Benue State University, Makurdi

PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE PEACE THROUGH EDUCATION

Dr. Grace Ajagun
Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) Sheda, Abuja

Abstract

It is conventional to think of peace in terms of stability and rational order or problem solving. This approach to peace assumes that peace can only be guaranteed by institutionalised coercive powers. Nevertheless, peace education is rooted in the conception of peace as a conscious pursuit of values that foster communal cooperation; and are responsive to the challenges of human coexistence. The preponderance of civil disorders, religious riots, ethnic and communal clashes, in recent years, has disrupted human civilizations in many parts of the world including Nigeria. Presently, there is an increased global cooperation and shared concern for security, peace, human rights, civil liberty, democratic principles and values, and good governance. A critical global peace initiative is the deepening advocacy for creating a culture of peace through appropriate education that instills in people a set of values, attitudes, modes of behaviour and ways of life that reject violence and prevent conflicts by tackling their root causes. Peace education therefore encompasses human rights issues, the environment and development of persons, the community and a nation. This paper highlights Nigeria’s response to the global peace education initiatives through well thought out and implementable curriculum. Notable amongst such efforts is the infusion of values and skills that promote peace and nonviolence attitude into primary secondary education curricula; and very recently the inclusion of security education as a prominent theme in the National Values Curriculum for Basic Education in Nigeria.

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