The Necessity and Value of Peace Education for Achieving Sustainable Peace ②

 

“How can you change the violent reality when children are being exposed to it on a daily basis? When children between the ages of 9 and 11 years old were asked about what they believe violence it, most drew killers. However, when I applied the value of “conflict resolution” as prescribed by HWPL to a class held with children that were 5-9 years old (in view of problems faced by school children), the result was surprising. The change in their attitudes and facial expressions was clear, and joy was clearly seen within the pictures they drew. So, the values integrated within HWPL’s peace education will create a permanent change since it instills the correct values in the minds of children from a young age.”

Prof. Juan Carlos Torres, Professor of Don Bosco University in El Salvador who participated in the Peace Education Development Forum for Spreading a Culture of Peace last year addressed the positive changes that appeared within children and youth through the teaching of HWPL’s core values of peace: ‘Sanctity of Life,’ ‘Loyalty and Filial Piety,’ and ‘Co-existence and Sustainability.’

HWPL’s Peace Education initiative has been conducted steadily every year through teachers and education experts worldwide. Especially through the Peace Education Development Forum for Global Advancement that was held under the theme of ‘Looking into a Future of Peace through Peace Education’ this year, the importance of peace education was extended from the academic field to the national level. Here we’ve covered some of the key messages given by education professionals during the forum.

 

Dr. Ronald Adamat, Commissioner, Commission on Higher Education

“Today we should ask ourselves: Why do we have to work for peace? Why do we have to band ourselves together in the name of peace? Don’t you imagine how close to perfection this world would be if there is peace and if there is development amongst people? But how can peace and development be attained?
Education has to play a major role in the process as it serves as a means to attain the achievement of peace. Also, to make education more relevant and significant, it has to be grounded in the values of peace because education without values will never amount to much in the upright transformation of a person.”

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Role of Government for Building a Peaceful Future
Dr. Ronald Adamat, Commissioner of the Philippine Commission on Higher Education (CHED)

Anyoung haseyo! Good day to all of you!
Let me start with 2 quotes I developed about Peace:
1. “Peace is as sacred as life. But peace and life are sustained where there is development.”
2. “Peace should be anchored not on religiosity but on spirituality.”

Thank you for extending to me the invitation to speak before this noble and great organization of peace advocates. HWPL Chairman Man Hee Lee, Ministers and Government officials past and present, HWPL officers and members, International peace advocates attending the WARP Summit, Again, my greetings of peace and solidarity in behalf of the Philippines’ Commission on Higher Education!

I am Dr. Ronald L. Adamat, a Commissioner of the Philippine Commission on Higher Education (CHED)

I am happy to be invited by Chairman Man Hee Lee to attend this very significant event and express my solidarity and commitment to peace work as envisioned by the HWPL. My knowledge tells me that this organization is associated with the United Nations Economic Social Council (UN-ECOSOC) and has been forging partnerships with peoples and governments around the globe to promote world peace and end wars and hostilities, transcending differences in culture, religion and politics.

And today we should ask ourselves: Why do we have to work for peace? Why do we have to band ourselves in the name of peace? I know your answers are as good as mine.

Don’t you imagine how close to perfection this world would be if there is Peace and there is Development amongst people? But how can peace and development be attained?

Education has to play a major role in the process as it serves as a means to attain the same. And to make education more relevant and significant, it has to be grounded on values, because education without values will never amount to the upright transformation of a person.

Peace is very significant to me as a native of the island of Mindanao coming from the Teduray tribe. When I was a young boy, I have dreamed of peace coming to my hometown.

This dream pushed me to seek education, because I believed that it was through getting myself a good education that I can become an effective peacemaker and instrument in bringing about development and progress to my people. I grew up wondering how so much violence and lawlessness; so much disunity; so much hatred had come to my people. I questioned God why he allowed my people to suffer so much from war.

But like many boys and young men in my family, we were mostly trained to become warriors. We were trained to defend our people and communities, in times of war and conflict! We believed that the only way to peace is war.

But as boys, we would play war with other boys to show that we do not fear our enemies nor of violence; playing war for us was fun and exciting. We would play war as often as we want. But one day we were asked if we could instead play peace. And nobody knew how to do it.

Question: Does anybody here among you know how to play peace?
(How about if I ask you to greet the one seated next to you with a peace greeting?)

For decades my government has attempted to come up with different political solutions, economic solutions, cultural solutions and even religious solutions to achieve peace, but have failed. So we have made efforts to seek educational solutions to bring peace to our people. As an educator, I myself have learned that peace is as sacred as life, because peace provides for the right conditions where life could grow, blossom, and prosper.

My experience tells me that peace recognizes no borders, because it transcends beyond cultural, political and religious barriers! Because, peace should be anchored not on religiosity but on spirituality. And in my peace advocacy, I found out that:

“Getting rid of greed for power and profit is tantamount to arresting two of the evil reasons why conflicts persist among peoples.” Hence I have always been contemplating on this idea of doing peace, of spreading the spirit and culture of peace, wherever I am: whenever, however, whichever.

For decades I have stood my ground for peace and fought for the recognition of the rights of the Indigenous Peoples (IPs) in my country. I have fought for wider accessibility of quality tertiary education to all marginalized students, including the Indigenous Peoples, believing that education would transform our youth into becoming instruments for peace.

I have pursued my peace advocacy and dedicated my life to peace initiatives. I have committed all of my energy for peace. And based on my own judgment, there are at least 4 essential types of peace, namely:

There is what I call Positive Peace. This refers to doing affirmative action programs for people’s empowerment and development. To sustain such, one has to be at peace with his God, for it is only when one is at peace with his God where personal peace is attained – an indispensable ingredient that will necessitate effective promotion of the culture of peace.

Preventive peace. This is peace that prevents, blocks or restrains violence and unpeace from happening even as early as its symptomatic stage.

Negative Peace. This peace means the absence not only of violence, war, and everything that destroys life, but also the absence of love, understanding, harmony, and respect for other peoples’ inalienable rights.

Curative peace. This is peace that tries to solve or correct all violence and unpeace as they come.

I was here in Seoul during the 3rd Annual Commemoration of the September 18th World Alliance of Religions’ Peace (WARP) Summit on 17-19 September 2017 upon the invitation of Chairman Man Hee Lee.
(I must admit that I had goosebumps all over me, especially when I saw tens of thousands of peace advocates solemnly seated together listening to our dear Chairman Man Hee Lee spoke on world peace.)

This experience strengthened my commitment to work for peace in collaboration with HWPL, especially so that I saw in him a person of high spirituality with purest of heart and intention in his service to peace. And on January 23, 2018, during his visit to the Philippines, Chairman Man Hee Lee and yours truly, representing the Commission on Higher Education, signed a Memorandum of Agreement, setting the terms and conditions, scope of work and responsibilities towards a collaborative peace advocacy initiative that would further strengthen the culture of peace through education.

This event resulted in a series of campus-wide peace activities between HWPL and our state universities and colleges where thousands of students participated. Peace forums and peace marches were held. We went to Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), Bataan Peninsula State University (BPSU), and During the 5th Commemoration of the Declaration of World Peace at Pampanga State Agricultural University, of which I was the Guest of Honor and Speaker, I was given a Plaque of Recognition by HWPL.

Today, I am happy and proud to tell you about the good news, that through my initiative, and in compliance to the intent of the MOA with HWPL, the Philippine Commission on Higher Education has approved to integrate Peace Studies/Peace Education into the subjects under the tertiary education curriculum and shall be implemented amongst State Universities and Colleges, Local Universities and Colleges and private higher educational institutions across the Philippines. It can also come as a stand-alone elective subject.

My proposal would ensure that students would learn to uphold the principle of “unity in diversity” and embrace the differences amongst peoples. They will be equipped with knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values in conflict resolution and peace work and further encourage them to work for the cessation of wars, hostilities and disunity.

This Peace Studies or Peace Education would involve other learning environments outside the four walls of the classroom, including the entire community.
I believe this could strengthen the foundation of social justice and development in our society.

In closing, let me share with you my mantra on education:

“Education must be grounded on values…
Education without values
will not amount to the upright
transformation of a person.”

Yes, if values are embedded in all of us,
radicalism would have no place,
criminality will not prosper,
corruption will lose its appeal,
wars and hostilities would disappear.

Henceforth, bringing the peoples of the world into cultural solidarity and understanding, and further causing peace to blossom and promote life, today.

Yes, we have to work hand in hand in transforming the world into becoming,
ONE BIG GLOBAL FAMILY LIVING TOGETHER IN PEACE!

Thank you very much.

 

Dr. João A.G Assale, Mozambique, National Director, Ministry of Education and Human Development

“Education must work towards knowing how to live together with others, which translates to the ethical dimension of a complete man, i.e. a man that is morally sound, who knows how to communicate with others and who respects himself, his family and other men of various cultures, religions, races, etc. A vision for the future depends on reinforcing a proper education that address issues related to strengthening co-ordination mechanisms that promote the development of equity, peace and equality-based development.”

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Outstanding Example of HWPL Peace Education
Prof., Dr. Barsihannor Zuhri, Indonesia, Dean of Universitas Islam Negeri Alauddin Makassar

First of all, I have to express my deepest gratitude and high appreciation to HWPL of South Korea that has invited me to join and participate in the WARP forum. This is the 3rd times I joined the HWPL programs since I knew it and then kindly requested to be Peace Educator of HWPL. I am very happy to have been invited here and it is a kind of great honor I could be standing in this good forum to deliver my speech on peace education.

In this opportunity, let me describe what I have been doing for the HWPL peace education program in my country, with the following description.

Now, many Indonesian institutes have conducted the peace education. But the various violence occurred in community shows that educational institutions are arguably failed to be a media to build the noble character in accordance with religious teachings and the noble values ​​of nationality. Educational institutions seem unable to uphold the values ​​of tolerance and democracy and prepare for students to be a critical generation with a knowledge and competency base.

Perhaps this is a portrait of the failure of character education in teaching about good character, especially in behavior in daily life. The tendency of rampant acts of violence among young children can affect their behavior when they reach adulthood, so religious education may be very decisive towards the development of subtle characters in addressing a condition that is considered to be chaotic. Effective strategy is needed to reduce violence that often involves students in various educational institutions. One of them is by teaching the importance of ‘love of peace’ from an early age

Awareness of mutual respect, tolerance, and interfaith dialogue must be instilled, and developed since childhood. As the HWPL Peace Values Education is aimed to the growing children, if the children and youths keep the peace love values in thier mind and live, the peace which is achieved in this era will be sustained eternally through their peace values. Peace education should promote the noble characters in mind of our children as endorsed in the main objective of Indonesia National Education, namely; faith, honesty, tolerance, discipline, hard-working, creativeness, spirit of independence, democratic idea, curiosity, national character, patriotism, respect to the other’s achievement, friendship, love of peace, love of reading, environmental protection, social maintenance, and responsibility. These characters are aspects that must be instilled in peace education in order to build a spirit of peace.

Students who have a spirit of peace in themselves tend to be able to build harmonious relationships with their environment; fellow friends, teachers, community, and everyone in their environment. Conversely, students who do not have the spirit of peace will tend to damage harmony wherever and whenever he is. That is the reason why we have to make peace class for children and students in our community.

The concept of peace education is an ideal concept that needs to be instilled early, because it is directly related to the psychological condition of the child in understanding the true meaning and purpose of life. Peace-love education cannot be directly given without important stages involving understanding the values ​​of peace that can be manifested in daily life. The values ​​of peace in the school or campus environment also need to be instilled, thus children are not accustomed to brawling and committing violence.

From now, when I educate the peace, I will encourage mutual understanding, tolerance, respect, love and friendship among the students regardless of race and religion, and increase activities to maintain peace. I will support our national mission to spread peace all over the world and develop my capacity built for young generation. Also, I will help parents to determine the type of education that should be given to their children. In the case of schooling and educational institutions, the concept of peace education is intended as a “peace zone” in which children feel safe from violent conflict, implement basic rights of children, develop a peaceful learning climate and mutual respect, and provide a forum for discussion and socialization value of peace and social justice. Lastly, I will spread the HWPL peace values in educational process that empower the students and children to promote the values among the people.

To achieve these goals, the students and children are provided with peace-loving education to reduce turmoil in thoughts and actions with creative solutions which is made by peace education. Peace education needs to be developed so that children have a sense of tolerance, mutual respect, a sense of empathy for others, and foster self-confidence. The success of peace education is not indicated by numbers, but rather refers to the competence of students in responding the difficulties of life.

In peace education discourse, the peace is understood not only as the absence of violence, but also by the implementation of positive conditions of peace. Peace education thus covers all aspects of peace. Peace education is directed to foster three main aspects, namely knowledge as a cognitive domain, skills as a psychomotor domain and attitude as an affective domain.

There are several things that need to be prepared to provide material about peace education. First, peace education contains material knowledge that includes self-awareness, recognition of prejudice, peace without violence, environment and ecology. Second, the content of material in peace education includes communication of active reflection and auditory activities, cooperation, empathy, appreciation of artistic and aesthetic values, patience and self-control. Third, the content of values ​​or attitudes in peace education includes ecological awareness, self-respect, tolerance, mutual understanding between cultures, social responsibility, solidarity, and resolution with a global perspective.

On May, when I joined the Peace Educators’ Workshop in Korea, I can feel every educator has same vision to spread the peace values. During the workshop, I could hear the future plan for HWPL Peace Values Education and we, the professors, who joined together, planned the peace education pilot class. Through the HWPL Peace Education Material, I want to teach the part of cooperation and the sense of team work in the material to my students.

Religious education applied in schools must be based on peace education as a benchmark to evaluate the emotional quality of students. The emotional quality makes them not easily trapped in an exclusive and anarchic attitude. Peace education is not a rigid and exclusive concept, but a concept that emphasizes respect for human values. At school, children have indeed been taught about religious education regarding material morals, jurisprudence, and Sufism.

In order to optimize the role of religious education in schools, all related components need to offer new breakthroughs that are more intellectual for the future of students. The education curriculum that is applied must really touch the soul and mind of students to have empathy for others.

Based on my observation during doing this peace education works and some interviews conducted, students feel joyful and pleased to join the peace education program. Good theme, method and atmosphere of class make them happy to join the program. Based on the interview, they are enlightened about the necessity of peace after being introduced the curriculum and material of peace values promoted by HWPL. According to them, they understand the true meaning of peace, the urgency of peace and the danger of conflict in detail and reality. They are committed to spreading the HWPL peace values in society, and concerned to promoting a culture of Peace to get prosperity in the future. They consider that peace education is the strategic media for young people, especially children and students in order they can live with the full meaning of peace culture in their own lives.

However, based on the interview that the process of developing the culture of peace among children cannot be separated from the educational activities they get at home, school, and the community. Therefore preparation of peace education infrastructure, including the number and quality of human resources, supporting institutions, and technology are really needed. For the resolution of this problem, if the peace education can be conducted together in national and global dimension, it will become the work for leaving an eternal legacy of peace to the future generation.

Thank you.

 

 

Prof., Dr. Barsihannor Zuhri, Dean of Universitas Islam Negeri Alauddin Makassar

“Awareness of mutual respect, tolerance, and interfaith dialogue must be instilled, and developed, from childhood. Since the HWPL Peace Values Education is aimed at growing children, if the children and youths keep the values of peace and love in their minds and live accordingly, then the peace which is achieved in this era will be sustained eternally through those peace values. Peace education should promote the noble character in the minds of our children as endorsed as the main objective of Indonesia’s National Education, which includes namely; faith, honesty, tolerance, discipline, to be hard-working, creativeness, spirit of independence, democratic ideas, curiosity, national character, patriotism, respect for others’ achievements, friendship, love of peace, love of reading, environmental protection, social maintenance, and responsibility. These characteristics are essential aspects that must be instilled in peace education in order to build a spirit of peace.”

Read the full speech

Outstanding Example of HWPL Peace Education
Prof., Dr. Barsihannor Zuhri, Indonesia, Dean of Universitas Islam Negeri Alauddin Makassar

First of all, I have to express my deepest gratitude and high appreciation to HWPL of South Korea that has invited me to join and participate in the WARP forum. This is the 3rd times I joined the HWPL programs since I knew it and then kindly requested to be Peace Educator of HWPL. I am very happy to have been invited here and it is a kind of great honor I could be standing in this good forum to deliver my speech on peace education.

In this opportunity, let me describe what I have been doing for the HWPL peace education program in my country, with the following description.

Now, many Indonesian institutes have conducted the peace education. But the various violence occurred in community shows that educational institutions are arguably failed to be a media to build the noble character in accordance with religious teachings and the noble values ​​of nationality. Educational institutions seem unable to uphold the values ​​of tolerance and democracy and prepare for students to be a critical generation with a knowledge and competency base.

Perhaps this is a portrait of the failure of character education in teaching about good character, especially in behavior in daily life. The tendency of rampant acts of violence among young children can affect their behavior when they reach adulthood, so religious education may be very decisive towards the development of subtle characters in addressing a condition that is considered to be chaotic. Effective strategy is needed to reduce violence that often involves students in various educational institutions. One of them is by teaching the importance of ‘love of peace’ from an early age

Awareness of mutual respect, tolerance, and interfaith dialogue must be instilled, and developed since childhood. As the HWPL Peace Values Education is aimed to the growing children, if the children and youths keep the peace love values in thier mind and live, the peace which is achieved in this era will be sustained eternally through their peace values. Peace education should promote the noble characters in mind of our children as endorsed in the main objective of Indonesia National Education, namely; faith, honesty, tolerance, discipline, hard-working, creativeness, spirit of independence, democratic idea, curiosity, national character, patriotism, respect to the other’s achievement, friendship, love of peace, love of reading, environmental protection, social maintenance, and responsibility. These characters are aspects that must be instilled in peace education in order to build a spirit of peace.

Students who have a spirit of peace in themselves tend to be able to build harmonious relationships with their environment; fellow friends, teachers, community, and everyone in their environment. Conversely, students who do not have the spirit of peace will tend to damage harmony wherever and whenever he is. That is the reason why we have to make peace class for children and students in our community.

The concept of peace education is an ideal concept that needs to be instilled early, because it is directly related to the psychological condition of the child in understanding the true meaning and purpose of life. Peace-love education cannot be directly given without important stages involving understanding the values ​​of peace that can be manifested in daily life. The values ​​of peace in the school or campus environment also need to be instilled, thus children are not accustomed to brawling and committing violence.

From now, when I educate the peace, I will encourage mutual understanding, tolerance, respect, love and friendship among the students regardless of race and religion, and increase activities to maintain peace. I will support our national mission to spread peace all over the world and develop my capacity built for young generation. Also, I will help parents to determine the type of education that should be given to their children. In the case of schooling and educational institutions, the concept of peace education is intended as a “peace zone” in which children feel safe from violent conflict, implement basic rights of children, develop a peaceful learning climate and mutual respect, and provide a forum for discussion and socialization value of peace and social justice. Lastly, I will spread the HWPL peace values in educational process that empower the students and children to promote the values among the people.

To achieve these goals, the students and children are provided with peace-loving education to reduce turmoil in thoughts and actions with creative solutions which is made by peace education. Peace education needs to be developed so that children have a sense of tolerance, mutual respect, a sense of empathy for others, and foster self-confidence. The success of peace education is not indicated by numbers, but rather refers to the competence of students in responding the difficulties of life.

In peace education discourse, the peace is understood not only as the absence of violence, but also by the implementation of positive conditions of peace. Peace education thus covers all aspects of peace. Peace education is directed to foster three main aspects, namely knowledge as a cognitive domain, skills as a psychomotor domain and attitude as an affective domain.

There are several things that need to be prepared to provide material about peace education. First, peace education contains material knowledge that includes self-awareness, recognition of prejudice, peace without violence, environment and ecology. Second, the content of material in peace education includes communication of active reflection and auditory activities, cooperation, empathy, appreciation of artistic and aesthetic values, patience and self-control. Third, the content of values ​​or attitudes in peace education includes ecological awareness, self-respect, tolerance, mutual understanding between cultures, social responsibility, solidarity, and resolution with a global perspective.

On May, when I joined the Peace Educators’ Workshop in Korea, I can feel every educator has same vision to spread the peace values. During the workshop, I could hear the future plan for HWPL Peace Values Education and we, the professors, who joined together, planned the peace education pilot class. Through the HWPL Peace Education Material, I want to teach the part of cooperation and the sense of team work in the material to my students.

Religious education applied in schools must be based on peace education as a benchmark to evaluate the emotional quality of students. The emotional quality makes them not easily trapped in an exclusive and anarchic attitude. Peace education is not a rigid and exclusive concept, but a concept that emphasizes respect for human values. At school, children have indeed been taught about religious education regarding material morals, jurisprudence, and Sufism.

In order to optimize the role of religious education in schools, all related components need to offer new breakthroughs that are more intellectual for the future of students. The education curriculum that is applied must really touch the soul and mind of students to have empathy for others.

Based on my observation during doing this peace education works and some interviews conducted, students feel joyful and pleased to join the peace education program. Good theme, method and atmosphere of class make them happy to join the program. Based on the interview, they are enlightened about the necessity of peace after being introduced the curriculum and material of peace values promoted by HWPL. According to them, they understand the true meaning of peace, the urgency of peace and the danger of conflict in detail and reality. They are committed to spreading the HWPL peace values in society, and concerned to promoting a culture of Peace to get prosperity in the future. They consider that peace education is the strategic media for young people, especially children and students in order they can live with the full meaning of peace culture in their own lives.

However, based on the interview that the process of developing the culture of peace among children cannot be separated from the educational activities they get at home, school, and the community. Therefore preparation of peace education infrastructure, including the number and quality of human resources, supporting institutions, and technology are really needed. For the resolution of this problem, if the peace education can be conducted together in national and global dimension, it will become the work for leaving an eternal legacy of peace to the future generation.

Thank you.

 

H.E. Rachana Khun, Under Secretary of State of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of the Kingdom of Cambodia

“As stated in ‘Article 10: Spreading a Culture of Peace’ of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW), we should teach the Peace Values to our children and let them create ‘sustainable development and cooperation.’ This is the HWPL Peace Values Education. So, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport from the Kingdom of Cambodia will be at the forefront of peace education through this signing of an MOA for peace education with HWPL. If every country in the world takes action to actively work for peace education, every human being will choose the first path of ‘cooperation,’ among the 2 paths which I mentioned at first. Also, they will walk to the eternal peaceful world together. Therefore, we must educate the values of peace to our next generation in order to achieve peace not just in our country, but also in our region and the world at large.”

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The Significance of Education and Schooling for Spreading a Culture of Peace
H.E. Rachana Khun, Under Secretary of State of Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of the Kingdom of Cambodia

Good morning Excellency, ladies and gentlemen!

My name is Rachana Khun, who represents the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports of the Kingdom of Cambodia. First, I would like to particularly express my deepest thanks to Mr. Man Hee Lee, the Chairman of HWPL for allowing us to attend 2018 HWPL World Peace Summit: 4th Anniversary of the WARP Summit being held on in this beautiful land of the Republic of Korea. Also, I would like to thank His Excellency Dr. Hang Chuon Naron, who has given me this very opportunity to represent him in addressing. It is my great honor to address “The Significance of Education and Schooling for Spreading a Culture of Peace” to all representatives from education sector of each country.

The value of world peace is like the air which we need to breathe. We cannot live without world peace. Because world peace brings development of nations and the globe but problems of the world are now problems of all. As all of you know well, global society has been put on 2 paths to be walked by us. The two paths are ‘Sustainable Development and Cooperation’ and ‘Division, and Conflict’.

Cambodia understands very well the importance of Peace for national development. Historically, Cambodia is a country that has been plagued by wars for 500 years. Also, since 1970 after civil war broke out, followed by the Khmer Rouge revolution, Cambodia was transferred from an “Island of Peace” in South East Asia into battle field. As a result, we lost more than 30 years. But we have just tried to restore the peace with prominent leaders who love peace and people since 1998. And Cambodian people will take the first path, ‘Sustainable Development and Cooperation’.

Education is the most important element in raising awareness of and participation in decision making for all people in the world. Also education sector plays a key role in human resource development. When people of one country are well-educated, they can help change the world. The Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports has a mission to educate Cambodian people to become full-fledged citizens for the region, the country and the world. The Ministry is constantly working on harmonization, peace, and war prevention, which is reflected in the education services and management. At the levels of policy and implementation, schools focus on raising awareness of the value of peace. The Ministry also intervenes to ensure the harmony between teachers, students, and parents.

So far the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports has paid attention to the spreading of the significance of education for culture of peace and it was reflected in the curriculum from primary education to secondary education. The Ministry will reflect this initiative both in general education and vocational training (the concept was adopted in January 2016). The aim is to provide life-long education, raising the fundamental value and broadening knowledge of the importance of peace. This is to educate active and global citizens in sustainable and peaceful manners.

Especially, Cambodia gives much importance to Global Citizenship Education (GCE). The Ministry of Education Youth and Sports (MoEYS) has integrated Global Citizenship Education into schools curriculum. HWPL Peace education is an important part of Global Citizenship Education.

After signing MOA with HWPL today, the Ministry will expand its implementation of peace education in educational institutions nationwide more broadly. Particularly, the Ministry would like to request HWPL’s assistance in the writing of books on peace education, its teaching methodology, the training of peace educators, and activities to spread a culture of peace in education sector in Cambodia.

Ladies and gentlemen, all of officers from Ministries of Education in each country!

What is peace? Through HWPL Peace Education, I can get to know that peace is very clear and simple. Peace means the ‘status where every community members live in harmony’ and ‘where they naturally want to make harmony for sustainable development.’ If our growing children know the meaning of peace, they are taught how to achieve peace and become global leaders, how will the world be changed? At least, the changed world will be better and more peaceful than the present world where every member strives firstly to eat and live. Even if I do not experience the better and more peaceful world, I am sure that it will not have any tear, pain or hardship and very part and every country in the world will be developed fairly. If it is achieved, many unimaginable things will be appeared.

We, the leaders in this generation, should support a strong international law for the peaceful resolution of division and disputes. Through this support, we can make the sustainable peace where our growing children will live. As they are born in the world, they have the right to live in peace.

Also, as the ‘Article 10 Spreading a Culture of Peace in the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW)’ says, we should teach the Peace Values to our children and let them make the ‘sustainable development and cooperation.’ This is the HWPL Peace Values Education. So, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport from the Kingdom of Cambodia will be front of peace education through signing MOA for peace education with HWPL. If every country in the world takes an action actively for peace education, every human being will choose the first path, ‘cooperation,’ between the 2 paths which I said first. And they will walk to the eternal peaceful world together. Therefore, we must educate the value of peace to our next generation in order to achieve peace not just in our country, but also in our region and the world at large.

Last but not least, On behalf of the Ministry of Education Youth and Sport of the Kingdom of Cambodia .I would like to express my sincere thanks to Mr. Man Hee Lee, the chairman of Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL) and your colleagues who do your best to make an excellent communication and valuable cooperation with Cambodia in order to spread of peace culture in between our nations. Especially, we wish get more experience and strongly support from HWPL to bring Peace Education to our country Cambodia.

Long live Peace in the World! We are one!

Thank you for your attention!

 

Hon. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, Sri Lanka, Minister, Ministry of Higher Education (MOHEC)

“We, together with HWPL, are not just trying to change one nation or a single individual but to foster the entire world population of 7.6 billion people as citizens of peace. Education has a public nature which relates directly to all humankind. Peace education, in particular, has this type of publicness since it teaches the origins of human beings and human nature. Also, this matter of the origin of human beings and human problems is far more important than the matters that are traditionally considered to be important such as scores, academic cliques, or employment. Therefore, peace education can be said to have a greater public reach than any other.”

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Creating an environment for arranging publicness and justification of peace education
Hon. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, Sri Lanka, Minister, Ministry of Higher Education (MOHEC)

Today’s world put emphasis on competition and as a result, people choose to live together or compete by their interest. In this environment, students get used to living in a culture where people compete and pursue their own profit rather than love or cherish each other.

I believe the duty as an educator is instructing students to be grown as leaders who respect lives and observe the rules of society and making all people live harmoniously in the world. This work definitely makes peaceful world, because the world with people who have value of peace will be peaceful world. Therefore, we have gathered here to foster people of peaceful values through peace education.

We, with HWPL, are not just trying to change one nation or individual but to foster population of 7.6 billion people as citizens of peace. Education has publicness which relates to all humankind. Peace education, especially, has publicness as it teaches origin of human being. Also, the matter of the origin of human being is far more important than the matters that are considered to be important such as score, academic clique, or employment. Therefore, peace education can be said to have publicness than any other.

To conduct desirable education and improve education, support from relevant department, school and teacher’s sense of duty, and participation of students are necessary. Especially, I, as a head of the Ministry of Education, well-know how important an institutional support is to conduct an education. Moreover, I firmly believe there needs an improvement of awareness to depart from grade-centered education. For this, I suggest each role of ministry of education, educational institutes, educators, and students.

Following are some policies that are planned to be conducted for a settlement of peace education in Sri Lanka.

  1. Ministry of Education sends an official document and has MOU-related schools be aware that peace education is a mandatory education
  2. Educators of MOU-related schools fully understand the necessity of peace education and curriculum through a preliminary meeting with an executive of HWPL Peace education
  3. Students of MOU-related schools obligatorily have a time to learn peace and the necessity of peace through a HWPL peace event before having peace education classes
  4. MOU-related schools set up a HWPL promotion hall in the school according to school’s circumstances to make students accept the work of peace naturally

I hope the environment for peace education would be created as soon as possible. I also hope the seed of peace that we will plant through peace education bears fruit of peace all over the world.

 

 

Dr. Ali Munhanif, Professor of Universitas Islam Negeri Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta

“In order to transform all the Muslim universities in Indonesia into peace education institutes, all the universities are creating a system for peace education. We have created a civic education program in order to embrace sensitive issues within a pluralistic society and we are striving to nurture a generation that is able to actively participate in peace activities.
In order to construct this civic education system, we have received inspiration from HWPL’s systematic peace education. I believe that the peace education HWPL is promoting is a very effective way to achieve a world of peace. The reason is because education is a continual process and therefore, it needs to be implemented from an elementary level all the way to the highest level of education. We must incorporate HWPL’s peace education within the existing civic education, be able to give grades to the students for credit and provide an opportunity for all students to receive peace education.”

Read the full speech

Role of educators and schools for spreading and continuing education
Dr. Ali Munhanif, Indonesia, Professor of Universitas Islam Negeri Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta

To the honorable messenger of peace Chairman Man Hee Lee who has given us inspiration

To all the leaders who are in charge of meetings for world peace, to all my fellow workers whom I am proud of and is making an effort for world peace, I would like to address various topics that we need to make an effort on for the sake of world peace. And through this time, what I would like to emphasize is the importance of proclaiming the value of peace to high schools and universities.

In the last century, after WWII, the nations that became independent made efforts to restore peace. In order to create a peaceful world, they tried to establish justice and regulations within the national constitution with a vision for peace.

However, even if there is a vision for peace within the constitution, conflicts and wars continue. If we were to explain about the wars and conflicts that occur all throughout the world from Jakarta to Casa Blanca, Europe to Asia, freedom and economic resource are topics that would be a challenge for all nations. All too often, we hear news about murders, robbery, conflicts between ethnic groups, and religious conflicts. This kind of news tells us how much more we need to make an effort to achieve peace in the 21st century.

As we face more and more things, in Indonesia, I believe that high schools could play an important role in advancing the work of peace. In the same manner, all the Muslim universities in Indonesia must promote peace

There are many religions in this world and there are many educational institutes that inherit the teachings of religion, but the Muslim universities in Indonesia are modern, progressive, and they are educational institutes that become the foundation of a Muslim scholar. It also has an objective to contribute to the development of modernization as well as civilization. This is how Muslim universities could contribute to a life of peace, and not only to the followers of Islam, we hope to be able to contribute to the peace of all mankind.

Within the vision for peace in the Muslim education is harmony, security, tolerance, and understanding one another. A state that is peaceful and calm and without violence. Within a situation that is filled with peace, there will be harmony between communities. This kind of definition of peace is in line with peace that is defined in the peace education of HWPL. This is not only within Muslim education, the whole world is pursuing peace, and it is the kind of education our students really need as they grow up to become citizens of this world. I also think that peace would be able to control each person’s rage. Because people are lacking the ability to control anger, people are easily angered even by small matters.

In order to actualize peace from the lowest levels of community to the highest levels, we must continually encourage one another to be open-minded, understand one another, empathize, cooperate, and respect one another. We also really need to recognize that our community is pluralistic and multi-cultural. We also need to understand that given this kind of circumstance, various people will do things in various ways. Therefore, it is not right to neglect a specific culture and insist on another culture.

Education must foster cultural sensitivity and because it also raises a moral consciousness, educational institutes must do their part in encouraging students to live harmonious and peaceful lives. Education must help the next generation be aware of the pluralistic society as well as multiculturalism. We must encourage people to respect one another’s differences, avoid the conflicts with one another, and I believe that peace is not an impossible task.

In order to make all the Muslim universities in Indonesia into peace education institutes, all the universities are creating a system for peace education. We have created a civic education in order to embrace sensitive issues within a pluralistic society and we are striving to nurture a generation that is able to actively participate in peace activities.

In order to construct a civic education system, we have received inspiration from HWPL’s systematic peace education. I believe that the peace education HWPL is promoting is a very effective way to achieve a world of peace. The reason is because education is a continual process and therefore, it needs to be implemented from an elementary level to the highest level of education. We must incorporate HWPL’s peace education with the existing civic education, be able to give grades to the students for credit, and provide an opportunity for all students to receive peace education.

We hope that through the peace education in universities, students would be able to wisely develop their intellect, mindset, and emotions so that the next generation could become a national asset and a generation that could lead the next generation. A nation’s destiny is based on the students. The objective of education is to create a life of tranquility, peace, a life without conflicts. By providing an educational process that promotes understanding of other ways of living, we will teach our students that it is possible for all mankind and creation to live together harmoniously.