NURTURING A CULTURE OF PEACE IN SCHOOL CHILDREN

Abstract

INTRODUCTION:Conflict has been part and parcel of the North East region since the time India got its independence from the British in 1947 and the gradual reorganization of its states and international borders. The region has been afflicted by conflicts ranging from demand for autonomy to fights over resources. Humanitarian measures like immediate relief after and crisis interventions during conflicts while very important are not enough. There is a growing need in the region for pre and post conflict interventions and trauma healing for a just and sustainable peace and development. As such, there are many Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) ranging from international to national and local working sometimes in isolation and other times in tandem with each other to build peace in the region. Different strategies ranging from advocacy, counseling, capacity building, and mediation to awareness creation are employed for various target groups such as top level to middle level as well as the grass roots level. The purpose of the present study was to examine the impact and relevance of a peace education programme implemented by North East Diocesan Social Service Society (NEDSSS) among children (peace club members) in schools in the states of Nagaland, Manipur and Tripura respectively.LITERATURE REVIEW:According to Harris and Morrison (2003), peace education is both a philosophy and a process. The philosophy of peace education teaches an understanding and compassion for life through nonviolence. The process of peace education exposes students to tools to create and maintain a safe and sustainable world. Peace education teaches important skills such as listening, reflecting, problem solving, cooperating and solving conflicts. Momodu (2009) posit that peace education is a behavioural and attitudinal change mechanism which aims at: pre-empting conflict (build-up); preventing conflict outbreaks; resolving conflict and promoting a culture of peace. Oshita (2006) believes that the aim of peace education becomes not just educating for peace but educating for a 'peace capacity'. Peace education is essentially a peace empowerment strategy which mainly equips individuals with the knowledge and skills to prevent and manage conflict at intra/inter-personal or intra/inter-group levels. Salomon (2002) re-echoes that "peace education is unique because it deals with relations between groups, not individuals". By and large, peace is a culture and a peoples' way of life, which can be promoted or propagated through education as a tool. Therefore, the whole essence of peace education is to promote the culture of nonviolence as against the culture of violence in responding to conflict between or among individuals and groups.Peace Education, its contexts, actors, and interpretations have a long and changing history. As a field it consists of several multidisciplinary sub-fields, each with different perspectives and approaches. The concept Peace Education has, both in history and today, been interpreted as an ethic, moral, religious and philosophical matter. In connection to war and peace disciplines like history, political and social sciences have discussed roads to a peaceful society, whilst the development of peace education as skills and competencies for conflict handling has roots in psychological and pedagogical theories (Andersson et al, 2011, p.1). The focus on peace education has increased substantially since the eighties of the last century (Harris, 2008; Thelin, 1996). This trend is widespread, and takes different forms and definitions in different cultures (Harris, 1990). Africa and South America speak of 'development education' and 'human rights education'; while peace education is referred to as 'Gandhian studies' in India. In Northern Europe, peace education is primarily motivated by the high cost of international armaments, and the term 'disarmament education' is often used. The Japanese refer to the atomic bombs that were dropped on their country at the end of WWII; peace education here comes under the title 'A - bomb education'. …