GOVERNMENT through the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development (MEHRD) is planning to revisit the curriculum by emphasis teaching peace education in our schools.
Minister of Education Lanelle Tanagada highlighted this in parliament during her contribution to the sine die motion recently.
She highlighted the importance of peace education following last month’s rioting, looting and burning parts of the Honiara city.
She said her ministry plans to step up the efforts to teach the subject.
“One immediate action my ministry has considered in its renewal of the national school curriculum is to step up efforts in the teaching of peace education.
“This does not mean that we have nothing in the existing school curricula – No.
“In fact our present primary and junior secondary curriculum contain peace education concepts and topics. There is also a peace education curriculum package that was developed and used by teachers after the ethnic tension around year 2005 and 2006 in schools in Malaita and Guadalcanal in particular, which will need to be reviewed and developed under the current five year national curriculum development project,” he said.
The education minister added fundamentally, peace education is the ministry’s response to the Truth and Reconciliation (TRC) Commission recommendations, and aims to counter a culture of tension and conflict by promoting a culture of peace and unity.
“It challenges the assumption that violence is innate to the human condition and seeks to equip students with the capacity to resolve conflict without violence.”
Minister Tanagada said the peace education package they have produced aspires to enable students to become responsible citizens who are open to differences, capable of empathy and solidarity, both within and across borders and social groups, and who can deconstruct the foundations of violence and take action to advance the prospects of peace.
Meanwhile, she highlighted as leaders they all wanted unity and peace to see a better Solomon Islands for the future generation.
“I believe our forefathers and leaders of this nation in the past had this same dream. A dream of unity in a culturally diverse nation, a dream where we call ourselves brothers and sisters of Solomon Islands a country of many islands, an archipelago in the Pacific,” she said.
