Kenya's peace education programme 'model' for Africa - Kenya’s experience in implementing a “peace education” programme was held up as a model for other African countries at the just-concluded Round Table on the issue by the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, PANA reported. Participants at the 26-28 July Round Table were particularly interested in learning how Kenya developed its peace education programme, following the 2008 post-electoral crisis which claimed hundreds of lives, with the belief that it can be replicated - taking into account individual nation's realities - by other African countries emerging from civil wars or crisis similar to Kenya’s.

An Education Officer in Kenya's Ministry of Education, Ms. Mary Kangethe, told the Round Table on 'Education, Peace and Development', that since 1992, the East African nation had experienced politically-instigated sporadic peace threatening incidences, especially during the general elections held every five years.

“Other dimensions that have threatened peace have been inter-community conflicts over resources such as water and pasture and cultural practices”, among others, she said.

As a result, Ms. Kangethe said, the country witnessed ethnic animosity and suspicion, massive displacement of communities, destruction of property and infrastructure including school buildings, teaching and learning resources.

In her presentation, Ms.Kangethe also cited the fear of investing in volatile regions as another effect of those threats, adding that the worst scenario was the 2007/2008 post-election violence which, acted as “an impetus” to establish and implement a peace education programme in the country.

She said the programme was aimed at creating awareness among learners on the causes of conflicts and how to resolve them amicably, as well as to prepare them “to become good citizens in their communities, nations and the world”.

Other objectives of the programme, she said, are to equip learners with skills that promote peace and human dignity, and use the classroom as a springboard to learn and practise positive interdependence, social justice and participation in decision making processes.

To achieve these goals, the Kenyan Education Officer said, the programme started by training master trainers, developing training manuals and teacher activity books as well as producing and distributing copies of peace education materials, among other tasks.

A peace education coordinating unit was also set up, psychosocial intervention materials developed and psychosocial support provided to those affected by the violence, in addition to introducing life skills curriculum in primary and secondary schools, Ms. Kangethe said.

But she acknowledged that the plan is faced with challenges such as the costly capacity building of peace education teachers and some inconsistency between the messages received by learners in the school and at home, especially in case of domestic violence.

On the other hand, she noted, some of the issues pertinent to the establishment and maintenance of peace “are beyond the realm of the education sector and appertain to national policies and systems”.

The Kinshasa conference was attended by education experts, policy makers, and curriculum developers from some African countries experiencing or emerging from violent conflicts as well as development agencies, donors and civil society partners.

The countries include Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Liberia, Kenya, Somalia and Zimbabwe.

The Ministries of Education of Kenya and DRC, as well as UNESCO-BREDA, co-organised the conference with the ADEA Inter-Country Quality Node for Peace Education (ICQNPE).

Pana 04/08/2011