Put peace education in curriculum, Quakers urge government
Quakers in Britain is encouraging the government to integrate peace education into the national curriculum.
“In a violent and unstable world, peace education is the cornerstone on which a more just and harmonious society can be built," the faith group told the Department for Education (DfE).
The submission to the DfE's curriculum review in England reflects longstanding Quaker involvement in peace education.
“[Peace education] empowers children and young people with the peacebuilding knowledge, skills and attributes needed to thrive and supports schools to build a culture of peace and nonviolence," the submission said.
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“In a violent and unstable world, peace education is the cornerstone on which a more just and harmonious society can be built,"
- Quakers
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Many teachers would like to address young people's concerns about war but are not confident the curriculum allows it, Quakers in Britain peace education staff said.
The submission calls for the curriculum to empower teachers to address issues including international armed conflicts and disarmament education.
It highlights schools using peace education's restorative methods to promote inclusion, pointing out how exclusions in England hit marginalised children the hardest.
The DfE review will examine key challenges to attainment for young people and the barriers which hold them back from the opportunities and life chances they deserve.
It will publish its recommendations next year.
In Wales the curriculum includes areas with scope for peace education: one of its core purposes is to create “ethical, informed citizens of Wales and the world." England has no equivalent.
And with Scotland's curriculum also under review, Quakers are working with Education Scotland and partner organisations to explore how peace can be integrated into different areas.
The DfE submission argues that a balanced curriculum is undermined by the role of the military in schools.
It calls for an end to under-18 recruitment in schools and the hundreds of annual visits to schools by arms companies.
Ellis Brooks, peace education coordinator for Quakers in Britain, said: “As the world community shrinks and global conflicts grow, educators will increasingly feel the impact of external conflicts within their classrooms.
“Learning about, for and through peace needs to be an explicit curriculum goal, and not a peripheral concern."