Why education for peace?

When you are educated, you can reason by yourself. You can understand that war is not the best way out. You will be able to solve problems, and you can understand, because war is about misunderstanding.
Student, Liberia

Watch the films:

Read the report:

Look at the photo essay:

Doves AND pictures of Peace:

The responses we have had so far to our global debate on education and peace represent a common viewpoint: we have a responsibility for ensuring quality education that builds peace. Our world community - donors, national governments, civil society and others - must work together to ensure quality education before, during and after conflicts, and when peace settlements are negotiated.

Peace processes, in particular, provide an important opportunity to improve education systems and help foster peace. When parties to a conflict are engaged in a peace process there is a rare focus and opportunity to agree on a shared new education blueprint for the country. However, of the 37 full peace agreements signed between 1989 and 2005 that are publicly available, 11 make no mention of education at all. Even in those that do address education, there is great variation in the way it is addressed and the type of education that is suggested.

A quality educational system makes a positive, transformative contribution to conflict-affected societies. Quality education provides a platform from which other Millennium Development Goals can be achieved, and can promote peace and development more broadly.

The benefits of education are lasting because the children who acquire them will transfer them to the next generation. For example, one year of education can raise the living wage of men and women by an average of 10%.

Four critical elements of quality education are needed to support education's role in peacebuilding and conflict prevention:
Inclusion/access
• Primary schools must be free and close to home, and must attract all children in a community.
Safety/protection
• Schools must be safe from attack and must be places where intellectual curiosity and respect for universal human rights is fostered.
Relevance
• Schools must use a non-biased and appropriate curriculum and relevant educational materials.
Accountability
• Schools must be accountable to children, parents and communities and managed transparently and fairly. The opinions of children, parents and the community must be sought and valued.