics and actions such as problem-solving initiatives, maintaining and building healthy relationships, learn the value of respect and inherent dignity of fellow people around is how they and other people of this world will be benefitted.
The concepts mentioned above related to peace education should be integrated into mainstream learning to better impact young minds. A young and tender mind that can be influenced and inclined towards the peace-building mechanisms will eventually get equipped with the ways required to be in a society that will give importance and value healthy co-existence, well-being, and relationships over competition or accomplishments.
What Are Its Pros?
Peace education will offer the youth skills of “collaboration” instead of “competing” every time. This initiative towards them will frame their minds so that they will become positive role models for every other person around, inclusive of the adults. This is in-turn, create a casual sequence of cause and effect relationship, as you may call it in the community, which is the best result of adopting such an education for the youth and everyone else.
Parents face various tough times to raise their children as if being surrounded by news, fake or authentic, and most of it is related to either injustice or violence. We cannot protect them from such incidents on an everyday basis, and at some point, they have to learn to face them and their stand on any such issue. We witness kids raising questions like why the kill happened? Why such injustice? Etc and it is our job to make them capable enough to understand and take a suitable stand regarding any such event.
Though schools in its curriculum have adopted it, then in an exam and marks driven education system, teaching begins to feel like a crowd management system to handle the bunch of kids, the pressure to cover the syllabus, managing the parent anxiety etc. Therefore, the instructor should focus on specific traits to build in its classroom regardless of the academic score of a particular student. The quality of empathy, curiosity and kids eager to express themselves should be built. They should be willing to about the conflicting issues and be curious to find solutions for the same. Conflict resolutions through debates, dialogues, speeches etc., are encouraged in the child’s mind.
Qualities Of A Peace Educator
A peace educator needs to have the quality of self-awareness. This will help the instructor recognise the bad habits more precisely and replace them gently without any remorse because they can always recognise one’s mistake and change it without getting into the pit of self-loath.
A peace educator should invite questions based on any topic of any nature because such a personality will help the students confidently embark on a learning journey. An educator’s commitment will make sure to encourage the children to be compassionate citizens and keen on learning and solving more. It will help to create personalities with an open heart and a curious mind.
This will help in raising a generation of proactive citizens with democratic values. A great teacher embodies, learns and teaches peace every day in various forms and teaching techniques. Therefore, even the readers should adopt the values peace education aims to teach because every individual can help and educate every other person.