International Save the Children Alliance
The Global Debate: Norway
The Launch: March 12th
"I am convinced that education's role in mitigating conflict, stabilising societies and building peace is underestimated," said Tove
R. Wang, chair of Rewrite the Future, at the launch of Education for Peace in Oslo .
At the launch peace researcher Kendra Dupuy from the international Peace Research Institute in Oslo (PRIO) presented her report "Education for Peace. Building peace and transforming conflict through education systems" to an audience from Norad, the Norwegian MoFA, PRIO, Oslo University College, academics and other NGO's.
"Education alone cannot bring peace, but it has a clear role to play in peacebuilding. A good education system can have a demilitarising effect on society," she said.
Dupuy wrote the report after field visits to Save the Children's projects in Nepal, Guatemala and Liberia, where she observed how education contributes to building lasting and positive peace.
"While armed conflict is an incredibly destructive social phenomenon, positive change has occurred in the education sectors in each of the three countries studied in this report, promoting the larger transformation of each of the conflicts," she said.
"Educational access, school socialization processes, and the involvement of parents and communities in school decision-making processes have vastly improved in the aftermath of the conflicts in each country. This has helped to facilitate wider social inclusion and gives people opportunity and hope."
Other contributors to the discussion on March 12th were Ragnhild Dybdahl, head of section for education and research at Norad, the
Norwegian aid development agency. She gave Norad's perspectives to the theme and elaborated on the so called education paradox.
"Education is not neutral or without risk. For instance we know schools are not necessarily safe, the road, buildings, pupils and teachers can all become military targets. Children and young people can forcibly be recruited to armed groups and the curriculum can lead to isolation and discrimination. Education can do both good and bad," she said. She added that the Norwegian government sees education as one of the strongest means of fighting poverty and promoting development of democratic states.
"Peace and war influence education. And education influences peace and war. We in Norad are pleased that Save the Children is focussing on these relations," she said.
Halla Bjørk Holmarsdottir from the University College in Oslo gave a lecture on education, statebuilding and democracy in Sudan.
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The Education for Peace debate in Norway will take place at www.reddbarna.no/fred