Education for Peace

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to contribute to an understanding of Education Peace and to discuss its content and learning strategies. It was first prepared for a lecture at Taiwan Graduate School of Theology. A qualitative and hermeneutic method was used to collect and analyse data, primarily from written documents. The results were coded and structured into two main categories: a historical perspective and a postmodern perspective. The conclusion is that the overall purpose of Education Peace is to foster peaceful minds, prevent violence and wars and to train skills in conflict resolution. However, the content and strategies have changed over time and varies across the world. Recent research indicates it is less emphasized in the schools than we tend to believe, especially in areas suffered by violence, conflicts and wars. Fostering for peace is often taken for granted. In many countries, the purpose of education is more often justified by strengthening the national economy and military power, than building peace and harmony. Education for Peace is not only “knowing about”, but also need to be transformative and “knowing how”. Therefore, a holistic approach is advised and to include a diversity of teaching and learning methods that activate moral, aesthetic, cognitive as well as practical domains of human life. Education for Peace should be non-violent, act locally, but with an international perspective in mind. Today, the challenge is to make Peace Education and non-violent strategies available to all people at all ages, especially in countries and areas where education is still primarily an instrument of national power and interests.