FPE101

Fundamentals of Peace Education

Mindanao State University

College of Business Administration and Accountancy
Department of Marketing
Marawi City

FPE101 I Fundamentals of Peace Education

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

COVER PAGE i
TABLE OF CONTENTS ii
UNIVERSITY’S VISION, MISSION AND CORE VALUES iv

FACILITATION PLANS 1

INTRODUCTION 1

Module 1 PEACE AND PEACE EDUCATION

Lesson 1: Peace Education

Lesson 2: Peace: Definitions and Concepts
Lesson 3: Components of Peace
Lesson 4: Culture of Peace

Module 2 PEACE CONCEPTS IN ISLAM, OTHER FAITHS AND

SPIRITUAL TRADITIONS

Lesson 1: The Fundamental Teachings of Islam

Lesson 2: The Concept of Peace in Islam
Lesson 3: Stewardship and Accountability
Lesson 4: Rights and Responsibilities
Lesson 5: Jihad and Peace
Lesson 6: Christ’s Concept of Peace and Approaches with others
Lesson 7: Concept of Peace and other Related Concepts in other
Major Religions and Spiritual Tradition of the World
Lesson 8: Similarities in the Concept of Peace in Islam, Christianity,
and in other Spiritual Traditions
Lesson 9: The Common Universal Values among Other Spiritual
Traditions

Module 3 UNDERSTANDING CONFLICT AND VIOLENCE

Lesson 1: Concept of Conflict

Lesson 2: Conflict vs. Violence
Lesson 3: Levels of Conflict
Lesson 4: Causes of Conflict

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FPE101 I Fundamentals of Peace Education
 Lesson 5: ABC of Conflict
Lesson 6: Conflict Tree Analysis
Lesson 7: Navigating the Sea of Mindanao Conflict to Find Peace
Lesson 8: Dimensions of Violence
Lesson 9: Violent Extremism

Module 4 RESOLVING CONFLICT

Lesson 1: Responses to Conflict

Lesson 2: Effective Communication for Conflict Resolution
Lesson 3: Active Listening Skills
Lesson 4: Conventional Methods of Resolving Conflict
Lesson 5: Indigenous Methods of Resolving Conflict

Module 5 CONFLICT TRANSFORMATION

AS TRANSCENDENCE

Lesson 1: Conflict Transformation as a Concept

Lesson 2: Healing and Reconciliation
Lesson 3: Humility and Closure

CONCLUSION

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FPE101 I Fundamentals of Peace Education
 VISION
MSU System aspires to be a Center for Excellence in Instruction, Research and Extension
transforming itself into a premier and globally competitive national peace University.

MISSION
MSU System is committed to:
1. Lead in social transformation through peace education and integration of the Muslims and
other cultural minority groups into the mainstream society;
2. Ensure excellence in instruction, research development, innovation, extension, and
environmental education and discovery;
3. Advance national and international linkages through collaborations and,
4. Demonstrate greater excellence, relevance and inclusiveness for Mindanao and the Filipino
nation.

MSU-MAIN CAMPUS CORE VALUES

Derive from the MSU Charter Mandate, MSU-MAIN is a community characterized by “Unity in
Diversity” motivated with the following core values:
1. Mutual Respect, the university stakeholders and constituents respect and understand
individual regardless of race, culture and religion.
2. Service Orientedness, the university stakeholders provide efficient and effective services.
3. Unity and Teamwork, the university stakeholders collaboratively exercise in all aspect in
accordance to national and global standards, interlink with colleagues and in other
academic institutions, government, and industry through sharing and collaboration of
knowledge expertise and skills towards career development and job placements.
4. Multiculturalism with Means-tested Benefits, acceptance and tolerance of other cultures
geared towards social welfare and development.
5. Academic Excellence, the university maintains its highest standard of excellence both in
academic and service performance as it’s mandated through instruction, research,

FPE101 I Fundamentals of Peace Education iv

 extension, community services, peace development, innovations, production,
entrepreneurship, and globalization.
6. Integrity and Trustworthiness, the university leads with Transparency, Respect,
Understanding, Service and Teamwork (TRUST) in upholding public trust. Different
activities are or will be performed with the highest standard of honesty, accountability and
transparency.
7. Nobility and Professionalism, the university ensures strong camaraderie among
stakeholders, intellectual discourse among colleagues is encouraged upholding the great
ideals of ethical behavior and genuine understanding with each other.

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FPE101 I Fundamentals of Peace Education
 INTRODUCTION

Course Title : FUNDAMENTALS OF PEACE EDUCATION

Course Description : This is a 3-unit basic and comprehensive course to be offered in all
undergraduate programs in the University System. This course is a peace in
action or action-based discipline for which a holistic, multi-, inter-, and
trans-disciplinary approach is adopted. It intends to produce students who
are peace loving, change accelerators or agents of positive change, peace
advocates/champions, and builders of a culture of peace.

Background and Rationale

Mindanao State University (MSU) was established in Marawi City way back in 1961
with the noble mandate of fostering cultural integration for greater understanding of the tri-people
in Mindanao. It was actually conceived as an instrument for peace and development of the
MINSUPALA region. And through the years, MSU is not only true to its mandate but it has
become more aggressive in putting up other campuses in several strategic places of Mindanao for
its influence to cut an ever – widening swath in stepping up manpower development through
quality education and peacebuilding initiatives. However, global trends in recent years indicate the
alarming rise of violent extremism right in our backyard. The Marawi Siege brought with it the
realization that violent extremism poses a cleave and imminent danger to society. The war served
as spur to MSU’s resolve to take more decisive pro-active steps to prevent the youth from falling
into the snare of this ideology. Thus, in its Board Meeting in December 20, 2017, it approved the
offering of the 3-unit course Fundamentals of Peace Education (FPE101) in all undergraduate
programs of the MSU System through BOR Resolution No. 356. It also created the Committee on
Peace Education through the President’s issuance of Special Order to craft an OBEdized Syllabus
and the Peace Education Modules to ensure that this peace education course will produce effective
ambassadors for peace in their respective communities.

Course Outcomes:

At the end of the semester, the students must be able to:

1. Discuss the different perspectives, theories, frameworks, paradigms and models on peace
and peace education;
2. Appreciate the value of life and human dignity, and respect and celebrate diversity,
pluralism and multi-culturalism;
3. Value the importance of environment protection and preservation;
4. Demonstrate the skills and strategies in conflict resolution thru amicable settlement,
dialogue, negotiation, mediation, arbitration and other modalities; and
5. Appreciate the value of peace as a way of life and advocate peace and peace building
toward building a culture of peace.

FPE101 I Fundamentals of Peace Education

Enabling Objectives (Specific Learning Outcomes)

At the end of the two sessions, the students would be able to:

a. acquire a working knowledge about the Mindanao State University’s history and
mandated missions;
b. develop a better understanding of the integration mission of the University;
c. appreciate sincerely the University’s initiatives, policies and programs in the
fulfillment of its mandated missions;
d. develop profound interest to learn more about the fundamentals of peace education so
that hopefully, towards the end of the semester, they will become peace advocates.

Mindanao State University (MSU) was created under Republic Act No. 1387, as amended,
enacted on June 18, 1955 by the Philippine Congress, and on September 1, 1961, it was formally
established in Marawi City with Dr. Antonio Isidro as its founding president.

MSU started as a one-campus University and through the years it expanded into a System
University comprising of (8) autonomous campuses located in the different areas of the
Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), and in other regions of
Mindanao, namely: MSU-Marawi (Main Campus), MSU IIT-Iligan, MSU TCTO-Tawi-Tawi,
MSU General Santos, MSU-Maguindanao, MSU-Sulu, MSU-Naawan, and MSU-Buug. MSU
System also integrated the following three (3) CHED-Supervised institutions: Lanao National
College of Arts and Trade (LNCAT), Lanao Norte Agricultural College (LNAC), and Maigo
School of Arts and Trade (MSAT).

MSU has the following missions as mandated by its Charter:

a. To primarily give professional and technical trainings, besides providing advanced

instruction in literature, philosophy, the sciences and the arts. More emphasis, however,
shall be given in the teaching of Filipino native culture, arts, sciences, philosophy and
literature. Researches on these lines shall be undertaken by the University.
b. To implement the policy of the Government to integrate the minorities (now cultural
communities) into the Philippine body politic. This is a unique mission that makes the
MSU distinct from the other universities in the country.

With its unique mission, MSU becomes a social laboratory for integration. MSU main
campus has always been a home to students from different places, tribes, and of different
religious beliefs and affiliations, during their schooling in the University. The campus
provides a conducive environment and atmosphere, inside and outside the classrooms, for
students to study as well as to fraternize and socialize. Dormitories inside the campus
served as their transient abode, and because of the University’s policy requiring students
of diverse cultural backgrounds to be roommates, their stay in the dormitories provides
them more time and opportunity to hobnob and know each other better. Consequently, a
peaceful co-existence among the students and constituents of the University has been
developed, experienced and observed in the campus since its establishment several decades

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FPE101 I Fundamentals of Peace Education
 ago. The success of MSU as a social laboratory for integration provides the foundation for
its eventual growth or evolution into a national Peace University.

MSU as a national Peace University promoting a Culture of Peace was popularized

by then MSU Acting President (OIC), Dr. Ricardo De Leon. The Institute for Peace and
Development in Mindanao (IPDM) was tasked to implement programs and activities for
the promotion of a Culture of Peace through peace education, peace research and peace
action, and in pursuance of its task, IPDM sponsored trainings, workshops and seminars
on peace education; incorporate peace education in the teaching of Civic Welfare Training
Service (CWTS), and it also developed a manual on peace education for the CWTS course.
Former MSU President, Dr. Macapado A. Muslim, also pursued the vision of MSU as a
Peace University and gave priority to peace research in his administration’s research
agenda. However, those programs and activities on peace education were not promoted
enough, and sustained. Apparently, peace education was relegated to the bottom of MSU’s
priorities until the Marawi siege happened.

On May 23, 2017, the Marawi siege took place reducing Marawi to a pile of rubbles
after several months of violent armed encounters between the extremists and military
forces. The siege was a glaring manifestation of the perturbing presence of violent
extremists in the vicinity of, or right at the gates of the MSU main campus. In response to
this new alarming reality and challenge, the MSU System President, Dr. Habib W.
Macaayong, thought of institutionalizing the offering of a 3-unit course on peace education
and to this end, he created the Committee for Peace Education to craft a syllabus on said
course. On December 20, 2017, the MSU-Board of Regents, through BOR Resolution No.
356, s. 2017, approved the offering of the 3-unit course Fundamentals of Peace Education
(FPE101) in all undergraduate programs of the MSU System. Hopefully, with this peace
education course, MSU could help counter the rise of violent extremism and global
terrorism. This course intends to produce students who will appreciate the value of life and
human dignity, the value of peace as a way of life and respect for diversity, pluralism and
multi-culturalism.

With the institutionalization of Peace Education, MSU will be producing graduates

who are not only degree holders competent in their chosen professions, but also peace
builders committed to promote a culture of peace.

Reference

MSU Fundamentals of Peace Education Manual

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FPE101 I Fundamentals of Peace Education
 MODULE 1: PEACE AND PEACE EDUCATION

Lesson 1: Peace Education

Enabling Objectives (Specific Learning Outcomes)

At the end of the session, the learners should be able to:
1. define what peace education is;
2. explain why peace education is necessary; and
3. illustrate their understanding on the significance of peace education to one’s
learning experiences either through expressive art or by reflective activities.

Historical Development
Peace education can be defined simply as “the process of teaching people about the
threats of violence and strategies for peace,” and may take place inside or outside a classroom
(Harris, 2008, p.15). With this broad definition, the history of peace education is arguably as old
as human history, as cultures throughout the world have learned – and then taught the next
generation – how to live peacefully with others. Diverse religious and philosophical traditions have
been a rich and influential source of peace learning, even though people have also promoted
violence in the name of these traditions.
The development of peace education can be traced back to the end of World War I (1914-
1918) which galvanized powerful support for the need of international cooperation and
understanding and helped instill a desire to include peace education ideas in the educational
systems. A group of non-g0vernmental organizations worked together on these ideas, especially
through the International Institute of Intellectual Cooperation, an organization that was the
predecessor of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The horror and destruction of the First World War led to the formation of the League of Nations
to prevent the occurrence of another war. This was however eventually found to be a defective
world organization.
The Second World War in 1939 to 1945 brought untold miseries and sufferings of the
millions of victims, such as the execution of millions of Jews and the atomic bombings of Nagasaki
and Hiroshima in Japan. The establishment of the United Nations in 1946 also gave birth to
UNESCO which was charged with planning, developing, and implementing general changes in
education according to the international politics of peace and security. The horrors of both wars
entail reawakening to the need of developing the humanistic side of education at least among a
few educationalists, such as Maria Montessori’s loud and tireless reiteration on the need for
educating for peace (Rajaguru, 2016).

FPE101 I Fundamentals of Peace Education

 With the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), created in 1989, peace
education and human rights education took on new importance, as this type of education came to
be seen as a fundamental right that all children should have.
In his Preface to UNESCO’s Framework for Teacher Education (2005), Marmar
Mukhopadhyay, Director of NIEPA, beautifully crafted his words describing the role of peace
education:
“If education is the only defense against human catastrophe, peace education is
the soul of education that can create the shield for human survival on the planet earth. It is only
through peace education that peace can be installed in human mind as an antidote to ‘war is in
the minds of men’”.

Concept of Peace Education

What is therefore the concept of peace education? In its framework for teacher education,
UNESCO (2005) emphasized that peace education is more effective and meaningful when it is
imparted taking into account the social and cultural context and the needs of a country. It should
be enriched by its cultural and spiritual values and with the universal human values. It should also
be globally relevant. Hence, it can be defined in many ways. There is no universally accepted
definition as such. From the peace literature, a few pertinent definitions can be reviewed.
 Peace education is an attempt to respond to problems of conflict and violence on scales
ranging from the global and national to the local and personal. It is about exploring ways
of creating more just and sustainable futures. – R.D. Laing (1978)

 Peace education is holistic. It embraces the physical, emotional, intellectual, and social
growth of children within a framework deeply rooted in traditional human values. It is
based on a philosophy that teaches love, compassion, trust, fairness, co-operation, and
reverence for the human family and all life on our beautiful planet. – Fran Schmidt and
Alice Friedman (1988)

 Peace education is skill building. It empowers children to find creative and non-destructive
ways to settle conflict and to live in harmony with themselves, others, and their world…
Peace building is the task of every human being and the challenge of the human family. -
Fran Schmidt and Alice Friedman (1988)

 Peace education is the attempt to promote the development of an authentic planetary

consciousness that will enable us to function as global citizens and to transform the present
human condition by changing the social structures and patterns that have created it. – Betty
Reardon (1988)

 Peace education is a mechanism for the transformation from a culture of violence to a

culture of peace through a process of “conscientisation.” – Freire (2006)

FPE101 I Fundamentals of Peace Education

5
  Peace education is teaching for and about human rights, gender equality, disarmament,
social and economic justice, non-violence, sustainable development, international law, and
traditional peace practices. – Cora Weiss, President, Hague Appeal for Peace

 Peace education is the process of promoting the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values
needed to bring about behavior change that will enable children, youth and adults to prevent
conflict and violence, both overt and structural; to resolve conflict peacefully; and to create
the conditions conducive to peace, whether at an interpersonal, intergroup, national or
international level. – UNICEF

 Peace education is both a significant peace building strategy and an effective way of
preventing conflict. It promotes a culture of peace and is essentially transformative. It
cultivates the knowledge base, skills, attitudes and values that seek to transform people’s
mindsets, attitudes and behaviors that, in the first place, have either created or exacerbated
violent conflicts. It seeks this transformation by building awareness and understanding,
developing concern and challenging personal and social action that will enable people to
live, relate and create conditions and systems that actualize nonviolence, justice,
environmental care, and other peace values. – Castro and Galace (2010)

The basic concepts embedded in the above definitions are that peace education is a
remedial measure to protect the youth and children from falling into the ways of violence in
society. It aims at the total development, inculcates higher human and social values, and develops
a set of behavioral skills necessary for peaceful living and peace building from which the whole
of humanity will benefit (UNESCO, 2005).

Scope of Peace Education

Peace education is multidimensional and holistic in its content and process. We can
imagine it as a tree with many robust branches. Peace education is comprised of many themes and
forms that have evolved in various parts of the world. It reflects the growth of progressive
education and social movements in the last five decades. Together, these “educations” contribute
to building a culture of peace.
Among the various forms or facets of peace education practice are:
 Disarmament Education

Disarmament education is based on the idea that achieving disarmament is

the primary institutional requirement to develop a culture of peace and establish
the foundations for comprehensive human security (Reardon, 2002).

After the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Cold War-
inspired arms race, disarmament movements arose in protest against these (Toh,

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FPE101 I Fundamentals of Peace Education
 2004). This was the beginning of Disarmament Education, which evolved at first
as a reaction to the threat of nuclear weapons. In later years, Disarmament
Education included other weaponry such as biological weapons and chemical
weapons. They are called weapons of mass destruction (WMD) because of the
large-scale and indiscriminate destruction that results from them. In recent years
the proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons (SALW) have
become a concern of Disarmament Education. A global movement, the
International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) is raising awareness
among policy makers, the public and the media about the global threat to human
rights and human security caused by small arms and is promoting civil society
efforts to prevent arms proliferation and armed violence through policy
development, education and research (www.iansa.org).

In the Philippines there is an organization that is working closely with

IANSA and this is the Philippine Action Network on Small Arms (PhilANSA).

 Human Rights Education

Learning what the rights of all human beings are cannot be taught in an
authoritarian classroom and so the idea “how we teach is what we teach” became
an important concern in HRE (Flowers, 1998). Teachers are reminded that
learning to uphold standards of human dignity and decency by students with the
teacher and how she teaches HRE content includes the study of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and other important human rights
documents such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention on the Rights of
the Child (CRC). HRE also includes the concept of mutuality of rights and
responsibilities.
Therefore, human rights education is both education for and about human
rights. When HRE is education for human rights, it promotes understanding and
embraces the principles of human equality and dignity and the commitment to
respect and protect the rights of all people (Flowers, 2000). This requires values
such as understanding, tolerance, equality, and friendship. HRE is education about
human rights when students are learning about the human rights treaties,
mechanisms, terminology, and institutions.
 Global Education
Education for global citizenship has become increasingly important as the
world has become more interconnected through globalization. However, this does
not mean that education to promote global citizens is a new phenomenon that is
inherently linked to the globalized world.

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FPE101 I Fundamentals of Peace Education
 Global Education (GE) is defined as all programs, projects, studies and
activities that can help an individual learn and care more about the world beyond
his or her community, and to transcend his or her culturally conditioned,
ethnocentric perspectives, perception and behavior (Fersh, 1990).
The Philippine Council for Peace and Global Education defines GE in its
undated brochure as: education for responsible participation in an interdependent
world community.” It enumerates three key themes and perspectives:
 GE is human value-centered: it affirms the core value and universal
principle of the worth and dignity of humans;
 GE is world-oriented: it involves understanding our identities as
members of globally interdependent system – ecological, social,
economic and technological;
 GE is future-oriented: it is concerned with the creation of a preferred
future.

 Conflict Resolution Education

Conflict Resolution Education (CRE) appears to have gained momentum as

an educational movement in the last two decades. CRE is now in the curriculum
of many schools and has educated learners about managing conflicts
constructively (Harris and Morrison, 2003). Tricia Jones (2006) argues that CRE
has the following common goals: to create a safe and constructive learning
environment; to enhance students’ social and emotional development; and to
create a constructive conflict community. A group called the International
Network for Conflict Resolution Education and Peace Education (INCREPE), in
cooperation with the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict
(GPPAC), has now seriously taken the challenge of promoting CRE worldwide
and is starting the effort by mapping the CRE and PE organizations by regions.

Teaching students to become peacemakers involves creating a cooperative

climate that encourages parties to reach mutually acceptable solutions to
disagreements. CRE also includes training in anger management as well as skills
in attentive listening, effective communication, constructive dialogue and other
positive techniques to arrive at a win-win solution to conflicts. When the
relationship and the issue are both important, the collaborative problem solving is
an approach that is recommended. CRE in the Philippines has also now moved on
to using peer mediation as a way of contributing to a culture of peace in a school
community (Galace, 2006).

CRE principles are now increasingly being used in Philippine schools,

communities, workplaces and government agencies, usually after some training
on CRE. The challenge of mainstreaming CRE principles in the various sectors

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FPE101 I Fundamentals of Peace Education
 throughout the country is great, as the country has been suffering from protracted
conflicts in addition to other conflicts at many levels.

 Multicultural Education
Multicultural education is an educational movement that has developed first
in countries that are multicultural or have a culturally diverse population. This is
often the case in countries that have a history of receiving many immigrants from
all over the world as in the case of the United States and Australia. In both the
North and South countries, we see the presence of diverse cultures within a
society. Hence, multicultural education has grown. Multicultural education is
often defined as one that “helps students to understand and appreciate cultural
differences and similarities and to recognize the accomplishments of diverse
groups” (Ladson-Billings, 1994).
However, teaching with a multicultural perspective encourages not only the
appreciation and understanding of other cultures but also of one’s own. It
promotes the person’s sense of the uniqueness of his own culture as a positive
characteristic and enables one to accept the uniqueness of the cultures of others
(Burnett, 1994).

 Education for International Understanding

Besides the contribution of civil society in the promotion of Education for
International Understanding (EIU), the contribution of UNESCO to the
development of EIU has been significant. After UNESCO adopted the
“Recommendation concerning Education for International Understanding,
Cooperation and Peace and Education relating to Human Rights and Fundamental
Freedoms” in 1974, this UN Agency has intensified its efforts to harness
education in the service of world peace (Toh, 2004).
In 1995, UNESCO came out with the “Declaration and Integrated
Framework of Action and Education for Peace, Human Rights and Democracy”
whose primary principles include the importance of education in promoting peace,
human rights and democracy; and the recognition of their intimate relationship.
This was followed by this UN agency’s work to promote a culture of peace which
resulted in the United Nations’ declaration of the year 2000 as the International
Decade for a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence for the Children of the World. In
all these Declarations it must be remembered that EIU is an integral part and that
EIU has taken a more holistic meaning, encompassing not only peace at the global
level but also its building blocks of nonviolent, just and sustainable living in the
other levels of relationships. The dynamic work that is now being undertaken to
promote EIU and a culture of peace has had the participation of many schools,
organizations, and other civil society groups.

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FPE101 I Fundamentals of Peace Education
  Interfaith Education
Interfaith education grew out of the interfaith movement, a movement with
a progressive agenda. The interfaith movement began in 1893 at the World’s
Parliament of religious gathering in Chicago. For the first time in history leaders
of the so-called “Eastern” and “Western” religions had come together for
dialogue, seeking a common spiritual foundation for global unity. Since then
many other interfaith organizations have arisen.
Organizers soon began to advance interfaith education that placed great
value on community visits, service learning and immersion experiences. Thus, the
field of interfaith education began to emerge. The field of interfaith education was
never clearer than after September 11, 2001 and the consequent climate of social
tension and conflict and incidence of discrimination and hate crimes. Interfaith
education was now viewed as a morally and socially essential means for
countering discrimination and hate crimes and for promoting peace (Puett, 2005).
 Development Education
In the 1960s, Development Education emerged to challenge the mainstream
model of development which then equated development with modernization. It
criticized the unjust and unsustainable economic order which has resulted in
hunger, homelessness and marginalization. Concerned educators and NGOs have
advocated the integration of the issues of poverty and inequalities in the social
studies curriculum and other subject areas as well as in the community education
contexts to raise consciousness (Toh, 2004).
Ian Harris (2003) describes the goal of development communication as
building peaceful communities by promoting an active democratic citizenry
interested in the equitable sharing of the world’s resources. It also seeks to
cultivate in the learners a critical consciousness that challenges injustice and
undemocratic structures like those promoted by large transnational corporations.
He explains that the latter have a development agenda based on maximizing profit
which is destructive or harmful to both human and natural communities.
Development education is an approach to peace education that promotes a vision
of positive peace, one that motivates people to struggle against injustice.
 Gender-fair/Non-sexist Education
The implications of gender for peace education are many and diverse.
Following the rise of popular feminism and in keeping with the social justice
movement of the late 1960s and onwards, efforts to oppose sexism in schools have
been made and the overarching goal is to enable students to reach their full
potential regardless of their gender (Moffat, 2000). Gender-Fair Education (GFE)
seeks to foster among the learners respect for the abilities and rights of both sexes

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FPE101 I Fundamentals of Peace Education
 and to develop awareness of the gender biases and stereotyping that have been
culturally perpetuated in order to change these.
 Environmental Education
Environmental education (ED) is education about, for, and through the
environment. It is a field that emerged with postmodernism. It is a field that
emerged with postmodernism, as environmental problems began to be recognized
in the 1960s, and as postmodernism celebrated the interconnectedness of all life
as opposed to an attitude of human domination (Galang, 2001).
The effects of environmental destruction are being increasingly felt:
pollution of land, air and water; depletion of forests and other resources; and
global warming. EE is clearly an educational response to ecological crisis. An
important goal is to make everyone a good “steward” or “kin” of natural
environment in order that the needs of both the present and future generations can
be met. This bottom line message was of course the theme of the landmark book,
Our Common Future (1987).

Significance of Peace Education

We are reaching a critical point in history when solving the problems of humankind has
become a matter of our very survival. Finding sustainable solutions to these problems has never
been more pressing, as population pressure, violence, and environmental degradation are on the
rise. We are alive at a unique time in human history, a time that calls for humanity’s creativity,
ingenuity, and compassion to solve our greatest problems.
There are a myriad of approaches to try to solve these problems, but ultimately, the roots
of these problems are related to human consciousness, worldview and culture. Taking the cultural
approach, our current predicaments are related to the culture of war and violence, which is a global
human phenomenon permeating all aspects of life. In order to solve our problems, we must
transform the culture of war and violence into a culture of peace and nonviolence, which is the
goal of peace education.
According to the founding charter of UNESCO, “war begins in the minds of men”. If this
is true, then it is through changing our minds – our consciousness and our worldview, which are
rooted in our culture – that transformation needs to occur in order to move from a culture of war
to a culture of peace. Albert Einstein said, “The problems we have cannot be solved at the same
level of thinking that created them.” The goal of peace education is to raise our level of thinking
to be able to solve these problems.
Education is the key factor affecting the way we see the world. While many factors affect
our consciousness and worldview, such as our genetics, our family, our religion, and our
community, the one factor that is key is our formal schooling.

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 In the Philippines, the Center for Peace Education in Miriam College and other groups
assert that educating for peace is both a practical alternative and an ethical imperative.

Peace Education is a Practical Alternative

Educating for peace will give us in the long run practical benefits that we seek. As
stated earlier it is expected to build a critical mass of people who will demand for and
address the needed personal and structural changes that will transform the many problems
that relate to peace into nonviolent, humane and ecological alternatives and solutions.
Peace education challenges the long-held belief that wars cannot be avoided. Often
this belief is based on an underlying view that violence is inherent in human nature.
In the micro-level, education on non-violent conflict resolution approaches (an
important aspect of peace education), such as collaborative problem solving and
mediation, can improve the quality of human relationships and bring about solutions that
are constructive, fair and helpful to all parties concerned.

Peace Education is an Ethical Imperative

Educating for peace is an ethical imperative considering the negation of life and
well-being caused by all forms of violence. The ethical systems of the major world faith
traditions, humanitarian ethics and even primal and indigenous spirituality have
articulated principles that inspire the striving for peace. These ethical principles include
the unity and value of life, not only of human life but also other life forms in nature;
respect for human dignity; nonviolence; justice; and love as a social ethic. They are
principles that are highly encouraged for actualization because they are expected to bring
us to the common good.
Each of these scopes focuses on a problem of direct or indirect violence. Each form
of peace education practice also includes a particular knowledge base as well as a
normative set of skills and value orientations that it wants to develop.

Reference
MSU Fundamentals of Peace Education Manual

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 MODULE 1: PEACE AND PEACE EDUCATION

Lesson 2: Peace: Definitions and Concepts

Enabling Objectives (Specific Learning Outcomes)

At the end of the session, the learners should be able to:
1. define and explain the meaning of peace;
2. distinguish positive peace from negative peace;
3. express their understanding of peace through art; and
4. construct their own definition of Peace.

Meaning and the Concept of “PEACE”

The focal point in understanding peace education is knowing the concept of peace.
Peace has been defined in many ways:
1. a) Freedom from, or cessation of, world of hostilities; that condition of a nation
or community in which it is not at war with another.
b) A ratification or treaty of peace between two powers previously at war.
2. Freedom from civil commotion and disorder; public order and security.
3. Freedom from disturbance or perturbation.
(Shorter Oxford Dictionary)

Early secular writings on the subject of peace indicate that peace was defined as merely
the absence of war or direct violence. This negative formulation was first given by Hugo Grotius
in 1625 (Dobrosielski, 1987). The simplest and most widespread understanding of peace was that
of absence of death and destruction as a result of war and physical/direct violence, an
understanding that was used as the initial point of departure in peace research (Thee, 1982). Peace
could simply be described as the opposite of war and conflict. The Latin word pax traditionally
meant the same as the absence of conflict. This is the approach that many states and governments
take, where their goal is merely to avoid war.
However, an alternative view started to emerge, beginning with the late 1960s. Peace
workers have increasingly challenged the conventional view of peace and have declared that
“peace is not simply a lack of war or nonviolence. A society cannot truly be peaceful if it is built
on threat and violence.

FPE101 I Fundamentals of Peace Education

 Attention started to shift from direct to indirect or structural violence, i.e, ways in which
people suffer from violence built into a society via its social, political and economic systems
(Hicks, 1987). It was realized that it was not only war and direct violence that caused death and
disfigurement. Structural violence also led to death and suffering because of the conditions that
resulted from it: extreme poverty, starvation, avoidable diseases, discrimination against minority
groups and denial of human rights. It was further realized that a world marked by said conditions
is a world devoid of peace and human security; it breeds anger and generates tension leading to
armed conflict and war.
A holistic definition of peace promotes the idea of a negative peace and the idea of a
positive peace. Using the views of peace scholars, “negative peace refers to the absence of war or
physical/direct violence, while positive peace refers to the presence of just and non-exploitative
relationships, as well as human and ecological well-being, such that the root causes of conflict are
diminished” (Castro and Galace, 2010). John Galtung, a peace researcher, says that ‘positive
peace’ must resolve the underlying issues of conflict, such as the unequal distribution of resources,
discrimination and power imbalances. Peace should encompass freedom, equality and justice,
happiness, health, content and good economy, social justice, and creative support for personal
growth at all levels where no one has to fear abuse, war or bullying.

Galtung’s Positive Peace Theory

Negative Peace vs. Positive Peace
The idea of peace as the absence
of organized collective
violence… is negative peace.
Negative peace is compatible
with structural violence.
The peace as a “synonym for all
other good things in the world
community, particularly,
cooperation and integration
between human groups… is
positive peace”
Peace is something more than just
absence of organized group
violence, peace also contains an
element of equality of absence of
exploitation.

FPE101 I Fundamentals of Peace Education 14

 The meaning of peace can be captured by the idea of a negative peace and the idea of a
positive peace. The diagram below summarizes the concept of peace.

DISCUSSION
DEFINING PEACE

NEGATIVE POSITIVE
PEACE PEACE
PEACE

STRUCTURAL
DIRECT VIOLENCE
VIOLENCE

SOCIO-
CULTURAL
VIOLENCE

ECOLOGICAL
VIOLENCE

VIOLENCE

Reference
MSU Fundamentals of Peace Education Manual

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 MODULE 1: PEACE AND PEACE EDUCATION

Lesson 3: Components of Peace

Enabling Objectives (Specific Learning Outcomes)

At the end of the session, the learners should be able to:
1. identify the Four Components of Peace;
2. express through written presentation their understanding of being in harmony with
God;
3. explain through role playing what harmony with others is; and
4. show care for others by gift giving.

Peace education is the process of acquiring the values, and the knowledge, and developing
the attitudes, skills, and behaviors to live in harmony with God, oneself, with others, and with the
nature. These are Four Components of Peace which are interrelated. This means that they are not
entirely separate from one another. Achieving harmony in one component is related to the other
components. This also means that we cannot attain complete peace until concerns relating to all
four areas are addressed:
1. HARMONY WITH GOD. Being a strongly religious culture, a strong relationship with
the Creator is essential to the Filipino’s sense of peace. Many perceive that there can be
peace despite difficult and worrisome circumstances when one is in the presence of God.
Being able to talk to God through prayer, to confide one’s troubles and to give thanks for
one’s troubles and to give thanks for one’s blessings can grant strength and peace to a
person. Thus, the church or mosque, as a holy place of worship where one can commune
with God and with other brothers and sisters in the faith, is a place where one can take
refuge from a conflict-filled world, and find peace.
For many people, harmony with God is the foundation of peace, as God is love, and
it is love and compassion which will bring us to a better relationship with ourselves, others
and the environment. It also gives people the strength and hope to continue striving for
personal peace throughout life, although this can never be achieved completely and
perfectly.
2. HARMONY WITH THE SELF. This is related to an individual’s physical, emotional,
mental and spiritual health. People feel at peace when they are physically healthy and well
– when their basic needs are met, when they are able to sleep soundly and when they have
had physical exercise. This, of course, is related to financial stability, as one’s ability to
meet his basic needs are dependent upon one’s economic status.

FPE101 I Fundamentals of Peace Education

 Emotional, psychological and mental health pertains to a sense of well-being and
happiness. It is when a person harbors no worries, fears and hatred in one’s heart, feels safe
and secure, is confident of oneself, feels accepted and valued by others, is able to
accomplish one’s plans, and has a clear conscience. This translates to a feeling of calmness
and relaxation, and allows a person to be comfortable with and by himself.
3. HARMONY WITH OTHERS. To the Filipino, there is no Other. Everyone is potentially
kapwa – one with whom one has a shared identity. This is why this particular component
is very salient to Filipinos. The family, co-workers, neighbors, friends and fellow
countrymen all figure in a Filipino’s sense of personal peace. One’s own peace is very
much tied to the peace of one’s kapwa.
When one is with one’s family, when the family is together, safe, healthy,
cooperative, understanding and loving, there is peace. When one feels that one is liable to
provide and serve one’s family, and that the family is, in turn, supportive of one’s
endeavors, there is peace.
Peace can also be attained by sharing one’s talents to others, making another person
happy, and helping others. At work, this is expressed in one’s commitment to fulfill one’s
responsibilities, and not only to complete one’s given obligations but to do them as well.
Among friends, co-workers and neighbors, there is peace to be found when they are
contented and happy, and when there is respect and understanding among them. It is when
one has not inflicted pain or any kind to any one, when even the unlovable is loved, when
there is reconciliation and forgiveness, and when one has done something good for others
that harmony with others peace attained.
4. HARMONY WITH NATURE. This particular component is often overlooked. People do
not consciously think of their relationship with nature as having an effect on their personal
peace. However, it is evident that a peaceful and healthy environment is crucial to our sense
of harmony and peace. Violence on the environment, in the form of rapacious exploitation
pollution, excessive logging, fishing and mining, etc. also transmits violence unto human
beings through illness, natural disasters, disruption or destruction of livelihood, and poorer
living environments.

One cannot have a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction when one is apathetic
to the destruction of the environment, or when villagers fall ill because of the pollution of
rivers from one’s mining operations. If people continue to live out of harmony with nature,
the world will turn into an environment too harsh for human beings to live in.

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Reference
MSU Fundamentals of Peace Education Manual

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FPE101 I Fundamentals of Peace Education
 MODULE 1: PEACE AND PEACE EDUCATION

Lesson 4: Culture of Peace

Enabling Objectives (Specific Learning Outcomes)

At the end of the session, the learners should be able to:
1. define a culture of violence and a culture of peace ;
2. differentiate culture of war from culture of peace;
3. identify the different conceptual frameworks of a culture of peace and discuss them;
4. describe the world conditions they believe would characterize a culture of peace;
and
5. express their understanding of a culture of peace either through reflective essay or
expressive art.

What is a CULTURE OF PEACE?

The concept “Culture of Peace” was first mentioned in the International Congress in the
Minds of Men, in Yamoussoukro, Cote d’Ivoire in 1989. Over the years, the notion of a Culture of
Peace has come a long way.
The expression “Culture of Peace” includes “a range of values, attitudes, traditions and
ways of life such as: respect for all life, rejection of violence in all its forms, valuing diversity,
sharing with others, listening to understand, preservation of the planet, and a commitment to
solidarity.” In other words, peace is not simply the absence of war or violent conflict. Rather, peace
is considered as a set of values, attitudes and modes of behavior that promote peaceful co-
existence, pluralism, respect for all forms of life, environmental preservation, reasoned discourse,
healthy communication, and most of all peaceful settlement of conflict and mutual understanding
and recognition.
A Culture of Peace presupposes that peace is a “way of being, doing and living in society
that can be taught, developed, and best of all, improved upon.” That is why peace education is
seen as an essential instrument in the promotion and cultivation of a culture of peace. Peace
education theories have been developed to give us information about the devastating impact of
violent conflicts and then provide us strategies for peace. Peace education includes the teaching
about the challenges of achieving peace, developing non-violent skills and promoting peaceful
attitudes.
However, a culture of peace is not an end in itself, rather it is a process. As a process, it is
therefore a lifelong engagement of envisioning a peaceful society. Like other forms of abstractions
in the world, a culture of peace is dynamic; hence, it changes as communities change.

FPE101 I Fundamentals of Peace Education

 When we talk about a culture of peace, it does not mean the absence of conflict. We have
to recognize that conflict is part and parcel of human existence. In a pluralist society like ours,
conflict is inevitable, we encounter them constantly. The negative connotation attached to conflict
is the problem not conflict itself. In fact, although conflict creates tension, this tension, if handled
critically and logically, can lead to more creative solutions that may help in improving our lives.
It is only when conflict is not handled critically that it becomes problematic.
It is to be noted, however, that there is no single definition of what constitutes a culture of
peace. “Culture of Peace” as a concept is multifaceted and contextual. That is why, according to
Wessels “it would be culturally insensitive to prescribe an exact meaning of a culture of peace.”
However, although definitions vary, there is still a common ground or principle that all of us share
as stated in the Culture of Peace Frameworks.

Culture of Peace Frameworks

 UNESCO Model defines a culture of peace as “all the values, attitudes and forms
of behavior that reflect respect for life, for human dignity and for human rights,
the rejection of violence in all its forms and commitments to the principles of
freedom, justice, solidarity, tolerance and understanding between people.” The
UNESCO model is the most universally recognized and incorporates many
aspects of a culture of peace. Thus, the United Nations General Assembly (1999)
declared action in the following areas necessary to transition to a culture of peace
and non-violence:
o A culture of peace through education;
o Democratic Participation;
o Human Rights;
o Sustainable Development;
o Equality between Man and Women;
o Advancing Understanding, Tolerance and Solidarity;
o Supporting Participatory Communication and the Free Flow of
Information and Knowledge; and
o Promoting International Peace and Security.
Although the UNESCO framework utilizes an international perspective, and
therefore its application is more at the global and international context, it can also
be used in the local level, like, for instance, instead of promoting “international
peace and security” you can make it into “local peace and security.” But unlike
other models, the UNESCO framework has no conception of personal or inner
peace.
 Flower Model. This is developed by Virginia Cawagas and Swee Hin Toh (2002).
The flower model has “educating for a culture of peace” at the center, and six
petals for:
o Dismantling the culture of war

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FPE101 I Fundamentals of Peace Education
 o Promoting human rights and responsibilities
o Living with justice and compassion
o Building cultural respect, reconciliation and solidarity
o Living in harmony with the earth
o Cultivating inner peace
What is peculiar about this model is its inclusion of inner peace as a
component to a culture of peace. Such component is lacking in the UNESCO
model as stated earlier.

Figure 2. Flower-petal Model of Peace Education

 Integral Model. This is developed by the University for Peace and Central
American Government. The integral model is a mandala-shaped, person centered
framework, which incorporated the context of peace with oneself, with others, and
with nature, at ethic, mental, emotional and action levels.

Reference
MSU Fundamentals of Peace Education Manual

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FPE101 I Fundamentals of Peace Education