Peace Education Within the Human Rights Framework:
Curriculum by Grassroots Organizations in South Asia

Nasreen S. M. Contractor*Peace education is constrained by an apparent reluctance to define
it precisely, perhaps because it is a multi-disciplinary field found in avariety of learning environments, practiced by educators with varying concerns and perspectives. The lack of definition may serve to preserve
an element of creativity, which has been a source of pride among educators, but the lack of organizational structure that characterizes other fieldsof education, limits peace education to being something "innovative" andmarginal from mainstream education. Based on my experience as an educator and my interactions with many community education organizations, I
would argue that the lack of definition is precisely because peace education
has sprung up in many parts of the world. Impelled by a range of sociopolitical concerns, the varied professional specializations of practitioners,
the distinct circumstances that have led to the emergence of a variety of
approaches and issue focuses, there is not one standard field, but a variety of sub-fields loosely held together by a few common purposes. This is
amply demonstrated by the South Asia Toolkit for Peace Educators (South
Asia Toolkit), published by the Asia South Pacific Association for Basicand Adult Education (aspbae) in 2007, a compilation of a variety of lessonplans organized under several modules and bound together by a curriculum
framework that was defined over a series of discussions between educators
working in a variety of conflict zones across the sub-region.
We live in a world of disparities where few enjoy advantages, a world of"peacelessness". Unless respective populations are intentionally educated tounderstand and pursue what is mutually beneficial to their own groups andother diverse groups, in no circumstances will a society experience "peace".
Peace then is possible when society agrees that the overarching purpose of
public policies is the achievement and maintenance of mutually beneficial*Former Program Officer, Asia South Pacific Association for Basic and Adult Education(aspbae). Currently Co-Director, Women’s Research & Action Group (wrag), Mumbai, India.

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H u m a n R i g h t s E d u c at i o n i n A s i a - Pa c i f i ccircumstances that enhance the life possibilities of all. Such an agreement is
identified as the universal respect for human rights. It is also an agreement
to renounce the use of violence within society and to develop non-violent
processes for dispute settlement and decision making.
ASPBAE
Aspbae is a regional association of more than two hundred organizations
and individuals. It works towards promoting quality education for all andtransformative and liberating, life-long adult education and learning. It
strives to strengthen an Asia-Pacific movement to support community andpeople’s organizations, national education coalitions, teachers unions, campaign networks, and other civil society groups and institutions in holding
governments and the international donor community accountable in meeting education targets and commitments.
Through its work aspbae lobbies with governments to• Ensure the right of all to an education• Uphold education as an empowering tool to combat poverty and allforms of exclusion and discrimination• Enable active and meaningful participation in governance• Build a culture of peace and international understanding.
Aspbae believes in the transformative function of adult and basic education, especially to promote the learning interests of the disadvantaged andvulnerable groups. It believes that education and adult learning are essential
means to combat poverty, fight all forms of discrimination, equip citizens toactively participate in development and governance; empowers women andmen, children and adults, individuals and communities to cope, survive andtransform their position and conditions; and build a just peace.
Aspbae is a network of organizations and individuals involved in formal
and non-formal adult education, working with and through non-governmental organizations (ngos), community organizations, government agencies, universities, trade unions, indigenous people, women’s organizations,the media, and other institutions of civil society across the Asia Pacific.
It offers capacity-building programs such as the Basic Leadership
Development Course (bldc), Quality Adult Education and NeXT.

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Bldc is a significant learning event for aspbae members. It is a sixday residential program and an induction to aspbae’s network and to adulteducation work. It aims to expand the ‘leadership corps’ in the Asia South
Pacific region committed to the right of all to learn, and to promote thelearning needs and interests of marginalized groups.
Bldc provides opportunities for adult educators to• Share, learn and apply adult learning principles and practices todevelopment issues and challenges in the Asia Pacific region• Develop leadership skills in policy advocacy• Promote regional networks for adult education• Focus on gender awareness, regional diversity, and cultural
sensitivities• Gain a better understanding of and develop a commitment toaspbae.
While aspbae’s work is focused on ensuring basic and adult education in the region, it recognizes the importance of defining the componentsthat make up good quality education and learning. Aspbae aims to steer its
thematic programs, such as women’s political participation and indigenous
education, around quality standards for adult education, or benchmarks,
which are rights-based, gender just, and empowering. The Quality Adult
Education initiative aims to:• Help advocates for adult education deepen analysis and thinking
on possible alternative policies especially on adult education governance and financing, away from a minimalist/residual approachto adult learning• Assist adult education practitioners in setting guidelines or yardsticks from which to assess their own work - in the design, implementation, facilitation, evaluation, and contributing to individual
and social change• Contribute to building a more robust knowledge base on quality
adult education, drawn from the very rich experience of ngos andcommunity educators in the Asia South Pacific.
To expand its vision to develop a wider pool of leaders in adult education, aspbae offers its members an intensive learning process called NeXT.
NeXT is designed to build and nurture regional trainer-facilitators as well

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as adult education policy advocates in the Asia South Pacific region. It isan 18-month learning program with built-in opportunities for learning andgaining in-depth knowledge of aspbae’s programs at the regional, sub-regional and national levels through a mentoring process.
Peace Education
Aspbae’s Peace Education curriculum is an activity based, participantcentered process, built on the foundation of Experiential Education (EE).
The participants must DO something, be actively involved. Then after oreven during the activity, the learners actively REFLECT on their experience.
What did we do? What did we learn? How did I feel? The final and crucialpart of the process for the participants is the discovery of how to APPLY
their new knowledge or behavior to the world they live in.
Learning/education does not usually happen in a vacuum, which contains only the learner and a guide. Most of the time learning happens in agroup. Therefore, Peace Education has to happen in a group. From the single
student “Do, Reflect, Apply” learning, the Toolkit moves to a group learning process founded on building a safe community where the participants
can explore, try new behaviors, take risks and learn from their experiences.
Community-building is an integral part of the education process.
Developing a Toolkit
There are several examples of pioneering and innovative practice of peaceeducation in schools and colleges and by ngos, youth groups and other civilsociety organizations in local communities in the South Asia subregion.
Aspbaebrought together several leading peace educators from the diverse
conflict areas of India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in consultations and workshops, to deliberate on the essential components of apeace education program and to develop and share effective and creative
training methods whereby young people would be able to develop skills andinsights, to be able to better deal with fundamental issues affecting our society today. This led to the idea of developing a South Asian training kit forpeace educators.
The preparation of the curriculum for the training kit took place in aworkshop held in Colombo in 2005. Thereafter partners contributed selectPeace Education Within the Human Rights Framework

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activities that were developed through their practice and best suited theparticular themes. These were crafted into lesson plans. The activities werethen piloted in workshops that brought together a mix of participants at theregional and sub-regional levels. Hence activities that were context specificwere used and tested in effectiveness for a regional and sub-regional mix ofparticipants. Those found most effective were retained in the final collectionof lesson plans contained in the Toolkit. Thereafter the Toolkit was widely
disseminated in printed form and electronically. Several workshops to demonstrate the use of the Toolkit have been conducted. These have served as
Training of Trainers workshops that have multiplied the number of usersof the Toolkit. The Toolkit was released in a press conference organizedin Kathmandu which was attended by the Secretary of the Department of
Education. It has been adopted as part of the mainstream education curriculum by schools in Nepal.
The training kit brings together contributions from these leading peaceeducation practitioners. It comprises exercises that have been developed/
sourced and used effectively as training tools among teachers, students andcommunity leaders in the different conflict areas of South Asia.
The activities in the Toolkit are all designed to facilitate a participative
approach. It is important to encourage the participants to take the ownership of their learning. Hence the activities in this kit are designed to help
participants share their knowledge and with everyone’s contribution, together, create new knowledge.
The Toolkit also contains background notes and appendices which afacilitator will find useful to read as preparatory material before engaging
with participants on these issues. It is particularly important to study thenote on “facilitation skills for the peace educator”. This note contains ideasthat are drawn from experience in facilitation of workshops that have beenorganized specifically to address the sensitive and politically controversial
themes of peace, conflict and justice issues.
To conduct a comprehensive education program on peace and conflict,several sessions are recommended in which the facilitator can take participants through at least one activity of each module.
Alternatively, the facilitator can select a blend of activities to suit thetime available, objectives and profile of the group. Even if participants arefamiliar with each other, starting with ice-breaking games is recommended
to help create a conducive environment for participatory work. The mix of66

H u m a n R i g h t s E d u c at i o n i n A s i a - Pa c i f i clessons must combine the essential core of peace education as well as the
supportive substantive components.
Human Rights Content
The “peace knowledge,” embedded in the curriculum of the South Asia
Toolkit, is built on the components of human rights education which hasdeveloped out of a virtual crisis in human and social relations, manifested
in repression, socio-economic deprivation, racism and sexism. The South
Asia Toolkit brings together techniques for well-planned and guided learning that attempts to:• Develop a definition of what is peace within a human rights anddevelopment frame• Map conflict situations, analyzing types of conflict, causes,
consequences• Encourage an understanding of multi-culturalism to appreciate
oneself and others• Explore concepts like discrimination and prejudice to restore communication and build levels of trust between warring groups• Provide opportunities to reflect on gender identities and think
about how men and women are impacted by conflicts and othersocial issues• Provide opportunities to experience and compare goal setting andproblem solving through co-operation and competition• Explore ways in dealing with conflict• Draw out and enhance creative expressions of participants about
issues and alternatives to conflict.
South Asia Toolkit for Peace Educators1
There are various interpretations and some contentions about what should
and should not constitute peace education. The possibilities are many andcover aspects such as: educating about peace; learning skills for peace making; and educating for peace emphasizing attitudes and awareness of global
problems and human diversity. To maximize the potential of all that peaceeducation can accomplish within a human rights framework, aspbae’s

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South Asia Toolkit provides a structure for addressing the development of acomprehensive set of values and skills in the learners.
These include:A) Core values and attitudes related to:
1. Human rights and democracy
2. Co-operation and solidarity
3. Preservation of cultures
4. Self and others
5. Internationalism
6. Protection of the environment
7. Multiculturalism and interfaith beliefsa) Values and attitudes related to Human Rights and Democracy
1. Dignity
2. Equality
3. Justice
4. Protection of the rights of all peoples
5. Participation
6. Freedom of speech and expression
7. Freedom of beliefb) Values and attitudes related to Co-operation and Solidarity
1. Love of peace and harmony
2. Interdependence
3. Conflict resolution by peaceful means
4. Mutual understanding, co-operation and respect among individuals and societies
5. Culture of peace and co-operationc) Values and attitudes related to the Preservation of Cultures
1. Respect for the family and all its members
2. Appreciation of one's own culture
3. Appreciation of the world's cultural heritage and humanachievement
4. Sensitivity to social and cultural changed) Values related to Self and Others
1. Self-awareness, reliance, esteem, and self-discipline
2. Respect and empathy in our relationship to others; loving andcaring

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3. Moral courage
4. Open-mindedness, trust, tolerance, equanimity and reconciliation
5. Inquiry and creativitye) Values and attitudes related to Internationalism
1. Awareness of the rights and duties of citizenship
2. Equality among nations
3. Harmony between nationalism, regionalism and internationalism
4. Awareness of global issues and their peaceful resolution
5. Conflict resolution by peaceful means
6. Respect and knowledge on International Law and International
Humanitarian Lawf) Values and attitudes related to the Protection of the Environment
1. Interdependence of people and nature
2. Appreciation and commitment to maintain and improve the environment for the survival of all species
3. Promotion of a sustainable environmentg) Values and attitudes related to Multiculturalism and Interfaith
1. Freedom of thought, conscience and belief
2. Freedom of religious practice
3. Respect and appreciation for own culture and of others
4. Mutual respect for the religious observance of others
5. Equality of treatment of religions by the state.
B) Skills
The goal of peace education is for learners to develop the skills necessary to be proactive and effective as global citizen. These can be summarizedunder the following headings: Thinking Skills, Communication Skills andPersonal Skills.
Thinking Skills• Critical Thinking: The ability to distinguish fact, opinion and belief;
to recognize bias and prejudice; to identify issues and problems aswell as the assumptions in an argument; to reason correctly.
• Information Handling: The ability to form a hypothesis and test it;
to know where to look for answers and how to select and reject
information; to effectively weigh up evidence; to hypothesize eventual outcomes and consequences in order to be able to choose themost appropriate action.

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•

•

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Creative Thinking: The ability to seek novel solutions and answers;
to think laterally and approach problems for multiple perspectives.
Reflection: The ability to stand back from a problem and identify its component parts; to effectively monitor thought processes
and produce appropriate strategies for dealing with any particular
problem.
Dialectical Thinking: The ability to think about more than one
point of view; understand both points of view; construct an argument from either point of view based on knowledge of the other.

Communication Skills• Presentation: The ability to clearly and coherently explain ideas• Active listening: The ability to listen carefully, understand and acknowledge the views of others.
• Negotiation: The ability to recognize the role and limitations ofcompromise as a tool for the cessation of conflict; to carry on a
productive dialogue towards the resolution of a dispute.
• Non- Verbal Communication: The ability to recognize the meaningand significance of body language and other languages (arts, forexample).
Personal Skills• Co-operation: The ability to work effectively with others towards acommon goal.
• Adaptability: The ability to change opinions in the light of evidence
and reason.
• Self- Discipline: The ability to conduct one's self appropriately andmanage time effectively.
• Responsibility: The ability to take on and complete tasks in an appropriate manner; being willing to assume a share of the responsibility.
• Respect: The ability to listen sensitively to others; make decisions
based on fairness and equality; recognize that other's beliefs, views
and ideas may differ from one's own.
A review of the forty-eight lesson plans in the South Asia Toolkit,
though appearing simplistic, do lead the facilitator and the learner to stimulate reflection and discussion that tap into building the value and skill setslisted above.

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The lesson plans are organized into the following modules:
1. Defining Peace
2. Identifying the major conflicts in South Asia
3. Diversity and Tolerance
4. Understanding and dealing with conflict
5. Religion and Peace Building
6. Social Sector Needs and Defense Spending
7. Gender, Peace & Justice
8. Working for Conflict Transformation.
Activities from the Diversity and Tolerance and Gender, Peace & Justicemodules of the South Asia Toolkit are presented in the Annexes.
Concluding Remarks
Education is the process of permanent learning with includes several stagesof life of people and has as its goal achieving spiritual, ethical, moral, affective, intellectual, artistic, and physical development, through the transmission and cultivation of values, knowledge, and skills. It is framed in respect
for and valuing of human rights and fundamental liberties, multicultural
diversity and peace, and national identity. It is empowering people to conduct their lives fully, to live together peacefully and to participate in forms
that are responsible, tolerant, democratic, supportive of solidarity, and active in the community, and also work for and contributes to the development of the country. This definition of education is consistent with Paolo
Friere’s definition of education as “problem solving education” as different
from “instrumentalist education.” To take a real worldview, there needs tobe a combination of both. Unfortunately the capitalist ideology of the world
economy singularly supports a model of education that feeds the engine ofmaterial growth. What is needed to enrich the lives of youth is investing in
education that also develops social capital - wherein we strive to develop future generations that can enjoy a society that provides life of quality beyond
just material terms. Peace education is a component of humanistic education that can build humanistic minds, communities and societies.
Endnotes
1
The aspbae South Asia Toolkit for Peace Educators is downloadable in the
Publication and Reports section of aspbae’s website, www.aspbae.org/node/66.

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Annex A
Module on Diversity & Tolerance(ASPBAE South Asia Toolkit for Peace Educators, 2007)
Activity Title: Sharing Stories: Prejudice Activity
Time: One hour
Aims:
• To help individuals explore how they first became conscious of
prejudice and discrimination and the feelings associated with it• To make participants [become] aware that everyone has experienced prejudice and discrimination and that it comes in a variety offorms (not just racial).
Materials: None
Worksheets: None
Procedure:• Facilitators should divide the class into small groups of no larger
than 10 members.
• Each participant should be given the opportunity to relate a story
in which they felt discriminated against, or in which they felt they
had discriminated against someone else.
• Be sure that everyone has an equal opportunity to tell his or her
story.
(Contributor: Community Outreach Project of the Diamond Jubilee
High School, Mumbai, India)
Debrief and Notes:•
It is vital to continually relate stories back to how they made theperson feel.
• Participants will often not offer this information without being
asked by the facilitator.

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•
•
•
•

•

Remind participants about confidentiality.
Also, mention that it is better not to refer to people in the class byname in their story.
It is also unfair to indict someone who is not there to offer his or
her perspective.
It is important to acknowledge the fact that we cannot change what
happened five minutes ago, let alone several years ago. The point
is to figure out exactly what we are doing and then decide for ourselves if we want to continue doing the same things.
Participants are often reluctant to volunteer to begin this activity. A
good strategy is the facilitator; tell her/his own story first. This will
help with the trust factor as well.

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Annex B
Module on Diversity & Tolerance(ASPBAE South Asia Toolkit for Peace Educators, 2007)
Activity Title: Difference Posters
Time: One hour plus possible work at home
Aims:
• To think about all the ways in which people are different from eachother
• To promote tolerance
Materials: Poster-size paper, pencil, coloured pens
Worksheets: None
Procedure:• Tell the participants that they are going to be designing posters to be
displayed later, and that the theme of the poster will be ‘difference’.
• To start, do a quick brainstorm with the participants about how
we are similar and how we are different to each other (see notes
below).
• In order to make their posters the participants will have to thinkcarefully about what they will write and draw. To help, ask them
about the kinds of messages they would like to convey throughtheir posters (for examples, see notes below).
• They also need to think of a title or slogan for their poster.
• Ask the participants to make their posters. They may need to complete their posters for homework.
• When the posters are ready, display them in a suitable place.
• If time permits, discuss the posters with the participants: why did
they draw or write a particular thing? What issues are most important to them? Why?
(Contributor: Human Rights Education Programme, Pakistan)

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Debrief:
Some of the ways in which people could be different from each other:colour of hair/skin/eyes, shape and size, language, religion, ethnic origins,class, where we live, where we go to school, profession, interests, likes anddislikes, etc.
Possible theme points of the poster: people are different from each other; it is all right to be different from others; they may be as different to us as
we are different to them; we should not be horrible to someone because they
are different in some way or the other.

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Annex C
Module on Gender, Peace & Justice(ASPBAE South Asia Toolkit for Peace Educators, 2007)
Activity Title: The New Girl in Class
Time: One hour
Aims:
• To explore concepts like discrimination and prejudice• To help the participants realise how it feels to be discriminatedagainst, by getting them to empathize with the girl in the story• To reflect on our individual prejudices.
Materials: None
Worksheets: None
Procedure:
Slowly read the story below to the participants. You may have to read it
twice so that they fully understand the main points.

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The New Girl in ClassThis is her first day in the new school. She has just transferred because herparents moved here from the south. She looks a bit different from the others and isa very quiet girl. Her family has moved into a not-so-good neighbourhood in town, asthat was the only place they could get immediately. But they plan to move as soon as
they find something better. The rumour of where she lives has already reached andcirculated in class when she arrives on her first day.
As the day goes by, things just get worse. Nobody talks to her and they all
give her strange looks and whisper while pointing and looking at her. She is rather
uncomfortable about this and on several occasions she tries to talk to her classmates
but they either walk away or look the other way.
Nobody answers her questions about the new school and nobody helps her
find the cafeteria and other places she has to go during the day. Nobody gives her
any attention at all. Everybody seems to be avoiding her. She is very uncomfortableand unhappy. Everybody looks away when asked by the teacher who will team up
with her. Suddenly from the back of the classroom a girl gets up and says "I'll teamup with her for this assignment." Now there are even more whispers around theclassroom and everybody looks at the two girls. The girl who stood up is one of thebetter students and is generally liked by her classmates. During this assignment thetwo girls end up having a good time together. The other students in class find outthat the new girl is a very nice person and she is finally accepted.

Ask the participants to recap the main points of the story and write
them down in bullet points on the board. Hold a discussion about the story(see notes below).
(Contributor: Centre for Dialogue and Reconciliation, India)
Debrief and Notes:
Begin a discussion by referring to the notes written on the board. The
discussion could revolve around the following issues:• Why were all the girls discriminating against the new girl?
• Did they have a good basis for their prejudice?
• How do you think the new girl felt when she faced the discrimination?
• Would anyone like to share a story of how they faced discrimination and how they felt?

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Annex D
Module on Gender, Peace & Justice(ASPBAE South Asia Toolkit for Peace Educators, 2007)
Activity Title: Gender and Discrimination
Time: One hour
Aims:
• To think about the various forms of discrimination faced by women
on a daily basis• To empathize with the problems women face and consider solutions to these problems.
Materials: None
Worksheets: None
Procedure:
Explain to the participants that the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP) has enumerated four categories or forms of discrimination against women:• Denial of human capabilities• Denial of economic opportunities• Denial of political power• Legal inequality + inadequate social protection from violence.
Divide the participants into groups of 5-8. Ask each group to look at
the statistics below (1995) and identify the category of discrimination that is
operating in that instance.
Once they have done this, they can get into the whole group and compare their perceptions and analysis.
(Contributor: Asmita, India)

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Debrief and Notes:[Substitute with recent statistics if available]:• 70% of 1.3 billion poor are women• Women's wages are less than men by 30-40%• Women's non-monetized, invisible labor is worth US $ 11 trillion
a year!
• Women are small percentage of borrowers from banks• 2/3rds of 900 million illiterates in South Asia are women• 60% of 130 million children without primary school access are girls• 1/2 a million female deaths are due to maternal mortality. 99% in
South Asia
• 100 million women "missing" due to discrimination• Women occupy 10% of parliamentary seats and 6% of cabinet positions [world wide]• 50 % of women experience sexual violence• 80% of refugees and internally displaced (of 24 million) are women• In India the Sex Ratio is 1000:929• Literacy: Male - 65.5; Female - 37.7.