Teacher Education for Peace and Harmony

Foreword

Teacher Education

Peace & Harmony

Proceedings – International Seminar on Teacher Education for Peace & Harmony

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Foreword

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Foreword All human beings intrinsically want to live in peace and harmony and have been making continuous endeavour in this direction from times immemorial - of course, in accordance with their own understanding and worldview about life, happiness, prosperity and relationships with other human beings and the rest of nature. However, in order to ensure peace and harmony in practice at various levels of our living viz. at the individual level i.e., pertaining to peace within oneself; at the societal level i.e. pertaining to peace and harmony among human beings and at the level of Nature i.e. pertaining to harmonious co-existence with entire nature/existence – a correct appraisal of the reality and accordingly, inculcation of a correct worldview is essential. If peace and harmony be truly the innate human aspirations, then, why is it? - that we witness so much of conflict at the individual level, in family relations and in society; wars and strife among communities and nations and gross degradation of nature by human beings. This is a serious question for all human beings to ponder and to resolve. Without obtaining a correct answer to this important question, all attempts to bring in peace and harmony will only be superficial, transient and in the long run, elusive. During the last century, which happens to be an epoch of unprecedented developments through science and technology with tremendous human ingenuity, we witnessed two world wars with their highly destructive consequences and the threat of a totally annihilative third world war with the possibilities of a nucuear holocaust looms large on the humanity today. Despite the peace-keeping efforts of the United Nations and politico-economic measures to fight poverty and hunger at international level, the nations of the world have been gripped with cold war situations, racial and ethnic conflicts, terrorist and fundamentalist onslaughts, and political destabilisations in several countries. If we analyse the causes of such a malaise affecting severely the world faternity, the dignity and equality of human beings, the fundamental human rights, national amity and international understanding; we find that factors such as intolerance, racial and ethnic hatred, extreme violence for ulterior motives, growing disparities between rich and poor, exploitation of nature and insecurities at various levels are bringing untold misery to human beings as well as the other species on this planet. Infact, rapid degradation of our sustaining natural environment in a rather irreversible manner by various human activities, is posing a serious threat not only to global peace and harmony but to the very survival of mankind on Earth. 3

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At the personal level also – stress, anxiety, fear, insecurities, frustration and other such negativities are becoming rampant, snatching the internal peace and harmony of human beings. Is such a situation acceptable to us? Can we really call it development for welfare of human beings? Can we continue the ‘business as usual’? All of us have to ponder over it seriously and strive hard to find the way out. Thus, it is imperative for human beings to understand this situation in correct perspective and find an effective strategy to ensure peace and harmony. In fact, if we probe this question in depth, it would easily become clear that even though peace and harmony are universal human aspirations, fulfilling them in real life demands adequate culturing of the human mind, inculcating a holistic perception through proper education, providing correct understanding of the human reality as well as the inherent harmony in existence. As UNESCO proclaims, ‘since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that defences of peace must be constructed’. How is this to be achieved in the present context? - Is the next potent question to be resolved?

Role of Education in Promoting Peace and Harmony So, it becomes clear that appropriate education is the most important mechanism to deal with this malaise at its root. This involves appropriately moulding the human perception, human wisdom and, accordingly, human thought, behavior and action at individual as well as collective level. In this context, if we look at our present day education system all over the world, we find that, with the growth of science and technology in modern times, the education has become largely ‘skill-based’ and ‘information-centric’. The value dimension has been continuously languishing. On one hand, the traditional grip of religious establishments in shaping the values and worldview of the society has become feeble; on the other, no tangible mechanism has been incorporated in the education system to fulfill this need. It may be easily realized that values and skills play a mutually complementary role in promoting human welfare and in ensuring peace and harmony. The prevailing materialistic ethos and the consequent conflicts, maladies and paradoxes are directly a result of this great deficiency in our present education system. Hence, we can hope to move in the cherished direction only by making appropriate rectifications which involves the integration of appropriate and effective inputs of Education in Peace and Harmony (EPH) into our present education system. In recent years, this realization is slowly gaining strength all across the globe and several attempts are being made towards evolving suitable models and methodologies to integrate Education for Peace and Harmony (EPH) in the education system. But this awareness needs to become much stronger in intensity and more wide-spread so as to result in a tangible thrust towards the requisite research, experimentation, resource development and implementation at a large scale. Then only, such a colossal challenge can be adequately catered to. 4

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Importance of Teacher Education When we focus on the question - How to do it in the present context? How to do it in a manner so that it is effective and results in requisite transformation in the individuals? How to do it in a manner so that it is universally implementable? etc. etc., then the following factors seem to be significant viz., the clarity about the vision and philosophical framework, appropriate curricular model, content and pedagogical process, suitable environment conducive to value inculcation and lastly but most importantly adequate orientation and development of the teachers for peace and harmony. In fact, the teacher is the ‘kingpin’ of the cherished transformation and hence, teacher education is perhaps the most crucial task to initiate the education in peace and harmony. The teacher himself/herself has to undergo perceptional transformation and become the ‘agent of change’ and a model for emulation. The present seminar is devoted to this important theme, viz., ‘Teacher Education for Peace and Harmony’.

The Present Initiative of IASE (D) University Realizing the importance of this theme, IASE (D) University which is a constituent institution of Gandhi Vidya Mandir, Sardarshahar, Rajasthan has taken an initiative to organize this ‘International Seminar on Teacher Education for Peace and Harmony’. IASE has grown to be a premier institution for teacher education and is motivitated by the Gandhian vision and value-based ethos instilled by its founder, Swami Ramsharan ji. It is committed to make substantial efforts towards education for peace and harmony. The other collaborators to this seminar include Gujarat Vidyapeeth (Deemed University), Ahmedabad, Gujarat; Jain Vishwa Bharati University, Ladnun, Rajasthan; The Temple of Understanding – India, New Delhi; National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahai’s of India, New Delhi; and Global Harmony Association, St. Petersburg, Russia.

Swami Shri Ramsharan ji Maharaj Founder of Gandhi Vidya Mandir

This seminar was organized from 11-13 February, 2012 in the serene environment of the Gandhian Darshan premises at Raj Ghat, New Delhi, adjacent to the ‘samadhi’ of Mahatma Gandhi – the apostle of peace and harmony. Meticulous preparations were made and a large number of renowned educators, experts in value education, peace workers, civic leaders, religious stalwarts, govt. officials and media persons were invited to participate. 5

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Two pre-seminar workshops were organized to have detailed consultation for planning the modalities of this seminar. A large number of foreign delegates could also be motivated to participate in this event. The seminar was dedicated with reverence and gratefulness to the memory of Sh. L.M. Singhvi – Former Chancellor of IASE University and an illustrious scholar with deep concern for education in peace and harmony.

The Focus of Deliberations and Spectrum of Participation The whole deliberation was focused on the following four main themes viz., (i)

The Universal vision and Philosophical framework for Education in Peace and Harmony (EPH).

(ii)

Current Trends of Teacher Education: Issues and Challenges.

(iii)

Effective Curricular Models for EPH

(iv)

Implementational Strategies

Further, for detailing, these main themes were divided into 15 sub-themes which are descibed in the executive summary. On each of these sub-themes, relevant experts were identified to make lead presentations during the plenary sessions. For discussion in the thematic sessions, about 100 papers were selected out of around 280 papers received from various authors. A compendium consisting of the abstracts of these papers was made available to the delegates at the time of the seminar. The main discussion took place in the four plenary sessions after the inaugural session. Each plenary session was followed by three parallel thematic sessions for detailed deliberation and presentation of general papers. In addition, four special sessions could also be squeezed in between and these were devoted to the release of three important publications (closely related to the the theme of the seminar) and a detailed dialogue with the media persons highlighting the ‘Role of Media in promoting Peace and Harmony’. The following two books which were brought out by IASE University were released on this occasion during the special sessions; z

A Holistic View of Human Behaviour (Manav Vyavahar Darshan)

z

ABC of Harmony

In addition, a special issue of the value-promoting magazine ‘Sanskaram’ was also released in co-memoration of this seminar. Emerging from the presentations and deliberations during the plenary sessions, thematic sessions and special sessions, salient recommendations were drafted and discussed for suggestions in the General Discussion Session and were finally finetuned in the 2-day post6

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seminar workshop at IASE University campus, Sardarshar (Rajasthan) held from 14 - 15 February, 2012. During the post seminar workshop, about 20 foreign delegates and 30 Indian delegates visited the IASE University campus, participated in the special prayer meeting and interacted with several faculty and students. The main objective of the post seminar workshop was to visualize the modalities of incorporating some of the major recommendations of the seminar in the curricula of teacher education programmes running at IASE University.

Salient Outcomes of the Seminar The seminar proved to be extremely fruitful in bringing together so many top experts and stalwarts from all sections to contribute to this important theme and generate the much needed awareness, enthusiasm and clarity about various aspects pertaining to the implementation of this challenging task. It also provided clarity about the vision and valuable guidelines for taking the process of teacher education for peace and harmony forward. The recommendations of the seminar include significant suggestions about (i) inclusion of salient societal concerns conducive for peace and harmony in the materials and methods of teacher education programmes, (ii) development of a framework for teacher education for peace and harmony, (iii) exposure to innovative curricular models for EPH (iv) Strategies of implementation of the programme for EPH, (v) need for setting up Centres of Excellence to provide thrust to research, resource development and teacher orientation towards EPH etc. This seminar has enthused IASE University and several other such institutions to work together in this direction with redoubled effort. Infact, I am happy to share that IASE University has already initiated steps towards incorporating some of the recommendations and is committed to initiate research, pilot experimentation for curricular development and networking with other working groups and institutitions working in this direction to develop a framework for teacher education for peace and harmony.

Grateful Acknowledgements I am highly indebted to all the dignitaries as well as the learned Indian and foreign delegates who could find time to attend this International Seminar and made their valuable contributions. My sincere gratitude goes to the organisations who collaborated with the IASE (D) University in making the seminar successful. It would be our sincere endeavour to carry forward the recommendations of the seminar in letter and spirit. I gratefully acknowledge the guidance provided by the members of the Board of Advisors – National and International, Chairpersons, Co-Chairpersons of the Sessions, members of the Organising Committee and Advisory Board for their valuable contributions. 7

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My special thanks are to Dr. Dinesh Kumar, seminar director and Dr. Surendra Pathak, seminar convener for meticulously planning and organising the seminar successfully. I wish to put on record my sincere appreciation to Prof. R.R. Gaur, Prof. Puran Chand and Dr. J.D. Sharma, and other members of the editorial team for their valuable contribution towards the preparation of this report on proceedings. Finally, I wish to express my sincere thanks to Sh. M.L. Bhatt, Vice Chancellor, IASE (D) University and his whole dedicated team – the academic and administrative staff of the University and Gandhi Vidya Mandir, relatives and friends, who have toiled hard to make this seminar a real success. K.M. Dugar Chairman, Organizing Committee Chancellor, IASE Deemed University President, Gandhi Vidya Mandir July, 2012

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Executive Summary and Salient Recommendations of the Seminar


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Executive Summary Backdrop Peace and harmony have been the universal and eternal human aspirations. In fact, all material or physical development is also finally targeted to enable all human beings to live in peace and harmony - adequately fulfilling their physical needs and inculcating skills, values and attitudes which are conducive to live in peace at the individual level, live in peace and harmony with other human beings and finally, be in harmonious co-existence with rest of nature. In the final analysis, all developmental goals must cater to this universal aspiration only. In modern times, as a result of phenomenal developments in Science and Technology and their proliferation in all human activities, there is increased human mobility and interconnectivity using the modern gadgets of transportation and communication. As a result, there is tremendous amount of cross-cultural interaction and globalization of trade, commerce and industry transforming the entire world into a global village. However, in order that such a global interaction actually results in peace and harmony at various levels, what we need most is a global mindset, a correct understanding of the inherent interconnectedness and co-existence in nature of which the human beings are an integral constituent. Unfortunately, the vision, mechanism and the efforts to develop such a mindset among human beings are conspicuously missing from our present education system. As a result, the increased potency and connectivity achieved through Science and Technology is only giving rise to greater conflicts, strife, disparities, violence and gross degradation of natural environment thwarting not only peace and harmony, but also endangering even the very survival of human beings and other species on this planet. Thus, it is the prime responsibility of educators and policy makers all over the world to realize this important need adequately and incorporate suitable modifications in the education system to inculcate such a global mindset and universal human values in an effective way. Traditionally, religious establishments had carried out the responsibility of shaping the values of the society usually employing faith-based methodologies. However, with growth of modern science, the grip of religious quarter and purely faith-based systems has become less effective. Now, the acceptability is more towards rational and scientific approaches, exploratory and verifiable methodologies instead of mere faith-based techniques. Such methodologies have as yet not found their due place in the modern education system. In fact, with growth of modern science and technology, our education system has become more and more ‘skill11

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biased’ and ‘information-centric’ rather than value-focusing. As a consequence, the prevailing ethos has become more and more materialistic leading to all sorts of conflicts and maladies. Hence, the need clearly stands out to develop appropriate models for integrating Education in Peace and Harmony (EPH) in the present day education system in an effective way. Needless to assert that in order to carry out the above task effectively, adequate education and preparation of the teacher to make them competent for this difficult task is essential. Therefore, in addition to making available a suitable curricular content and pedagogical process and a conducive learning environment, ‘Teacher Education for Peace and Harmony’ becomes the most crucial step. Realizing this, the present International Seminar focusing on this theme was organized to gain clarity on various issues such as the vision, the content, teacher orientation and the implementational strategies for education in peace and harmony, in general, and Teacher Education in Peace and Harmony (TEPH) in particular. The Charters of the world bodies as well as the constitutions of various nations, all exhort and provide guidelines for generating requisite thrust in this direction. These provide a framework for promoting brotherhood, cooperation, peace and harmony and enshrine various directive principles based on human values which are conducive to promotion of peace and harmony. The need for integrating value education (VE) or the education for peace and harmony (EPH) into the main stream education curricula has been repeatedly and forcefully expressed by all the Education Commissions and Expert Committees. They have also highlighted the need for developing materials and methods to take care of important societal concerns like democracy, sccularism, social justice, social reforms, protection of environment and national integration etc. UNESCO also defines the key objectives of education in terms of the following four pillars viz., Learning to know Learning to do Learning to be and Learning to live together How to achieve these cherished objectives in practice is an important educational challenge of our times. The presentations and deliberations of this seminar addressed to various aspects relevant to fulfillment of this important need i.e. the need for integrating EPH in the present education system and appropriate teacher education for the same. Instutite of Advance Studies in Education (IASE), Sardarshahar, Rajasthan which is now a deemed University, has been a prominent hub for teacher education and is also dedicated to the Gandhian ethos as well as the universal human values. Realizing the above need, IASE, (D) University and Gandhi Vidya Mandir, Sardarshahar took the initiative of organizing this ‘International Seminar on Teacher Education for Peace and Harmony’ with the collaborative support of the following organizations. 12

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(i)

Gujarat Vidyapith (Deemed University) Ahmadabad, Gujarat

(ii)

Jain Vishwa Bharati University Ladnun, Rajasthan

(iii)

The Temple of Understanding - India, New Delhi

(iv)

National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of India, New Delhi

Peace & Harmony

The International support for the programme was received from the ‘Global Harmony Association’ St. Petersburg, Russia. The seminar was organized at the premisesn of ‘Gandhi Darshan’ at Rajghat in the close vicinity of Mahatma Gahndhi’s samadhi, from 11 to 13 February, 2012. The main seminar was preceded by two preparatory consultation workshops and was immediately followed by a two-day post seminar workshop at IASE University campus, Sardarshahar, which was held on 14-15 February, 2012. The main objectives of the Seminar were delineated as follows: z

To appreciate the current challenges of teacher education in context with the introduction of education for peace and harmony (EPH).

z

To update the teacher education according to global norms established by UNESCO and other bodies.

z

To develop skills among teacher trainees in human values, harmonious living with co-existence.

z

To promote inter-disciplinary research activities for education for peace and harmony.

z

To create awareness among teachers for development of activities for peace and harmony education.

z

To frame an outline of a model curriculum of teacher education for peace, harmony and human values.

z

To articulate and identify the activities, contents, programmes for promoting peace and harmony.

z

To facilitate establishment of International Centres of Excellence in ‘Teacher Education for Peace and Harmony’.

For the purpose of deliberation the following four main themes were identified; z

The Vision and Philosophical Framework for EPH

z

Current Trends of Teacher Education: Issues and Challenges

z z

Effective Curricular Models for EPH Implementational Strategies 13

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The above theme areas were further detailed out into the following sub-themes, based on which papers for the seminar were invited. In addition, experts were also identified to make lead presentations in the plenary sessions of the seminar focusing on each of the following sub-themes: 1.

Relevance of universal human values and peace based education

2.

Humanization of teacher education

3.

Global trends and new scenario of teacher education

4.

Dimensions and relationship of peace education with foundations of education

5.

Teacher educational governance: Issues and Challenges

6.

Co-existence and harmony through teacher education

7.

Skills and activities for teacher education for peace and harmony

8.

Preparing peace teachers and peace workers in the community

9.

Role of teacher in multicultural and multi-ethnic society

10.

Peace based integrated curriculum for teacher education

11.

Education for peace towards a millenium of well being

12.

Integration of Peace and Harmony in Curriculum of the Secondary and the Senior Secondary stages

13.

Ecology in Education for Peace: Implications for teacher education

14.

Pedagogy for transaction: Implications

15.

Integrating peace and harmony in teacher education curriculum at different stages

In all, 282 papers were received - 221 in English and 61 in Hindi out of which 100 papers were selected for presentation in the thematic sessions The Format of Deliberations The main scheme of deliberation consisting of the plenary session was as follows: Inaugural Session Plenary Session – 1: Universal Vision and Philosophical Framework Plenary Session – 2: Global Trends – Issues and Challenges Plenary Session – 3: Effective Curricular Models Plenary Session – 4: Implementation Strategies General Discussion Session Valedictory Session 14

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Each plenary session was followed by three parallel thematic sessions enabling more detailed discussion on the corresponding sub-theme. The summary of proceedings of the above plenary sessions is given in Section-I while the highlights of the lead papers presented in the above four plenary sessions are given in Section-II. The summary of proceedings of the 12 thematic sessions is presented in Section-III. In addition, four special sessions were also interspersed in between the main sequence of sessions. The special sessions focused on the content of the two publications brought out by IASE University and a special issue of the magazine ‘sanskaram’ which were released in co-memoration of this seminar. The books released during the special sessions are: (a)

ABC of Harmony (an anthology of articles on various aspects of global peace and harmony

(b)

A Holistic View of Human Behaviour (The English translation of Manav Vyavhar Darshan, part-I by Sh. A. Nagraj).

One special session was devoted to the discussion on ‘The role of media in promoting peace and harmony’. This session was attended by a number of prominent media personalities and resulted in very fruitful discussion. The summary of proceedings of these special sessions is given in Section-IV. The post-seminar workshop focused on finetuning of recommendations and the possibilities of curricular modifications in the teacher education programmes, in consonance with the recommendations of the seminar. The highlights of the proceedings of this workshop are given in Section-V and the minutes of pre-seminar and post seminar workshops are also given in the annexures. Based on the deliberations of the plenary sessions, thematic sessions and the special sessions, the salient recommendations of the seminar were drafted, discussed in the ‘General Discussion’ and were finally finetuned in the post-seminar workshop. These recommendations are given at the end of this executive summary.

An Overview of Deliberations – Emerging Insights, Concerns and Guidelines The salient insights, concerns and guidelines on various aspects of teacher education for peace and harmony as emerged from the presentations and deliberations of the seminar are summarized below:

The Need for Integrating EPH in the Education System and the Importance of Teacher Education for this Task The need for integrating appropriate inputs of EPH effectively in the present education system was stressed in unequivocal terms by all the speakers. It was also unanimously agreed that to fulfill this need, thrust on development of suitable curricular models and 15

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supporting activities, effective pedagogical process, a conducive constitutional environment and above all, a rigorous teacher education programme was necessary. This required a concerted all round effort in this direction necessitating dedicated R&D, resource development, teacher orientation and implementational experiments, finally stabilizing the inclusion of EPH and its proliferation in the education system. The role of policy making and monitoring bodies as well as implementing agencies will also be vital to meet this challenge. The teachers are torch bearers of any move to bring about enlightenment and peace in society. We need a sound knowledge base, appropriate skills and methods to transcribe a blue print for peace and harmony into action. This stupendous task requires us to build up a culture which epitomizes humanistic values, intrinsic as well as extrinsic.

The Vision and Philosophical Framework for EPH The salient universal human values which were repeatedly highlighted by the speakers include Honesty, Peace, Nonviolence, Righteous conduct, Compassion etc. Sincere efforts are needed to inculcate these through proper education process. An important vision that emerged from the discussion is that the core issue of Value Education (VE) or the Education for Peace and Harmony (EPH) is to change the mindset i.e. to affect a transformation in the worldview towards holistic perception in consonance with the right understanding of reality. So, value education is a process of developing human consciousness (chetna-vikas). This is best done by facilitating attention on various aspects of reality through self-exploration so as to develop right understanding about the human being himself/ herself, about human happiness, about the comprehensive goal of life, about human-tohuman and human-to-nature relationships. It requires an appreciation of the inherent harmony, interconnectedness, co-existence and self-regulation in the entire existence of which the human being is an integral constituent. This philosophical framework to systematically discover the truth of the human reality as well as the inherent harmony in existence can provide a universal and sound basis for developing education in peace and harmony. In order to initiate such a transformation as mentioned above among the learners, it becomes imperative to introduce a well designed foundational input as the first necessary intervention in the curricula. In addition to this foundation input, it will be necessary to make appropriate modifications in the content and teaching style of all other subjects so as to incorporate salient societal concerns conducive to promote peace and harmony which are in accordance with the holistic perception ingrained through the foundational input. An elaborate exposure during the seminar was made by several authors about a unique philosophical framework called Madhyasth Darshan – Sah Astitvavad propounded by Sh. A. Nagraj of Amarkantak which facilitates the exploration of human reality vis-à-vis a rest of existence can be instrumental in the universalisation of EPH in the present context. It will be desirable for educators in peace and harmony to evaluate this framework seriously and test its efficacy for EPH. 16

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Broadly, these societal concerns are as follows: 1.

2.

Democracy 1.1

Basic equality of individuals.

1.2

Freedom of expression and liberty.

1.3

Social or public good more important than private gains

1.4

Respect for and acceptance of the will of the majority.

Secularism 2.1

3.

4.

5.

Religious tolerance -

Condemning narrow religious parochialism and religious intolerance.

-

Freedom of religious beliefs and worship.

2.2

Equal (positive) respect for all religions and ethnic groups.

2.3

Condemning casteism, communalism and sectarian conflicts and prejudices.

2.4

Making efforts enthusiastically for peaceful co-existence with all groups.

Social Justice 3.1

Emphasizing equality of sexes.

3.2

Emphasizing removal of social and economic disparities. -

Removing discrimination, prejudices etc., transmitted through social environment and accident of birth.

-

Putting emphasis on social welfare and poverty alleviation programmes.

3.3

Advocating desirable social change and social mobility.

3.4

Supporting special and favourable provisions for weaker sections of the society.

Social Reforms 4.1

Disapproval of social evils (like untouchability, dowry, prostitution, child marriage, drug addiction, slavery).

4.2

Inculcation of moral and ethical values such as non-violence, kindness, courtesy, compassion, humanism, harmony, truthfulness, selfless action, dignity of manual labour, discipline, civic sense, social service.

Sustainable Development 5.1

Controlled use, care and concern as well as protection of environment from destruction and decay. 17

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5.2 6.

Individual and cooperative efforts with joy for positive development of natural and cultural environment.

National Integration 6.1

Understanding and appreciating unity in diversity of India’s heritage and composite culture of modern India.

6.2

Condemning disruptive and divisive activities and forces (linguistic, regional and ethic fanaticism). -

6.3

7.

Emphasizing that balanced development of various regions of the country would promote national unity.

Developing national pride in national unity, resources, monuments etc., and preparedness to sacrifice narrow loyalities and interests for maintaining and strengthening national unity and integrity.

International Understanding 7.1

Understanding interdependence of nations and humanity as a whole.

7.2

Dignity and worth of human person, furtherance of respect for fundamental human rights and global equality. -

Opposition to all forms of colonization and discrimination.

-

Advocating fair and just treatment to minority groups, other races and nationalities and ensuring that due respect is given to their contributions.

7.3

Developing a sense of world brotherhood with broad humane outlook and humane approach beyond narrow limits of nationalism.

7.4

Developing appreciation about the role of the World Bodies (United Nations, UNESCO, WHO, IMF, FAO etc.) for peaceful co-existence among nations and for progress of various regions of the world.

Another important insight which emerged pertains to the pedagogical process for EPH. Unlike other discipline EPH is not merely a process of information transfer but that of perception transformation. Accordingly the pedagogical process has to be in the form of systematically facilitating self-exploration among the learners rather than merely enumerating and preaching about a set of values or imposing certain do’s and don’ts. The learner has to be gradually guided to move towards discovering the truths of reality and identify one’s natural acceptance through one’s own volition. One has to clearly discern what is conducive to individual and collective happiness in a sustainable way.

The Need for an Essential Foundational Input in EPH After detailed deliberations, it became clear that since the main purpose for introduction of 18

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EPH was to affect consciousness development (Chetna Vikas) or the transformation towards holistic perception, a well designed Foundational Input has to be the first essential step in curricular modification. An effective curricular model and pedagogy has to be sought to make a beginning either in the teacher education curriculum or the education curriculum in general.

Broad guidelines for an effective and universally acceptable EPH input To find wide-spread acceptance in the education system the approach has to be based on universal human values i.e. it has to be universally applicable to all human beings and free from any particular sectarian biases. Moreover, to be effective in the modern context, it has to be rational, appealing to the natural acceptance of all human beings and experiencially verifiable and not dogmatic or prescriptive. Further, it has to encompass the domains of thought, behavior and action rather than being only an intellectual exercise. Finally, it should lead to harmony at the level of the individual (peace within); harmony among human beings and harmonious co-existence with entire Nature.

Current Trends in Teacher Education: Issues and Challenges The world-wide educational scenario, in general, is facing new challenges which are naturally reflected in the teacher-education systems as well. The salient factors influencing the new scenario includes very rapid developments in knowledge base, technological advances, multicultural and multi-ethnic nature of students population because of increased mobility and cross-cultural interactions with increasing globalization of commerce and industry, heterogeneity of student competences, proliferation of IT based open educational resources. This necessitates introduction of specialized teaching technique involving friendly tutoring, cross-age grouping, facilitating cooperative learning and discovery learning etc. Further, education for peace and harmony is a life transforming process. It cannot be adequately catered to by normal, academic, classroom type of contact only. Accordingly, special pedagogical techniques and interactional methods have to be employed which may include camps, social interaction and project work and specific value-consolidating practices. The teachers are expected to live out what they teach for which deeper commitment, conviction and interaction with students is needed. In the present scenario, whereby the materialistic propensities are gaining prominence in the society, sustaining adequate motivation and dedication towards teaching profession is also becoming a challenging task. Only an appropriate perceptional transformation among the teachers can address this problem. Pertaining to the teacher education governance, concerns such as mismatch between demand and supply, quality and seriousness of teacher orientation programmes and lack of competent candidate taking up teaching profession were mentioned. 19

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Effective Curricular Models for Teacher Education for Peace and Harmony EPH The availability of appropriate curricular models is the first necessary pre-condition for introduction of EPH. In order that a particular curricular input in EPH can be effectively adopted in the education system, the guidelines mentioned earlier are important. As mentioned earlier, the first step in curricular modification for EPH is to introduce ‘a foundational course’ targeted at the perceptional transformation of the pupils based on right understanding. So a suitable curricular model is needed for this purpose which fulfills the above guidelines and is also effectively communicable. Also the teaching methodology has to be that of systematically facilitating the process of self-exploration among the pupils. A foundation course based on Jeevan Vidya model (Madyasth Darshan Sah-Astitva vad) was presented in this seminar. This model has been extensively used for orientation of school teachers as well as teachers of higher technical education and has proved very effective for this purpose. Extensive experimentation and developmental work on this model has resulted in the development of adequate resource material and the design of an intensive teacher orientation programme. There are several other models which have been developed for the purpose of the foundational input by various socio-spiritual stalwarts which were referred but could not be discussed in detail during this seminar. All these models need to be explored seriously within the framework of guidelines mentioned above, further modified as needed and experimented for their wide-spread application in the education system. This can provide the real breakthrough towards integrating EPH. In addition to the foundation course, the development of a comprehensive EPH curricular package will involve curricular modification for integration of societal concerns in the material and methods of teaching other subjects, incorporating a few elective courses dedicated to EPH and supporting co-curricular activities. Some innovative work already done in this direction was reported by several authors.

Implementation Strategies for Facilitating Teacher Education for Peace and Harmony Finally, in order to actually implement the integration of EPH into the present education system, the following steps will be necessary: (a)

Spreading awareness through workshops, seminars etc. and through media, about the urgency of the need for EPH and proposing a plausible mechanism to fulfill this need will be helpful in developing the requisite motivation and commitment of educators, education administrators and other stake holders of education to work in this direction.

(b)

In fact, such a colossal effort needs to be pursued at various levels in a mission mode. On one hand, it needs appropriate initiatives of policy making and monitoring bodies such as MHRD, UGC, NCERT, NCTE etc. to make a concerted effort and provide 20

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necessary policy directives, incentives and support as well as appropriate norms and guidelines to carry this task forward. (c)

On the other hand, it demands extensive R&D work for curricular development, resource material, teaching and evaluation techniques and above all, the teacher orientation programmes. The pilot level experiments in implementing these innovative inputs will be helpful in validating and disseminating the new models.

(d)

It will be necessary to establish Centres of Excellence for Education in Peace and Harmony in various universities and prominent institutions of teacher education to carry out the above mentioned developmental activities in a rigorous way.

(e)

The framework of teacher education for EPH should include operation at the following four levels:

(f)

z

Orientation of in service teachers and other staff, in general

z

Orientation of pre-service teachers through curricular modification in B.Ed., M.Ed. courses

z

Specialized PG programmes for preparing teachers for EPH

z

Specialized research oriented (M.Phil., Ph.D) programmes for developing researchers and teacher educators (master trainers) for EPH teachers

Duly recognizing the importance of EPH by giving proper weightage in assessment and rewarding the value competence of teachers as well as the pupils and finally creating a conducive value based institutional environment.

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Salient Recommendations of this Seminar This International Seminar was successful in availing from the rich experience and wisdom of a large number of socio-spiritual stalwarts, thinkers, researchers and experts in teacher education, value education and peace education towards clarifying various aspects of integrating Education for Peace and Harmony (EPH) into the education system, in general and teacher education, in particular. The strong and urgent need for carrying out such an integration effectively in the present educational curricula and pedagogy etc. and creating the necessary wherewithal to implement it at a large scale in the education system was highlighted and appreciated in an unequivocal manner by one and all in the seminar. It was also realized that such a need has been expressed repeatedly by various prominent Education Commissions and Expert Committees and also by world bodies such as UNESCO, however, not much tangible development in this direction has percolated into the education system which continues to be more and more ‘skill-biased’ and ‘information-centric’. As a result, the serious hazards of such a deficiency are manifesting in the form of multiple global maladies grossly thwarting peace and harmony and endangering the very survival of human beings. Thus, it has become a serious challenge for all of us to provide requisite thrust in this direction, and devise ways and means to fulfill this need. This task requires a dedicated and concerted effort on the part of educators, researchers, educational administrators and policy makers etc. and has to be carried out in a mission mode. It will require clarity of vision, appropriate curricular models and pedagogical processes, requisite resource material, adequate teacher education programmes and creation of congenial environment and policies to support this effort. Dedicated research and development effort as well as pilot level experimentation is needed to make available effective curricular models and the necessary wherewithal for implementation. Finally, a systematic roadmap for integrating EPH effectively into the education system at a wide-spread level has to be visualized jointly by the policy making and regularatory bodies, the expert groups and the implementing institutions. Effective Teacher Education for Peace and Harmony is a crucial pre-requisite to this process. In this regard, the following guidelines and recommendations have emerged from the present seminar which has provided valuable insights and has also acquainted with some innovative work being carried out in this direction. 22

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Executive Summary and Salient Recommendations of the Seminar z

Peace & Harmony

Need for a Universal Vision and Philosophical Framework: The approach to develop an effective and widely acceptable curricular input for education in peace and harmony, it has to be universal in nature i.e. applicable equally to all human beings, based on universal human values such as honesty, peace, non-violence, love, compession, righteous conduct etc. which are also the common core values of all religions. Thus, it has to be secular and free from any sectarian biases etc. To be effective in the modern context, it has to be rational, appealing to the natural acceptance of all human beings and experiencially verifiable and not dogmatic or prescriptive. Further, it has to encompass the domains of thought, behavior and action rather than being only an intellectual exercise. Finally, it should lead to harmony at the level of the individual (peace within); harmony among human beings and harmony with entire Nature.

z

The Prime Objective is to bring about a ‘Change in Mindset’ – towards Holistic Perception An important vision that emerged from the discussion is that the core issue of Value Education (VE) or the Education for Peace and Harmony (EPH) is to change the mindset i.e. to affect a transformation in the worldview towards holistic perception in consonance with the right understanding of reality. So, value education is a process of developing human consciousness (chetna-vikas). This is best done by facilitating attention on various aspects of reality through self-exploration so as to develop right understanding about the human being himself/herself, about human happiness, about the comprehensive goal of life, about human-to-human and human-to-nature relationships. It requires an appreciation of the inherent harmony, interconnectedness, co-existence and selfregulation in the entire existence of which the human being is an integral constituent. A philosophical framework to systematically discover the truth of the human reality as well as the inherent harmony in existence can provide a universal and sound basis for developing education in peace and harmony. An elaborate exposure during the seminar was made by several authors about a unique philosophical framework called ‘Madhyasth Darshan – Sah Astitvavad’ propounded by Sh. A. Nagraj of Amarkantak which facilitates systematic exploration of human reality vis-à-vis rest of Existence can be helpful in the universalisation of EPH in the present context. It will be desirable for educators in peace and harmony to evaluate this framework seriously and test its efficacy for EPH.

z

Incorporation of Salient Societal Concerns in the Curriculum It was also strongly recommended that the material and methods of integrating EPH in the curricula should reflect adequately the following societal concerns: 23

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1.

2.

Democracy 1.1

Basic equality of individuals.

1.2

Freedom of expression and liberty.

1.3

Social or public good more important than private gains

1.4

Respect for and acceptance of the will of the majority.

Secularism 2.1

3.

4.

5.

Religious tolerance -

Condemning narrow religious parochialism and religious intolerance.

-

Freedom of religious beliefs and worship.

2.2

Equal (positive) respect for all religions and ethnic groups.

2.3

Condemning casteism, communalism and sectarian conflicts and prejudices.

2.4

Making efforts enthusiastically for peaceful co-existence with all groups.

Social Justice 3.1

Emphasizing equality of sexes.

3.2

Emphasizing removal of social and economic disparities. -

Removing discrimination, prejudices etc., transmitted through social environment and accident of birth.

-

Putting emphasis on social welfare and poverty alleviation programmes.

3.3

Advocating desirable social change and social mobility.

3.4

Supporting special and favourable provisions for weaker sections of the society.

Social Reforms 4.1

Disapproval of social evils (like untouchability, dowry, prostitution, child marriage, drug addiction, slavery).

4.2

Inculcation of moral and ethical values such as non-violence, kindness, courtesy, compassion, humanism, harmony, truthfulness, selfless action, dignity of manual labour, discipline, civic sense, social service.

Sustainable Development 5.1

Controlled use, care and concern as well as protection of environment from destruction and decay. 24

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5.2 6.

Individual and cooperative efforts with joy for positive development of natural and cultural environment.

National Integration 6.1

Understanding and appreciating unity in diversity of India’s heritage and composite culture of modern India.

6.2

Condemning disruptive and divisive activities and forces (linguistic, regional and ethic fanaticism). -

6.3

7.

z

Peace & Harmony

Emphasizing that balanced development of various regions of the country would promote national unity.

Developing national pride in national unity, resources, monuments etc., and preparedness to sacrifice narrow loyalities and interests for maintaining and strengthening national unity and integrity.

International Understanding 7.1

Understanding interdependence of nations and humanity as a whole.

7.2

Dignity and worth of human person, furtherance of respect for fundamental human rights and global equality. -

Opposition to all forms of colonization and discrimination.

-

Advocating fair and just treatment to minority groups, other races and nationalities and ensuring that due respect is given to their contributions.

7.3

Developing a sense of world brotherhood with broad humane outlook and humane approach beyond narrow limits of nationalism.

7.4

Developing appreciation about the role of the World Bodies (United Nations, UNESCO, WHO, IMF, FAO etc.) for peaceful co-existence among nations and for progress of various regions of the world.

The Proposed Strategy for Curricular Modifications towards EPH The following distinct steps are recommended for making curricular modifications for integrating EPH in the education system, in general, as well as in the teacher education curricula. (a)

The Need for an Essential Foundational Input in EPH Since the main purpose for introduction of EPH is to affect consciousness development (Chetna Vikas) or the transformation towards holistic perception, introduction of a well designed Foundational Input has to be 25

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the first essential step in curricular modification. An effective curricular model and pedagogy for such a foundational input is needed to make a beginning either in the teacher education curriculum or the education curriculum in general. (b)

Integration of Societal Concerns in the Teaching of various Subjects The second important step is to modify the content and teaching style of various subjects, integrating societal concerns so as to make them more conducive to the ethos leading to peace and harmony. This will require a long-drawn, serious developmental effort finally leading to an overhaul of the whole curriculum in the light of ‘right understanding’.

(c)

Introduction of Supporting Co-curricular Activities, Facilitating the Practice of ‘Living the Values’ This step is vital for providing the opportunity of translating the right understanding into behavior and action in real life. A number of activities and techniques such as involvement in community work, social internship, yoga, techniques of self-observation and self-evaluation, prayer and devotional/ patriotic songs and other cultural activities, self-study of inspirational literature/biographies etc. are desirable activities which have to be appropriately integrated into the educational programme for practical value inculcation.

z

Making Available Effective Curricular Models for Introducing EPH Effective curricular models incorporating the above mentioned elements are needed to be developed and validated through pilot level experimentation so that these may be used for wide-spread applications. In the first instance suitable models for the foundation course are needed. In recent years several attempts have been made to develop such orientational modules by socio-spiritual organizations, NCERT and some research groups. For example a foundation course based on’ Jeevan Vidya’ model which has been adequately developed and extensively tested among teachers as well as students has been found very effective. Several other models suitable for orientation were also mentioned. All these models need to be seriously evaluated in context with the guidelines mentioned above so that these could be implemented at a wide-spread level. Such a resource will be necessary to make a beginning in implementation.

z

The Desirable Pedagogical Process for EPH The pedagogical process also plays a very significant role in making a particular curricular input effective. It may be pointed out that unlike other academic disciplines, the education in peace and harmony involves a transformation process. To affect such a perceptional transformational, the pupils have to be 26

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systematically facilitated to carry out self-exploration and self-evaluation so that they can clearly identify and evaluate their beliefs and conditioning; and also learn to be in tune with their ‘natural acceptance’ which is universal. Further their attention needs to be focused on salient aspects of their own reality as well as the reality of the whole existence of which we are an integral part. Mere dogmatic injunctions and prescriptions about values will not work. Then the teacher also has to exemplify values through his or her own conduct. z

The Framework for Teacher Education for Peace and Harmony Introduction of education in peace and harmony demands a re-orientation of the whole institutional environmental which implies that the all the in service teachers and the other staff also need to be given proper orientation. Then, there has to be an orientational input in the training programmes of pre-service teachers. In addition, specialized EPH programmes will be needed to prepare the EPH teachers and EPH master trainers and researchers. Thus, the framework of teacher education for EPH will include operation at the following four levels:

z

z

Orientation of in service teachers and other staff, in general-for this the foundational input may be adequate

z

Curricular modifications in the teacher education programmes, (B.Ed., M.Ed. etc.) for Orientation of pre-service teachers

z

Development of Specialized PG programmes (say, M.A. or P.G. Diploma in EPH) for preparing teachers for EPH

z

More Specialized research oriented programmes (M.Phil., Ph.D, Postdoctoral etc.) in EPH for developing teacher educators (mastertrainers) and research resource persons for EPH

Duly Rewarding the Value Competence of Teachers and Promoting a Valuebased Institutional Environment In order to develop sufficient motivation among teachers towards EPH, it is essential to give due weightage to the value competence in all the assessment along with the academic or other skill-based competence and provide appropriate incentives for this. In general, education in peace and harmony demands efforts to make the whole institutional environmental conducive.

z

Need for Setting up Centres of Excellence to facilitate Dedicated Research work, Resource Material and Resource Persons Development and Teacher Education Programme in EPH In the light of above recommendations, it becomes imperative that a few Centre of excellence in EPH be set up so that systematic research work on curricular 27

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development to provide suitable models, development of requisite resource material and resource persons in EPH and teacher orientation programmes may be pursued. These will also act as resource centres for disseminating the incorporation of EPH at a wider level. z

Need for Networking and Coordinated Action Needless to re-emphasize that executing the above recommendations successfully requires substantial networking and coordinated action on the part of policy making and regulatory bodies such as MHRD, UGC, NCTE, NCERT etc. on one hand and the specialized research groups as well as selective implementing institutions, on the other to develop a framework for EPH and to provide the necessary policy directives and support for its wide-spread implementation. Since, a large amount resource, experience and wisdom for this task is traditionally available among the socio-spiritual organizations outside the portals of educational institutions, it will also be essential to develop a closer liaison and networking between these resource centres and the formal education sector to be able to cater to this challenge adequately.

28

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Section - VI Lead Papers

29

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30

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Peace-oriented Teacher Education Curriculum* – Onkar Singh Dewal

z

The world will depend upon the youth we develop for the world.

z

Give voice to teachers

z

“Corruption and dereliction of duty create massive inefficiency”

CONTENTS z

Author’s Preface 1. Starter 2. Teacher Development: Review and Reflection 3. Teacher Education: Synergetic Connectivity 4. Peace Education v/s Education for Peace 5. Implementation Processes 6. Curriculum, Transaction and Evaluation 7. Humanism and Spirituality 8. Managing Curricular Change 9. Pointers for Future

* Paper for the International Seminar on Teacher Education for Peace and Harmony, organized by Gandhi Vidya Mandir and IASE University, Sardarshar on February 11 to 13, 2012 in IIC, New Delhi.

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AUTHOR’S PREFACE Educational system, structure and strategies are becoming more and more market oriented and cater to employment that fetches more remuneration. The character of individuals and value system of the society hardly get their due place in our present day educational system. The net result is poor work ethos, poor eco-sensitivity, poor gender equality, poor sense of social responsibility, poor concerted efforts to reduce poverty. Show of wealth, position, power is becoming unbearable to a sane and simple individual. Also, there is growing violence, terrorism and disregard of human life, human dignity and human rights. Education ought to turn its eyes to this need; this social imperative. Education for peace is an answer; not for all social ills but to reduce violence (or eliminate) mindless killings, growing social tension, social disharmony, social disrespect. UNESCO and other international agencies like Temple of Understanding (founded by M/s Judith Hollister), Global Harmony Association and others are of the view that social and global peace can be promoted if misinformation about different religions, cultures and customs is removed by constructive discussion and dialogue. The Truth is one and scholars have called it by many names. ,da ln~ foizk cgq/kk onfUrA Also must sink in minds the Vedic utterance that this world is a one big family olq/kSo dqVqEcde~, that to help, assist and cooperate with others is punya (benediction) to give pain, trouble and torture others is papa (sin) ijksidkj iqU;k;% ikik; ij ihfM;e~ A The specific point of view presented in this paper is that radical re-engineering of teacher education system can promote culture of peace and harmony. All sections of this paper lead to this direction and converge on this point. Radical re-engineering of teacher education will remain a cliché if we do not uncover it. What is needed is a re-look on and re-do of B.Ed., M.Ed. curriculum and syllabus and to prepare the mindset of prospective teachers, to respect plurality and multiple perspectives, to believe that rational approach is not the only epistemology. Seeking and securing knowledge also includes intuition or what Unesco calls as inner journey, or what Mahatma Gandhi called as “inner voice”, or what Patanjali called as “Vivaka Khyati”, what Katha Upanishad called as aavrita cakshu vko`r p{kq. Radical re-engineering of teacher education will also include more of experiential learning, more of collaborative learning, more of mindful listening, more of constructive dialogue samvada.

1.0

Starter

Gandhi Vidya Mandir (GVM) was established by Sri Kanhaiya Lal Dugar who later renounced the world and became a sanyasi dedicated to the good of all. He was later known as Swami Ramasharana Ji Maharaj. Dedicated to vairagya, vevaka and vichar, he realized that right education is the means of economic prosperity, social connectivity, emotional balance and spiritual consciousness. Being influenced by Mahatma Gandhi he started a school to implement “Gandhian education”. The aim was to promote human unity, relatedness, interdependence, love, truth and non-violence. Gandhian education develops brotherly feeling 32

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among students of different castes and religions. It emphasizes character building and concern for social upliftment including improvement of villages. It tries to eliminate or reduce use of alcohol, self-exhibition and life of show and hypocracy. It is great to see that GVM and IASE Deemed University have selected a theme that is useful and relevant to this world, now largely propelled by globalization, ICT, outer success, market forces and interfaith and inter-cultural rivalry. If society proposes to work for peace, progress, prosperity and prudence then the way of Mahatma Gandhi, the way of vfgalk is the only answer. If ahimsa takes root in our thought process, through planned and purposeful teacher orientation, this world will be a happier place to live. Any attempt, howsoever small, in this direction is to be appreciated. As GVM has taken the right step, it deserves our sincere thanks. I begin this paper with an assertive statement, “The first and the best way to develop a culture of peace and social harmony is to acquaint teacher educators with the dangers and horrors of war, violence and disharmony. It is an effective strategy to contain the rising tide of mindless killings and violence perpetuated by organized and unorganized sections. The author feels that there could be many effective strategies to contain violence and promote culture of peace but a beginning with teacher educators is the best possible way that needs to be worked out with vigour, vision, energy and enthusiasm. Teacher education has to multiplier impact. The frontline priorities of the modern world are three; to eliminate abject poverty, to develop eco-sensitivity and to promote social harmony and world peace. None of the above three themes should be neglected. Each has to be worked out in detail for the survival of mankind. In their own way the three are inter-connected, inter-dependent and inter-related. We, none the less, will concentrate on the last theme, developing a culture of peace and social harmony. Exclusive education breeds intolerance, violence and disharmony. Inclusive education promotes love, fellow feeling, tolerance. It promotes axiological pluralism, multiculturalism and spiritual convergence (Dewal, 2008 p.2). Violence is an outcome of anger (krodha), emotional imbalance and wrong judgement (aviveka). Family and social violence is primarily due to anger. Cultural, religious and political violence is due to defector wrong thinking. Those who go for violence thinking (wrongly) that by hating, neglecting and killing people, they can serve the cause of justice. It was this idea that prompted Gandhiji to say that means have to be pure for achieving pure ends. Wrong means only lead to wrong ends. Gandhiji said, “If I have to cross an ocean, can I use a bullock cart?” India, long back realized that non-violence is the supreme dharma vfgalk ijeks /keZ%A Thus for ethical development and moral sensitivity, it is essential that one and all, young and old, share their own space for understanding human dignity, justice, tolerance and respect for “otherness”. To inculcate these values what the Gita calls as davic sampada there can be two effective strategies; one to educate people on importance of peace and harmony through political, social and cultural establishments or to make it an integral part of education. In the opinion of this author, it is the latter strategy that could be more effective. Mahatma Gandhi said: “if we want to see peace in the world we need to begin it with children”. This strategy will fail however, if teachers are not fully and 33

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comprehensively oriented to knowledge, skills, attitude and values necessary for developing a personality that is serene, sensitive, peaceful, calm and immensely satisfied lkSE;] ‘kkUr] laosnu’khy] la;e’khy. It calls for a radical change in engaging teacher educators at all levels i.e. vision, curricular design, content, transactional methodologies and evaluation processes. It has to appear both in in-service and pre-service courses as well as in other teacher development strategies like attachment, visitations, study leave and extension activities. These teacher education programems will have two objectives to make a change in their (teachers’) own thinking structures; to use hundred needles to shape thinking structure of students. It demands a paradigm shift. The Unesco’s often quoted statement, “since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace need to be constructed”, has to be operationalized. It calls for a strategy that has been termed as “learning to live together peacefully” by UNESCO (1996). This task demands not an additive exercise but making peace and harmonious living as an organic and integral part of school and teacher education. The agenda is global but activities need to be local. In this venture the role of the teacher educator has a unique place. The UNESCO (1996 p.41) statement has specific significance, “The importance of the role of teacher as an agent of change promoting understanding and tolerance has never been more obvious than today”. The teacher has to transform his thought structure from cultural and religious prejudices to tolerance, multiculturism, understanding and pluralism. Words of Swami Vivekananda on 11th September 1893 ought to guide all. “I am proud to belong to a nation which has taught the world both tolerance and acceptance. We believe not only in universal tolerance but accept all religions as true” (Jhunjhunwala 2006).

2.0

Teacher Development: Review and Reflection

The NPE 1986 made a bold statement that teacher education system will be thoroughly reviewed and revitalized. It also visualized setting up of a regulatory body that has teeth to remove substandard institutions and offer dynamic, forward looking teacher education programmes. The NCTE was set up in 1993. It worked for four or five years. It however became ineffective. With the history of nearly 10 years (2001 to 2011), one can look at teacher education’s present scenario. As it was not effective enough, institution Ministry of Human Resource Development decided to close down the NCTE temporarily, it was revived it later on. Teacher development, specially in this age of globalization, ICT and “knowledge society”, ought to be understood in its extensive form. It includes teacher education that promotes among teachers cognitive perspective, content knowledge, a broader world view, and changed attitude towards teaching and students. It includes pre-service, in-service programmes along with on-site and off-site extension programmes. “Teachers shape education and themselves are shaped by education. Teachers, by personal example and instruction impart knowledge, awaken cognitive curiosity, promote self growth and enhance self esteem” (Dewal, 2003 p.43). Pre-service teacher education as well as in-service education contribute most effectively to teacher’s professional growth. 34

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Teacher development programmes include skills and knowledge that enhance teacher competencies and commitment. It includes programmes in classrooms and schools. It includes teachers connectivity with students, peer group, management and community. The following diagram presents a graphic presentation of the term teacher development:

An extended view of teacher education programmes can be viewed in four ways: 1.

Vision - Programme vision includes understanding the bigger picture, understanding the wood along with trees. It includes developing new cognitive perspective to look and relook at self, society, nature work, and world.

2.

Nature of Programmes – These relate to pre-service and in-service programmes. Further, they will include extension programmes at school level (on-site) or at training institution level (off-site). Nature of programmes also covers collaborative programmes and sandwich programmes

3.

Content of Programmes – Programmes for teachers at nursery level or at B.Ed, M.Ed and M.Phil levels largely cover are expected to promote the following understandings: z

learner and the learning process 35

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4.

z

teacher and the teaching process including guidance and counseling

z

motivational and group processes

z

personality and its defects

z

evaluation, assessment and appraisal processes and constructing tools

z

use of instructional technology, materials and other media

z

management and financial aspects at the school, state and national levels.

Programme Delivery Mode – Teacher development programme can be delivered face to face or by open distance mode. They can be delivered to one and all or in a cascade mode viz. orienting key resource persons who orient resource persons and they in turn orient a longer number of teachers.

To gain proper perspective of teacher education it will be better to undertake a historical review of the growth of teacher education. From 1835 to 1947, teacher education was in low key. By 1947, teacher education started picking up and received attention of policy makers. Specialized courses for pre-primary and high school teachers were launched, with separate courses of study. There was practically no in-service education for on-the-job teachers in schools. The first systemic change came in 1947-48 when an Audio-Visual Department was set up in the Ministry of Education to promote use of films in teacher preparation. The second systemic change was to establish 74 Extension Centres all over the country to promote in-service teacher education at the secondary level. The third major systemic innovation came when NCERT was set up in 1961 with National Institute of Education (NIE) in Delhi and four Regional Colleges of Education at Ajmer, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar and Mysore. These colleges offered integrated four year B.A.Ed. or B.Sc.Ed. or B.Com Education. Use of distance education and educational technology in teacher education came much later. The use of Radio, TV, INSAT were used for promoting teacher professionalism. The National Policy on Education (NPE) 1984 accords professional status to teaching profession. Any profession worth the name ought to include high order intellectual investment, long duration of initial preparation, constant upgradation of knowledge and skills and remuneration commensurate with the importance of service (Rajput & Dewal, 2008) Indian position is weak. B.Ed. is only of one year duration (210 days). It is too short a period for professionally competent teachers. In-service teacher education is ad hoc in nature, disconnected and superficial. Further the role of para-teachers demand a new approach to teacher development. Developments that started with Education for All (EFA) in 1990 by UN, picked up in India under the name Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA). It demands comprehensive teacher development programmes at district, block and cluster levels. We may now have a quick glance at systemic changes that came up in India from 1947 to 1993 when NCTE as a statutory body, NCTE, was first established. 36

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Major milestones of Systemic Changes (1947-1993) Year

Institution

Activities

1947-48

Film Library and Audio-Visual Dept. in Ministry of Education

z

To provide training inputs to schools and teacher training colleges.

1950s

Extension Centres

z

To provide on-site exposure to teachers of secondary schools.

1961-62

Setting up NCERT and four Regional Colleges of Education (RCEs)

z

NIE provided in-service training. RCEs provided pre-service training and in-service training and training of vocational teachers

1973

Non-Statutory National Council of Teacher Education (NCTE)

z

Under NCERT it did preparatory work to streamline teacher education.

1965-75

State Institutes of Education (SIE) State Institute of Science Education (SISE), State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) were set up.

z

Promoting teacher professionalism in curriculum design, textbook production, teaching methodology and evaluation.

1973/1983

Centre for Educational Technology (CET) was established under NCERT. Six State level E.T. Cells were also set up. Later on CET was upgraded as CIET.

z

To provide radio, TV and multimedia inputs for teacher development.

1986

National Policy on Education recommended centrally sponsored scheme of restructuring and reorganizing teacher education

z

Setting up DIETs. Setting up Colleges of Teacher Education (CTE) and Institute of Advanced Studies (IASE). Strengthening Dept. of Education in Universities. Mass-orientation of teachers. Strengthening of SCERTs.

z

z

z z

1993

Statutory NCTE

z

37

To ensure standards and norms for teacher education and teacher appointment.

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3.0


Teacher Education: Synergetic Connectivity

Teachers knowledge, skills and attitude are critical in shaping learners’ mindset. All research and important reports agree on this. Teacher professionalism includes and covers the sum total of pre-service, in-service, and school based peer interactions. Prof. R.H. Dave (NCTE, 1998a) has listed ten areas of competencies, five areas of commitment and five areas of performance that comprise under teacher development or teacher professionalism. They are indicated below:

This chart highlights ten competencies essential for teaching profession. Mere acquiring of competencies does not serve the purpose; a person (teacher) should be committed to his/ her profession. Whereas competences cover the area of knowledge and skill, commitment covers the will to do, the urge to do, the resolve to do. It has an element of smpkalpa and shradha. Both competencies and the commitment ought to result in action, performance at various levels; in the classroom, in school, outside school, with parents and in the community. When Peace Education is introduced as a school subject or when Education for Peace is taken up as an inclusive exercise of the institution, teachers ought to see that it figures in competencies under the heading “Contextual , Conceptual and Content Competencies”, it figures under commitment relating to “Basic human values” and under performance it will figure under “Community level performance”. Teacher connectivity also includes the relationship of teachers with universities. Teachers ought to keep abreast of new developments in subjects they teach. An English teacher must 38

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know advances in English literature and linguistics; so also a teacher of Chemistry or Geographer. Teachers also need to have connectivity with the advances in pedagogy and communication. Many teacher do not fully know why, what and how of constructivist pedagogy. Teachers must also know that teaching not only involves knowing new things; it also involves unlearning and relearning. Teachers and teacher educators must re-call the known quote of Alvin Toffler, “The illiterate of the 21 Century will be one who does not unlearn and relearn”. Teachers and teacher educators must also well remember that they will lose their position of prestige if they only instruct but do not inspire students. They must also get mentally connected to the culture of life-long learning or continuous self learning. Rabindranath Tagore said, “A teacher can never teach unless he is still learning.” A lamp can never light another lamp unless it continues to burn its own flame. Teaching of teachers in-service need altogether a different approach. These on-the-job teachers have experiences, they are independent and autonomous learners. Like B.Ed., M.Ed. students they are not captive learners. They have sufficient fund of teaching experiences and thus have their own paradigms of teaching. Organizers of in-service programmes and resource persons of programmes must make transaction methodologies more interesting, participative, problem posing, in-depth. Teacher connectivity has special significance in the present context of globalization, liberalization and privatization (GLP). GLP demands innovative strategies in management and transactional strategies. It demands a change of mindset that respects plurality and differences. Multi-culturalism must become an important pillar of school management.

4.0

Peace Education v/s Education for Peace

We now need to look to pillars of teacher orientation for education for peace. The first pillar is “subject competence”. A teacher ought to be well acquainted with the content of the subject he/she teaches along with its depth and breadth. The second pillar refers to understanding the learner; the third pillar relates to understanding of the learning process, motivation and group dynamics. These three pillars are well known. The fourth pillar exists but exists on a low key. It relates to humanism and spirituality. These will be discussed in a separate section. NCERT document (2005b) makes a distinction between peace education and education for peace. The first refers to wide cognitive understanding of various aspects of peace and social cohesion whereas the latter (education for peace) connotes that all subjects studied by students must develop a comprehensive scenario of peace; that the education system as such must develop knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes that promote culture of peace and culture of social cohesion, social understanding and social capital. The term “peace education” may or may not include attitudes and life styles that are based on non-violence and brotherly understanding but the term education for peace, invariably connotes the idea that through exposure to education for peace students will be able to live a non-violent life and will inculcate ten skills that UNESCO outlined namely: 39

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z

Think critically and non-violently

z

Think positively

z

Respect human dignity

z

Build peace in community

z

Discover inner peace

z

Resolve conflict peacefully

z

Be your true self

z

Learn to live together

z

Be compassionate and do not harm

z

Care for the planet

Making Peace Education a part of school curriculum is easy. But to ensure that all activities of the school (curricular and co-curricular) focus on human dignity, living together, resolving conflicts peacefully by discussion, persuasion and debate, is difficult if not impossible. The youth and the adults of different religions and cultural backgrounds have “ego-centricity”. Each group considers his/he views, perception, culture superior to others. This ego-centricity is to be properly handled. Educationists will have to bring out forcefully that cultures, values, perception, depend on, desh kala, patra. It needs full preparation, multiple and multi-level innovations. Some of the innovative approaches could be; z

Using multi channel approach to highlight importance of peace, that helps a nation develop economically, culturally, socially and technologically.

z

Conscious development of overall school climate that visibly sends signals of mutual respect, better understanding, respect for differences,

z

Changing the teacher-centric instructional approach to cooperative and collaborative learning.

z

Adopting “project work” approach to school education that promotes working in teams.

z

Promoting inter-faith knowledge and understanding.

z

Undertaking visits to places that respect plurality of cultures.

z

Arranging talks, lectures of people who promote culture of peace and harmony.

z

Building up a point of view that multiple cultures, do not dilute nationhood and thus Pluralism even makes a nation stronger.

In case “Education for Peace” becomes a policy initiative it has to get initiated from earlier years of schooling say, from classes 3 or 4. In these two years activities need to be planned to promote cooperation. In classes 6 to 8, intellectual inputs to be provided that broaders teachers “knowledge”. Further elaborate exposures to be given to teachers of 9 to 12 standards. Theoretical perspective of education for peace to be introduced at B.Ed. and 40

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M.Ed. levels as these teacher education institutes are expected to be power-house of ideas and innovation. NCERT’s Position Paper on Peace Education advocates stage specific inputs. We may round up the finer aspects of that paper and say that in primary classes (up to standard 8) teachers may offer beauty of diversity and differences by giving concrete example from nature and social life. At secondary and higher secondary levels teachers may offer rational explanation of horrors of war and violence and benefit and beauties of harmony, social cohesion, peace and non-violence. For this teacher educators of B.Ed. or M.Ed. courses must develop special competencies, commitment and performance to promote culture of peace and eliminate disharmony and fissiparry tendencies. Here interfaith understanding becomes an important input.

5.0

Implementation Processes

If policy makers are serious about implementing education for peace programmes in teacher development, they should adopt systems approach in their policy formulation. This requires evolving of structured programmes in teacher education, i.e. at all levels nursery, at B.Ed., M.Ed. and M.Phil levels. Policy designers also need to map out syllabus design which begins with a topic and a section in a compulsory paper and an optional paper as an elective. This approach can be graphically represented as below:

Teacher education programme, need to be reviewed critically to ensure that they promotes in teachers, and through them in students, willingness to live in harmony and peace. They 41

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must also promote, what Japanese calls Zest for living, since the instances of suicide are increasing among Indian students, who see meaninglessness and purposelessness in life. Education must infuse in students a love for life, a zest for living and calmness of mind in times of distress and stress. It ought to be a part of peace education and education for living in harmony with oneself. We strongly feel that, unless a teacher as an individual develops peaceful links with society, self and nature, he/she can never lead a peaceful life. At the same time education must promote integrity of thought, speech and actions. Thus an individual, through education, must connect oneself with self, society and nature as well as integrate his thought, speech and action. Education, through curricular and co-curricular activities, must develop the sixangled connectivity as showed in this figure.

6.0

Curriculum, Transaction and Evaluation

Curriculum is the heartbeat of education. It is the pranic force for achieving “self wellbeing” (Sen 2005) or abhyudaya. Effective curriculum results in self fulfillment, social progress and greater wealth generation. It has appropriate depth, breadth, balance and proportion among its parts. It is relevant to contemporary social reality. It is integral and integrated and presents an organic unity. It shows internal cohesion and content differentiation. We have used the adjectives integrated and integral. These adjectives indicate that curriculum needs be holistic; each part connected with other parts; it should be interdependent and organically related to the theme “peace and harmony”. Curriculum ought to have specific note on how to teach and how to evaluate. Specific aspects of pedagogy {or call it transactional technology) and evaluation need to be made clear. As the curricular goal is to develop knowledge base of learners as well help to inculcate positive attitudes and mindset for peace and harmony, pedagogy cannot be only of “telling”. It should include doing things and getting experience out of the work done. This methodology ought to include what Mahatma Gandhi called “learning out of work” or what Dr. Zakir Hussain said, cognitive learning emerging out of work experiences. We offer an illustrative example. 42

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Illustrative Example Special course on Peace and Harmony may have five units: Unit 1 Unit 2

Concept, nature, relevance of peace; social, cultural and economic aspects Skills and competencies relevant for developing culture of peace

z

Think critically and non-violently

z

Think positively

z

Respect human dignity

z

Resolve conflict peacefully

z

Learn to live peacefully together

z

Be compassionate and do not harm

z

Discover inner peace

z

Build peace in community

z

Care for the planet

z

Be your true self

Unit 3

Study of thoughts and activities of

z

Mahatma Gandhi

z

Martin Luther King Jr.

z

Nelson Mandela

z

Mother Teresa

z

The 14th Dalai Lama

Unit 4

Special Awareness

This unit will deal with all aspects that build culture of peace and harmony z

Non-violence

z

Non-anger

z

Kindness and tolerance

z

Friendliness and mateship

This unit needs to be worked out in detail. The Ladnun University has a special course on Non-violence. It could be adapted or modified if needed. For illustration, Non-violence is not only “not killing” but includes many dimensions: z

Harsh words used in any dialogue is violence

z

Disrespectful glance is also violence 43

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z

Useless waste of water and electricity is violence

z

Ill treatment of animals is violence

z

Waste of a natural resource is violence

We may elaborate this point further. Violence takes different forms in different situations. Taking examples from school education, let us note different kinds of violence, often committed by teachers in our school situations. z

Assaulting the learner for his misbehavior – physical violence

z

Blaming student’s social and home background for poor performance – psychological violence

z

Comparing poor performance of “A” with good performance of “B” – psychological violence

z

Threatening a learner for coming late in the classroom – verbal violence

Teacher educators may read these quotes carefully and reflect on them deeply. These quotes highlight the utility of peace and futility of violence. Teachers may collect such Quotes and display them prominently in classrooms. z

Ahimsa parma dharma (Non-violence is the highest religion (Mahabharata).

z

To hate anyone is to acknowledge our inferiority – Will Durant

z

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere – Martin Luther King Jr.

z

Self trust is the essence of heroism – R.W. Emerson

z

He has right to criticize who has the heart to help – Abraham Lincoln

z

To educate a person in mind and not in morals is to add menace to society – Roosevelt

z

The surest way of resolving conflicts, however slowly, is by dialogue – Octavio Paz

z

The essence of education is that it be religious. A religious education is an education that inculcates duty and reverence – A.N. Whitehead

z

A man without ideal is like a ship without a radar – M.K. Gandhi

z

We make living by what we get. We make life by what we give.

z

Where the mind is without fear and head is hold high Where knowledge is free Where world has not broken up …. by narrow domestic walls Into that heaven of freedom let my country awake - R.N. Tagore

z

A poor teacher is one who has no orientation to Education for Peace (EfP), a good teacher has; and an excellent teacher initiates others to EfP 44

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z

Cultures that refuse to be responsive to change and assimilation tend to break down – Arnold Toynbee

z

Man did not weave the web of life, he is a strand of it. What he does to the web he does to himself – Written on the Wall of Osaka aquarium

z

Go placidly amid the noise and haste and remember what peace there can be in silence… Speak your truth quietly and clearly and listen to others – From Desiderata.

z

Envy and jealousy kills the person who harbours it – Mahatma Gandhi.

z

Good moves with a snails speed. The seed does not grow into a tree in a day – Mahatma Gandhi.

Unit 5

Practical

z

Visits to well known institutions that are working for promoting peace and harmony. Writing a report on the experiences gained.

z

Discussion with different religious teachers (specially Hindu, Jain, Buddhist, Parsee, Sikh, Muslim and Christian) and reporting on experiences gained.

z

Collection of stories, thoughts, ideas and teachings of those who had devoted their lives for peace and harmony.

z

Project work that includes case studies of episodes that promoted peace and harmony, or destroyed peace and harmony

Transactional Strategy: Curriculum of the Special Paper on Peace and Harmony must contain a detailed section on transactional strategy. It must develop knowledge base as well as help students to form right attitudes towards peace, social harmony and willingness to live together with people who differ culturally, socially and in religion. It calls for appreciating differences. Such a strategy must give voice to students, must develop inclusiveness and bring out clearly dangers of exclusiveness. Such an approach calls for collaborative learning and community based experimental project work. Evaluation techniques in this approach must include “paper evaluation” and “situational testing”. If Indian education wants to promote education for peace, it will have to work at specifics at various levels in both pre-service and in-service programmes. For pre-service programmes it will have to design a separate curriculum as discussed earlier. It can be a part of the compulsory theory paper or an optional paper. It is always better to have it both the place. When peace education is part of a compulsory paper, all students at B.Ed and M.Ed levels will gain. As an optional paper then it will offer deeper and higher content on peace education. At the same time it ought to be integrated in practice teaching and internship. It must also get integrated into co-curricular activities of the institution. For in–service teachers specifically designed programmes may be offered. These efforts will build synergetic awareness about peace education as is shown in this figure. 45

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The Synergistic Awareness on Peace Education Teacher development is a composite process that includes pre-service and in-service training, peer interactions in schools, utilizing opportunities offered by the institution for selfdevelopment and professional growth. Outcome of these exposures result in better teachers and effective teaching. These result in better student learning, higher aspirations, better study habits and better self-esteem. These motivations result in informed citizenship and a developed and progressive nation. An element of peace education in this overall endeavour results in social harmony and international understanding. For training and educating teachers who are in schools, programme of peace education ought to be taken widely and deeply. The need is for a national plan and comprehensive implementational perspective that will have specific phases of pre-implementation activities, implemented activities and post-implementation activities. NCTE, NCERT, IGNOU, CBSE, NIOS, NUEPA and state level agencies like SCERTs must develop such a national plan. These institutions may jointly constitute a National Task Force for Planning and Implementing Education for Peace. The plan include specific tasks such as: z

Design and development of programmes including content details.

z

Development of print and non-print resource material for teacher educators and teachers both in. 46

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z

Capacity building of key resource persons (trainers of trainees), resource persons and teachers in different aspects of education for peace at state, district and block levels.

z

Sharing information within block, district, and state and between different states.

z

International networking and knowledge sharing. International Networks must be used to:

Influence policy formulation

Build public awareness

Give kick start to national programmes

Replicate best practices

Monitor progress and evaluate impact

Help to identify bottlenecks and boulders. 47

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The following figure presents these ideas graphically.

Synergetic Overview of Task for Education for Peace (ETP) Evaluation relating to EfP ought to cover both knowledge gained during training as well as attitudinal change of teachers and teacher educators. Evaluation process needs to be continuous, comprehensive and diagnostic to undertake remedial steps. Criterion based testing must be an integral aspect of formative evaluation. CIPP Model as in appendix 2 may be used for comprehensive evaluation

7.0

Humanism and Spirituality

As referred to earlier, teacher education at present has either no base or weak base in humanism and spirituality. Humanism believes with Protogorus’s idea that “man is the measure of all things”. This aspect of man finds an expression in advaita Vedanta as well as in the views of western thinkers like Eric Fromm and Abraham Maslow. Advaita Vedanta sees God in man; the great rishis declared: “I am God” aham brahasmi. Eric Fromm sees relatedness and rootedness as the basics needs of man. Relatedness is a means to overcome one’s “loneliness”. Rootedness builds links and connectivity with the past and with traditions, culture and history. Abraham Maslow is a psychologist of wholeness, synergy, transcendence and self actualization. His hierarchy of needs begins with psychological need of hunger, thirst, sleep, his safety needs include protection and security, his need to love and belongingness includes inclusiveness, affinity, end of otherness; his esteem needs include self worth, self acceptance admiration from others, his self actualization need urges one to develop one’s potential that has larger purpose, responsibility to others and developing a mission in life. Humanism also has another dimension that touches economic aspect of life. In his flowery language Ramphal stated: “Society cannot be at peace if power, privilege and prosperity are the prerogatives of only a few, with deprivation, degradation and despair to the many” (1990 p.196). Humanism also include undertaking constructive work that includes building communal unity, removal of untouchability, prohibition, building village industries and women’s empowerment. 48

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Spirituality, like humanism, is equally missing in teacher development programmes. UNESCO (1996, p.225) clearly observes that spiritual dimension will have to be given central importance. For a life that is self satisfying and socially useful, we need both para and apara vidya. We also need globalised world and self identity (Stiglitz 2003). We also need reflection on action, and action after reflection (Schon 1983). We need enrichment of the outer world as well as the enlightenment of the inner world. We need education both of right and the left brain. Teacher education, in brief, must now march to a different drumbeat. In his Extension Lecture on January 4th 2002 in NCERT, His Holiness, The Dalai Lama, highlighted the paradox of our age, which are essentially due to lack of spiritual orientations. z

There is more knowledge but poor judgement

z

More experts and more problems

z

Long on quantity, but short of quality

z

Tall men and short character.

He also said that values like love, compassion, forgiveness, tolerance are not only religious values, but also human values. Education ought to teach these values (NCERT 2002 p.8). In the same Extension Lecture during Presidential observations, Dr. Karan Singh said, “Peace is an essential component of life”. Peace has many dimensions; peace in the family, peace in the society, peace in the region and in the world. Without family peace, we fail to develop social, regional and world peace. Peace depends upon our resolve to forsake violence: violence of thought, word and deed. He ended his Presidential Lecture with the Shanti Path from Sukla Yajur Veda (36.17).

ÅWa |kS “kkfUr vUrfj{k] “kkfUr i`Foh] “kkfUrjki%] “kkfUrlks’k/k;%] “kkfUr ouLir;%] “kkfUr fo”onsok%] “kkfUrczZg~e] “kkfUr lOoZ “kkfUr%] “kkfUrjso “kkfUr% lke “kkfUrjsf/k Accumulated wisdom, of all religions help us to see that spiritualism believes in doing good to all being (sarva bhuta hete rata) it helps us to live life without enmity and jealously (adyastha sarva bhuta nam). It also believes in developing emotional balance, mental calmness, equanimity, and a spirit of cheerfulness. Teacher education has poorly incorporated “Educational Intelligence” (Goleman, 1995, 1998) and Spiritual Intelligence (Zohar & Marshall, 2000). Teacher education institutions ought to organize special classes for developing self awareness and for mood management. In times of stress and anxiety, we need to keep up our zest, vigour, energy and enthusiasm. Teacher education must teach the prospective teacher skills of knowing emotions of others and understanding their unsaid expression. Hearing with eyes teachers, note micro body and facial expressions. Spiritual intelligence values humility, integrity, tenacity, sense of service to others, egolessness, titiksa or delayed gratification and high level of motivation for gaining self-awareness, 49

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known as mumuksa. The Gita in Chapter XVI lists 26 virtues that are the capital of saintly people. We must build upon the priceless heritage, and use it properly. Egolessness does not mean lack of individuality, lack of self identity or lack of energy or enthusiasm. It is based on the fact that an individual’s activities succeed when hundred and thousand people cooperate. We owe a measure of debt to those individuals, institutions and systems. To sum up teacher education programme to sum up, must use contents of Emotional Intelligence and Spiritual Intelligence in shaping mindset of teachers.

8.0

Managing Curricular Change

We ought to realize honestly that in education, there is a wide gap between comprehensive vision and effective implementation. We have been constantly saying that education ought to promote peace, harmony and reduce fissiparous tendency in the society. All the NCERT Curricula of 1988, 2000 and 2005 have highlighted the importance of friendliness, cooperativeness, compassion, love for social justice. Even the fundamental duties mentions: (e)

To promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood among all people of India transcending religious, linguistic and regional diversities. (Article 51A of Constitution of India)

Further the Chavan Committee constituted by the Government of India urged education about religions as an instrument of social cohesion and religious harmony. Curriculum Framework for Quality Teacher Education, 1998 urges teacher educators to prepare teacher rooted in Indian reality and devoted to national development, secularism, national integration, social cohesion and value inculcation. The National Curriculum Framework of 2005 has included “peace education” as an integral subject transcending all subjects of study. Peace education, as it recommends, must become education for peace, making one and all not only consumers of peace but “makers of peace”. Education must inculcate in students a spirit of harmony, fellow feeling and brotherhood. Lord Mahaveer, the last Jain thirthankar urged us not to ill treat water; not to abuse mother earth, not to pollute air as these all are acts of violence. Mahatma Gandhi even went to the extent of saying that eating more than what you need and wasting your time on trivial and selfish things is a kind of violence and a crime against humanity. With all these comprehensive and visionary statements our implementation has remained disjointed, marginal, patchy and ad hoc. We need systems approach to implement peace education. We need building networks to enhance task related competencies. Training a few thousand teachers will not be effective. We ought to reach out to 4 million teachers and orient them to peace education so that a culture of social harmony prevails. Systems approach for implementation of peace education demands will, vision and support. z

Political Will

z

Academic Vision

z

Administrative Support 50

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With joint effort of policy makers, academics and administrators, an implementation perspective can be prepared. This three-angled effort will help us to build appropriate climate to propagate peace, to build competency in the work force and develop resource materials to be used by teachers and learners. z

Climate building

z

Competence building

z

Developing resource materials

The implementation perspective covers pre and post aspects of implementation stage. The “vision” of peace education which comes in pre-implementation stage gets executed. Vision of peace education is to develop a society that has respect for differences, respect for otherness, respect for human dignity. The culture of peace and harmony leads to better economy, better technology, better social capital. When any innovation gets implemented, it loses its original colour, original intensity, and original relevance. Original “brute sanity” gets deluded. Thus there ought to be sufficient enrichment to help maintain original form, original intensity, original relevance, original sanity. It should be implemented at the state, district and block levels. At the state level two activities be undertaken: z

Production of resource material both in print and non-print form

z

Training and orientation of key resource persons (or trainer of trainers)

At the district level four activities could be undertaken: z

Contextualization of contents of learning, meshing it with local examples and experiences

z

On the spot problem solving arising at the district level

z

Orienting resource persons who will work at the block level

z

Establishing a District Peace Education Unit that will plan, coordinate and monitor work at the district level.

At the Block Level, following activities be taken: z

Training, orienting and educating teachers on the importance of peace in human and social life.

z

Exposing teachers to such experiences that help them to change their attitude to be peace makers, peace promoters and peace builders.

z

Establish Block Peace Cell which will also orient parents to promote social harmony and monitor work at the Block level. 51

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9.0


Pointers for Future

There are two perspectives to life. One, we are the slaves of circumstances and socialcultural-political happenings. Overall circumstances guide us, shape us and move us in the direction the circumstances desire. In the present context this perspective leads us to think that we cannot do anything to reduce international terrorism, national corruption, poor working ethos, general indifference to violence and apathy toward rising tide of inefficiency. The second perspective is that we can. We are masters of our circumstances. Our vision, our dreams, our thoughts and our actions can change circumstances. If we change our thought, we change circumstances. Gandhiji said that “a man is the product of his thought”. James Allens says, “man is made and unmade by himself”. If we change our thinking and mindset, we can reduce terrorism and corruption. We can arrest and reduce poverty, gender inequality, environmental degradation and rising wave of population explosion. We can improve work culture, reduce overall social apathy and infuse in society a sense of respect for human dignity. What is needed is the will of iron and solid samkalpa. Each one of us is at the centre of the universe. We are our masters. The strategic option must start from teacher education. India resolved to be free of colonial rule in 1857. We took 90 years and achieved our goal. From 1947 to 2011 we achieved many goals and missed many opportunities for making ourselves strong and prosperous. Let us now resolve that in the second decade of 21st century we will strength our teacher education. By mid 21st century we will have the youth force what can rise above mundane pleasure and can take the country to new heights of prosperity, social cohesion and environmental consciousness. It is not difficult. It demands a reflective and responsive teacher education. We need to introduce massive changes in teacher education curriculum at B.Ed, M.Ed and M. Phil levels that will have content for promoting peace that will use teaching methodology to promote collaborative and cooperative learning, that introduces evaluation and appraisal system that measure knowledge base as well assesses changes in attitude. These reflective decisions could be taken up so far as pre-service education is concerned. Besides this, a thoughtful programmes may be designed for teachers, first at state level and then at district level. These in-service programmes will need comprehensive discussions on many aspects; some of these could be: z

Concept of social cohesion, social harmony and culture of peace.

z

Sociological, psychological and political analysis of social conflicts.

z

Factors detrimental to peace and harmony.

z

Indian cultural practices and philosophical principles that promote peace, harmony and social cohesion.

z

Interaction and networking with institutions and individuals that are engaged in promoting peace and harmony in India and abroad. 52

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z

Developing appropriate study material both for students and teachers in print and non-print form.

z

Establishing a few centres in India for promoting peace and harmony; that will engage in training of key trainers, development of resource material and establishing good institutional practices as bench marks.

The last point deserves more attention. I will personally propose that Gandhi Vidya Mandir with or without national and international assistance, must become a Centre for Education for Peace and Social harmony in Rajasthan. It ought to train trainees who will in turn works as resource persons to work in educational intuitions to promote peace and harmony. The multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-religious scenario requires plurality, tolerance and respect for otherness. It requires respect to multiple perspectives. A mind is great that respects different value premises. It requires dialogue, discussion, persuasion and patience. Management of conflicts will require new ways to look at a problem and new ways to resolve the conflict. It is difficult, it will take time, but if we have will, we will find the way. GVM may organize, to begin with 3 to 4 state level (or national level) workshops of 10 to 15 days inviting about 25 to 30 participants. Programme schedule for each programme may be drawn up separately. If this conference takes decision on this matter, we would have made an advance substantially. Ideas are excellent but they need institutions to execute them. Vision without institutional actions is lame, actions without vision are blind. This single step will help us to undertake journey of 1000 miles. As Shridath S. Ramphal (1990 p.170) said: “It is not enough to dream about the future without the instruments to shape it”.

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Appendix - 1

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Appendix - 2

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REFERENCES Dewal, O.S. (2003) “Reform and Restructuring in Indian In-service Teacher Education” in Teacher Education & Development Vol. 6 No.1 June 2003, Hong Kong, Asia Pacific Journal, (pp 43-64). Dewal, O.S. (2008) Emerging Issues in School Education New Delhi Sanskaram Vidyapeeth (pp 115). Goleman, D (1995) Emotional Intelligence London, Bloomsbury publication. Goleman, D (1998) Working With Emotional Intelligence New York, Bantam Books. Jhunjhunwala, L.N. (2006) World’s Parliament of Religion New Delhi Prabhat Prakashan. Nakayama, S. (2000) The destination of Japanese Challenges in UNESCO, ACEID Reforming Learning, Curicullum and Pedagogy: Innovah. NCERT (2000) National Curriculum Framework for School Education New Delhi, NCERT. NCERT (2002) Education for Peace New Delhi NCERT. NCERT (2005a) National Curriculum Framework New Delhi NCERT. NCERT (2005b) National Focus Groups Position Paper Vol.II National Concerns NCERT (PP. 183221). NCTE (1998a) Competency based and Commitment Oriented Teacher Education for Quality School Education, New Delhi, NCTE. NCTE (1998b) Curriculum Framework for Quality Teacher Education, New Delhi, NCTE. Rajput, J.S. & Dewal, O.S. (2008) Teacher Preparation for Knowledge Society New Delhi Yash Publication. Schon, D.A. (1983) The Reflective Practitioner How Professional Think in Action London, Temple Smith. Sen, Amritya (2005) The Argumentative Indian London, Penguin Books. Stiglitz, J. (2003) Globalization and its Discontent New Delhi Penguin Books/ UNESCO (1996) Learning: The Treasure Within, Paris, Unesco. Zohar, D & Marshall, I (2000) Spiritual Intelligence: The Ultimate Intelligence London, Bloomsbury publication.

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About the Author Professor Onkar Singh Dewal was born in 1931 in village Kumparawas, district Jodhpur, and was educated at Jodhpur, Udaipur, Baroda and Birmingham (U.K.). He worked for the Government of Rajasthan, NCERT and CBSE. During his active years of service (19561991), he was a school teacher, lecturer, reader, professor and principal of RIE, Ajmer. After his retirement in 1991, he worked as the Coordinator of Asian Programmes in Commonwealth of Learning, Vancouver, Canada, as a consultant in NCTE, and as Hon. Adviser to the Director, NCERT. Prof. Dewal was the Founder Director of Open School (1979-83). He provided consultancy to LIC of India and National Institute of Bank Management, Bombay, during seventies. He was also the visiting fellow at Deakin University, Australia and an invited speaker at the University of London and International Extension College, London. Prof. Dewal provided consultancy to and worked as resource person for UNESCO, UNDP, UNICEF and Commonwealth Secretariat, London. His international travels included visits to U.K., Canada, Germany, Australia, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Mauritius, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, China, Pakistan, U.A.E., Jamaica, Barbados, British Guyana and Trinidad.

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READ AND REFLECT 1.

Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers And I linger on the shore And the individual withers And the world is more and more. A. Tennyson (Locksley Hall)

2.

Lead, kindly light, amid the encircling gloom Lead Thou me on; The night is dark and I am far from home Lead thou me on; Keep Thou my feet, I do not ask to see The distance scene; one step enough for me John Henry Newman

3.

“…….. You are here to kneel Where prayer has been valid. And Prayer is more than an order of words. T.S. Eliot Little Gidding

4.

oS’uo tu rks rsuq dfg, tks ihj ijkbZ tkus js ij nq[ks midkj djs rksfg eu vfHkeku u ekus js ujlh esgrk

5.

Hkkx cMks rks jke Hkt ns.k tksx dqN nsg vdy cMh midkj dj nsg /kj;k Qy ,sg bZ’kjnkl ckjg

Understanding

Endowed with knowledge, wisdom and science

vuqHko

Experience *

The understanding, status, expression, and transformation obtained from existentialprogression alone is experience.

lÙkk

Omnipotence *

O;kid

Omnipresence *

'kwU;

Space *

The eternal grandeur present in all places where nature is, and where nature is not. Space is permeable in conscious and inert nature and is transparent in their mutualities. That which is not an activity itself, but in which all activities are included (present) # Translators notes: what we consider to be ‘empty space’ or vacuum is actually an allpervading reality = Omnipresent and Omnipotent = energy in equilibrium. This is cognizable via the activity of ‘experience’ in the self, or conscious unit and does not fit in the mathematical-sensory level of cognition.

vfLrRo

Existence *

Material and conscious nature saturated in Omnipresent, Omnipotent space.

lg&vfLrRo

Co-existence *

(Definition in the context of existentialpurpose of humankind): Relationships without exploitation, hoarding and hatred, and fulfillment of relationships and associations with behaviour of generosity, affection, and serving alone is co-existence. (Basic Definition): nature saturated in the Omnipresent, Omnipotent space.

laiD` r

Saturated *

Status of nature (physical, chemical, and conscious) soaked, immersed and surrounded in Omnipresent, Omnipotent space.

tM+

Inert *

The unit without any thinking-aspect, whose span of function is limited to its length, width, and height. #Translators notes: Insentient 158

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Devnagiri word (Hindi)

pSrU; ¼thou½

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English equivalent Conscious *(jeevan)

Definition in English The unit whose span of function is more than its length, width, and height and has an active thinking-aspect is called conscious (unit). #Translators notes: Sentient | The conscious unit or ‘self ’ or ‘jeevan’ has the following 10 activities: experience-evidencing; understanding-determination; contemplation-imaging; weighing-analysis and tasting-selecting. These activities are in the form of ‘5 potentials’ named: atma, buddhi, chitha, vritti, mun and 5 powers of: evidence, truth-bearing, desiring, thought & expectation.

izÑfr

Nature

Form-full existence; i.e. Infinite units of material-order, bio-order, animal-order and knowledge-order (humans) Infinite agglomeration of inert and conscious unitsContinuously-activeInseparable presence of appearance, quality, true-nature & innateness (dharma)

thou

Jeevan

Same as conscious (unit) – see above

ekuoh; vkpj.k

Humane Conduct

Behavior of righteous-wealth, Righteous husband/wife relationship, and kindness in work and behavior. Recognition of relationships, fulfillment of valuesEntire work, behavior, thought done as an inseparable active-presence of values, character & ethics.

ekuoh; LoHkko

Humane-nature

Steadfastness (dheerta), Courage (veerta) and Generosity (udarta) are humane-nature, or true-nature of humansTrue-nature of superhumanness is: kindness (daya), graciousness (krupa) and compassion (karuna).

vekuoh; LoHkko Inhuman-nature *

Cunningness (heenta), wretchedness (deenta), and cruelness (kroorta) alone are inhuman-nature. 159

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English equivalent

Definition in English

:i

Appearance

Shape, surface are and volume

xq.k

Quality

Relative powers are known as qualities (guna). Qualities (gunas) are recognized in the form of positive, negative, and madhyasth (mediating), which itself is effect # synonyms: property

LoHkko

True-nature

Purpose, participation, value The utility of quality itself is true-nature#synonyms: essence, characteristic, fundamental attribute

/keZ

Innateness *

Adherence itself is dharma. That which cannot be separated from a unit is its dharma or innateness. #Translator notes: intrisc-ness

lR;

Truth *

Existence, nature saturated in the Omnipresent, Omnipotent space.

U;k;

Justice

Activity of recognition of relationships & fulfillment of valuesActivity for nourishment and enrichment of humanness.

ckSf)d lek/kku

Intellectual Resolution*

The fulfillment (answer) of every why and how itself is resolution.

vHk;

Fearlessness, Trust

Trust in the active-presentActivity of mutual trust and complementariness

v[kaM lekt

Undivided Society

Human tradition free of communal-mentality and endowed with human-consciousness. Awakened human tradition free of illusion. Human tradition endowed with knowledgewisdom-science and free of individualistic mindset. Completeness of resolution, prosperity, trust and co-existenceHarmony in humane culture, civility, norms, organization and conduct.

lkoZHkkSe O;oLFkk

Universal Orderliness

Accepted meaningful, balanced just-full orderliness in human tradition on the entire earth. 160

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English equivalent

Definition in English

laLÑfr

Culture

Tradition of completeness, humane conductActivities done in view of completeness, participation in humane orderliness

lH;rk

Civility

Participation in undivided society and universal orderliness

fof/k

Norms

Code for law-full conduct of humane-culture

O;oLFkk

Orderliness *

The tradition for implementing the intent of norms is known as orderliness.

Kku

Knowledge *

Knowledge of Holistic-view or darshan of Co-existence, Knowledge of Jeevan in Coexistence, and Knowledge of Humane Conduct in Co-existence.

foosd

Wisdom *

The understanding of existential-purpose of human-being.

foKku

Science *

The knowledge for determining direction for achieving universal human-goal along with material-prosperityKnowledge of activity, time and decision.

dYiuk'khyrk

Imagination

Expression of 4.5 activities of imaging, analysis, weighing, tasting and selecting in conscious unit (jeevan)

deZ Lora=rk

Freedom to act

Evidence of freedom of action according to imagination in every human

n'kZu

Darsana or holistic-view

Activity by the seer via his/her vision (sight) for understanding the scene as-it-is, and its expression, communication and publishing.

okn

‘Ism

Clear propounding of Actuality, Reality & Truth.

'kkL=

Shaastra

Inspiration for self-disciplineActivity of transmission capable of ensuring assimilation of restraint 161

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References: (* All authored by A Nagraj, Amarkantak, Dist Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh, India.). Type

Devnagiri (Hindi)

English equivalent

ekuo O;ogkj n'kZu

Darsana of Human Behavior

deZ n'kZu

Darsana of Human Action

vuqHko n'kZu

Darsana of Human Experience

vH;kl n'kZu

Darsana of Human Practice

lek/kkukRed HkkSfrdokn

Resolution-centric Materialism

O;ogkjkRed tuokn

Behavior-centric Humanism

vuqHkokRed vk/;kRedokn

Experience-centric Spiritualism

O;ogkjoknh lekt'kkL=

Behavioral Sociology

vkorZu'khy vFkZ'kkL=

Cyclical Economics

ekuo lapsrukoknh euksfoKku

Human consciousness-oriented psychology

Humane Constitution

ekuo vkpkj lafgr :ih ekuoh; lafo/kku

Human Constitution – from essence to detail

Definitions

ijHkk"kk lafgrk

Definition Codes – dictionary of definitions.

Darsana or holistic-view of reality.

vaada or expansion at the level of thought, logic shaastra or manifestation in living

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Relevance of Universal Human Values & Peace Based Education Dr. A. K. Merchant

At the turn of the 20th century, the astonishing advances in science has emboldened humanity, giving rise to confidence that science could, at last, be the fountainhead of truth, and that all aspects of social order could be rationalized accordingly. In such a world, God was dead and religion reduced to a bundle of superstitions and blind faith in-cultic practices. Many are the brazen experiments shaped by this perspective. Yet, from the certainty of modernity to the stark nihilism of postmodern doubt, the past century has been buffeted by extremes in attempting to know reality. The study of physics, which contributed so much to the mechanistic view of the universe, later gave rise to the possibility that purpose and intelligence are intrinsic to the universe. By the end of the century and turmoil-ridden opening years of the 21st century, a beaten yet wiser human race, now recognizes the limits of scientific investigation interpreted through a set of materialistic assumptions. Hoping to move beyond positivism and relativism, humanity is learning to participate in a continual search for truth and to gradually translate this understanding into just and peaceful action.[1] People everywhere are becoming increasingly aware of what is happening in political and civic life. The very conception of statesmanship has been drained of meaning, as policies have come to serve the economic interests of a few in the name of progress, as hypocrisy has been allowed to undermine the operation of social and economic structures in a world that rewards dishonesty, encourages corruption, and that treats truth as a negotiable commodity. Profound is the confusion that threatens the foundations of society, and unwavering must be the resolve of all those involved in re-fashioning the system on the basis of spiritual principles that nurture and advance civilization, as we know it.[2] Sadly, despite so much material progress, India and a host of other countries still struggle with problems of abysmal poverty, peasant strife, civic brutalities and the challenges of overpopulation, environmental degradation, threat of nuclear war, cross-border terrorism and militancy inter alia. India the situation is most acute in some 200 districts of the total number of 620 districts. It would be exaggeration to say that massive corruption in the systems of governance is not peculiar to India; it is there in most of countries of the world. 163

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Education and the Forces of Disintegration The central concern in the relation between education and the forces of disintegration that have assaulted global society is, in essence, not a failure of education per se, but rather, the inability of the field to keep pace with, or even lead, the process of transformation to a new age. For, the children of today are the protagonists who will shape the societies of the future. Any approach to teacher education for peace and harmony must be based on wholistic world view. In my perspective, as a citizen of India and a member of the Bahá’í community, the greatest danger of both the moral crisis and the inequities associated with globalization in its current form, is the entrenched philosophical attitude that seeks to justify and excuse the failures of state policies and programmes. The overthrow of the twentieth century’s totalitarian systems has not meant the end of ideology. On the contrary, there has not been a society in the history of the world, no matter how pragmatic, experimentalist and multi-form it may have been, that did not derive its thrust from some foundational interpretation of reality. Such a system of thought reigns today virtually unchallenged across the planet, under the nominal designation “Western civilization”. Philosophically and politically, it presents itself as a kind of liberal relativism; economically and socially, as capitalism—two value systems that have now so adjusted to each other and become so mutually reinforcing as to constitute virtually single, comprehensive world-view. [3] Appreciation of the benefits in terms of the personal freedom, social prosperity and scientific progress, enjoyed by a significant minority of the Earth’s people, cannot withhold a thinking person from recognizing that the current materialistic system for managing world affairs, India including, is morally and intellectually bankrupt. It has contributed its best to the advancement of civilization, as did all its predecessors, and, like them, is impotent to deal with the needs of a world never imagined by the eighteenth century prophets who conceived most of its component elements. The question then arises: “Why should these, in a world subject to the immutable law of change and decay, be exempt from the deterioration that must needs overtake every human institution?”[4]

What does it mean to be truly educated? We all agree that, to build a new world, is no easy task. The road is stony and filled with obstacles, but the journey is infinitely rewarding.[5] Establishment of lasting and permanent peace, a hallmark of the emerging global civilization, will be realized as a tangible expression of the principle of the oneness of humankind and upholding the virtue of unity in diversity. The torturous suffering imposed by such conditions as poverty, war, violence, fanaticism, terrorism, disease, and degradation of the environment, to which masses of people are subjected, is forcing ordinary citizens in every country to rise up in violent protest accentuating instances of political upheaval and economic turmoil on various continents and dislodging governments. Societies have been brought to the brink of revolution, and in notable cases over the edge. Leaders are finding that neither arms nor riches guarantee security.[6] Throughout history, those who have undertaken the task of educating humanity have been 164

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faced with a paradox. To truly educate, you must understand the nature of reality and the nature of the human being. But surely any such understanding is limited. When these limitations are imposed on the educational process, the resulting new human beings would necessarily be less than those who created the educational methods. Thus, the failure of approaches, such as behaviourism whose weaknesses, in hindsight, are self-evident. How can one define in minute detail all of the learning objectives that would incrementally form a mature person? How does one control every aspect of the learning environment? How does one create, throughout the world, a cadre of teachers and educational professionals that can fulfill the boast of Skinner, or from an earlier age, of Rousseau, to forge a child according to one’s will? In such approaches, the limits of teacher define the boundaries of the potentiality of the student. Education is an apprenticeship in the process of learning. It is still necessary, of course to have some vision of the person who will be the fruit of the educational process. One should attempt to see the end in the beginning. What are the characteristics of the B.Ed student we are trying to prepare when he or she reaches the age of maturity? What qualities, what attitudes, what skills and abilities, as well as knowledge and understanding are necessary to become an autonomous human being that can contribute to the peace and progress of the society? How do students learn to investigate the world, discover truth, and generate and apply new knowledge in a systematic manner to reconstruct social reality?[7] To avoid the negative consequences of restrictive objectives for educational activities, it may be useful to think in terms of the development of certain “capabilities” in the scheme of teacher education. The term, as used here, refers to a developed capacity to think and act in a well-defined sphere of activity and according to a well-defined purpose. So, for example, in the field of agriculture, the capability to produce a given crop year after year requires certain skills and abilities. However, unless mechanical skills are complemented by an understanding of a range of concepts concerning biology and cultivation and by a vast array of information, they will be ineffective. So too, are certain attitudes and spiritual qualities of the farmer vital, if often overlooked, factors that contribute to successful farming. It is the integration of these components in the individual that make up a capability.[8] Moreover, all those desirous of promoting and working for the establishment of peace and harmony must take note of the fact that throughout human history, interactions among the three participants namely the individual, the institutions, and the community have been fraught with difficulties at every turn, with the individual clamouring for freedom, the institution demanding submission, and the community claiming precedence. Every society has defined, in one way or another, the relationships that bind the three, giving rise to periods of stability, interwoven with turmoil. Today, in this age of transition, as humanity struggles to attain its collective maturity, such relationships—nay, the very conception of the individual, of social institutions, and of the community—continue to be assailed by crises too numerous to count. The worldwide crisis of authority provides proof enough. So grievous have been its abuses, and so deep the suspicion and resentment it now arouses, that the world is becoming increasingly ungovernable—a situation made all the more perilous by the weakening of community ties.[9] 165

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Divergent Views of Peace and Harmony To achieve enduring global peace calls for producing teachers with a new mindset. Take for example this worldwide survey that was conducted by the UN. The only question asked was: “Would you please give your honest opinion about solutions to the food shortage in the rest of the world?” The survey was a huge failure... because In Africa they didn’t know what ‘food’ meant, In South Asia they didn’t know what ‘honest’ meant, In Europe they didn’t know what ‘shortage’ meant, In China they didn’t know what ‘opinion’ meant, In the Middle East they didn’t know what ‘solution’ meant, In South America they didn’t know what ‘please’ meant, And in the USA they didn’t know what ‘the rest of the world’ meant. Gentlemen and Ladies! we need to ponder on the words: “food”, “honest”, “shortage”, “opinion”, “solution”, “please”, and “rest of the world”.[10] Earthmen landing on the moon have perceived what poets, philosophers, and prophets have proclaimed through the centuries—the oneness of the human family. At a time when there is talk of setting up a base on the moon let us recall what one astronaut reported: “The view of the earth from the moon fascinated me—a small disk, 240,000 miles away. It was hard to think that that little thing held so many problems, so many frustrations. Raging nationalistic interests, famines, wars, pestilence don’t show from that distance. I’m convinced that some wayward stranger in a spacecraft, coming from another part of the heavens, could look at earth and never know that it was inhabited at all. But the same wayward stranger would certainly know instinctively that if the earth were inhabited, then the destinies of all who lived on it must be inevitably interwoven and joined. We are one hunk of ground, water, air, clouds, floating around in space. From out there it really is one world.”[11]

Unity in Diversity – Justice and Equity As a member of the Bahá’í community and having studied the writings and predictions found in the scriptures of the world’s recognized religions, I am fully convinced that peace among the nations will be established but am not sure of the time frame, whether in the next one decade or within the 21st century. One thing, however, is clear the universal fermentation and horrendous social upheavals and environmental devastations are destined to leave their mark as a period of very profound transition from a warlike world to a peaceful one. Inevitably, the movement leading to world unity must encounter opposing tendencies rooted in stubborn habits of chauvinism and partisanship that refuse to yield to the expectations of a new age.[12] What is it that is keeping us from living in harmony and peace? Unity in diversity is at once a vision for the future and a principle to guide the world community in its response to these 166

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challenges. Not only must this principle come to animate relations among the nations of the planet, but is must also be applied within both local and national communities if they are to prosper and endure. The unifying, salutary effects of applying this principle to redesign the educational system of societies the world over would be incalculable, while the consequences of failing to appropriately respond to the challenges of an ever-contracting world will surely prove disastrous. People need to develop the knowledge, values, attitudes and skills necessary to participate confidently and constructively in shaping the world community, on all levels, so that it might reflect the principles of justice, equity and unity. Top-down models of curriculum framework and educational policies can no longer adequately respond to present-day needs and aspirations. The world community must move toward more participatory, knowledgebased and values-driven systems of governance in which people can assume responsibility for the processes and institutions that affect their lives. These systems need to be democratic in spirit and method, and must emerge at all levels of world society, including the global level. Consultation—the operating expression of justice in human affairs—should become their primary mode of decision-making. Old ways of exercising power and authority must give way to new forms of leadership. Our concept of leadership will need to be recast to include the ability to foster collective decision-making and collective action. It will find its highest expression in service to the community as a whole. In such a community the fruits of science and technology will benefit the whole society, and work will be available for all. Communities such as these will prove to be the pillars of a world civilization—a civilization which will be the logical culmination of humanity’s community-building efforts over vast stretches of time and geography. Surely, every person has both the right and the responsibility to contribute to this historic and far-reaching, collective enterprise whose goal is nothing less than the peace, prosperity and unity of entire human family.

Example of New Curricula for Peace Education In order to actualize the process of global enlightenment the Bahá’í community is engaged in an effort of capacity building through a series of curricular materials that present the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh in a manner that enable every man, woman, youth and child to fulfill his or her their highest potential by lending their support to the building of a new World Order. The titles of the books are by themselves quite illustrative of the range and breadth of the subjects covered, namely, Reflections on the Life of the Spirit; Arising to Serve; Teaching Children’s Classes, Grades I, II & III; The Twin Manifestations; Spiritual Empowerment of the Junior Youth [6 books - Glimmerings of Hope, Learning About Excellence, Spirit of Faith, Breezes of Confirmation, Drawing on the Power of the Word]; Planning & Teaching the Divine Cause; Walking Together on a Path of Service; Family Prosperity, and the like. The curricula offer an understanding of problems of present-day society at three levels of comprehension. The first is a basic understanding of the meaning of words and sentences of passages from the Holy Texts, which constitute the core of these courses. Thus, for example, after reading the quotation, “The betterment of the world can be accomplished through pure and goodly deeds through commendable and seemly conduct”, 167

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the participant is asked, “How can the betterment of the world be accomplished?” At first glance, this type of question may appear too simple. But the actual experience points to some of the reasons for the adoption of a simple approach to this basic level of understanding. The second level of comprehension is concerned with applying some of the concepts in the quotations to one’s daily life. And the third level of understanding requires the participants to thinks about the implications of the quotations for situations with no apparent or immediate connection with the theme of the quotation. Many years of experience with the courses of the “Ruhi Institute” have shown that examining ideas at these three levels of understanding helps collaborators create conscious basis of a life of service to humanity and making each participant an agent of positive change for the building of an ever-advancing civilization.[13] Bahá’ís believe, however great the turmoil, that the period into which humanity is moving provides, to every individual, every institution, and every community on earth, unprecedented opportunities to participate in the writings of the planet’s future. “Soon”, is Bahá’u’lláh’s confident promise, “will the present-day Order be rolled up, and a new one spread out in its stead.”[14] The Bahá’í writings further delineate that world peace will result from the culmination of two distinct but simultaneous and mutually reinforcing processes: one leading to the spiritual unity of the human race, referred to as the “Most Great Peace”; and the other to the political unity of nations known as the “Lesser Peace”. The former is a distinct goal, requiring a monumental change in human conduct that only religious faith can ensure; the other is more immediate and can already be detected on the political horizon.[15] The political unity of nations implies the achievement of a relationship among them that will enable them to resolve questions of international import through consultation rather than war and that will lead to the establishment of a world government. The attainment of peace in the political realm is discernible through the workings of a process that can be seen as having been definitely established in the twentieth century amid the terror and turmoil that have characterized so much of this period. It is noteworthy that the majority of the nations have come into being during this century and that they have opted for peaceful relations with one another by joining in the membership of the United Nations and through participation in regional organizations that facilitate their working together. The process of political unification is gaining acceleration through the awakening consciousness of peace among the world’s peoples that validates the work of the United Nations and through advances in science and technology, which have already contracted and transformed the world into a single complex organism.

The Tasks Ahead – Micro and Macro Levels Therefore, the task of creating a sustainable and peaceful global strategy that will promote the spiritual and material well-being of all the planet’s inhabitants constitutes a challenge to reshape fundamentally the institutions of society. In the crafting and implementation of such a strategy, the following concepts are of critical importance.[16] 168

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z

Education policy and programmes must be based on an unconditioned recognition of the oneness of humankind, a commitment to justice as the organizing principle of society, and a determination to exploit to the utmost the possibilities that a systematic dialogue between the scientific and religious genius of the race can bring to the building of human capacity.

z

The educational process must involve the generality of humankind, members of governing institutions at all levels, persons serving in agencies of international coordination, scientists and social thinkers, all those endowed with artistic talents or with access to media, leaders of non-governmental organizations and the educational institutions of the world.

z

The establishment of full equality between women and men, in all departments of life and at every level of society, must be a primary aim.

z

While acknowledging the wide differences of individual capacity, a major goal must be to make it possible for all of the earth’s inhabitants to approach on an equal basis the processes of science and technology.

z

At the heart of socio-economic and political system of the nation-state there must be a consultative process in which individual participants strive to transcend their respective points of view, in order to function as members of a united society with its own interests and goals.

z

Spiritual issues facing humanity must be central. For the vast majority of the world’s population, the idea that human nature has a spiritual dimension is a truth that requires no demonstration.

z

A new “work ethic”, based on a spirit of service to humanity, will be essential. To that end, training and skills development that can make it possible for the earth’s inhabitants to participate in the production of wealth must be illumined by the spiritual insight that service to humankind is the purpose of both individual life and social organization.

z

New economic models will be required, shaped by insights that arise from a sympathetic understanding of shared experience, from viewing human beings in relation to others, and from a recognition of the centrality to social well-being of the family and the community.

z

The principle of the oneness of humanity (vasudhaiva kutumbakkam) must be wholeheartedly embraced by those in whose hands the responsibility for decisionmaking rests, and its related tenets including the concept of world citizenship must be propagated through both educational systems and the media.

z

As the integration of humanity gains momentum, those who are selected to take collective decisions on behalf of society, will increasingly have to see all their efforts in a global perspective. Not only at the national, but also at the local level, the elected 169

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governors of human affairs should, in my view as a member of the Baha’i community, consider themselves responsible for the welfare of all of humankind. z

It will be necessary to create laws and institutions that are universal in both character and authority. Ultimately, the restructuring or transformation of the United Nations system will lead to the establishment of a world federation of nations with its own legislative, judicial and executive bodies.

Conclusion India has a yugadharma, a vocation for our times. We are blessed with the heritage of a galaxy of distinguished and outstanding leaders as no other country. What a glorious company of spiritual luminaries, saints and seers. It is our task to pass on this heritage to the world. What India needs today is what may be called a supporting culture for our countrywide efforts. If one looks at the world history one can find that countries with a composite and integrated culture have advanced much more rapidly than others. Unity in diversity is an intrinsic phenomenon of all creation. Of course, there are some who wish to retreat into homogenous settings, feeling that sameness will provide greater comfort and security. But then we will be regressing not progressing. Underneath the present strife, chaos, and confusion in the country, I can perceive the next stage in human evolution. The incredible web of communication in this electrical and electronic age of interlocking computers, of microwave and radio, of telephone, telegraph and television, astonishes and appalls us. It promises that all humankind, not simply we Indians, in this Digital Age will be connected by non-living neurons whose glass, metal, and microwave axons will dissolve time and distance in message exchanges. The equally incredible network of world transportation by train, automobile, airplane, and the rocket is homely and pervading reality. Meanwhile automation with robotics, miniaturization, nano-technology and genome mapping are changing concepts of labour and capital, or production and distribution of goods and services as we fully accept the positive fruits of globalization of humankind. Achieving a dynamic coherence between the material and the spiritual elements of life implies a worldview radically different from whatever comprises the present-day sociopolitico and economic structures. It calls for far-reaching spiritual and cultural shifts at all levels of national polity. New modes of thought, new standards and new legal and institutional arrangements are struggling to take hold. In the words of Fritjof Capra: “The survival of our whole civilization may depend on whether we can bring about such a change.” [17]

*The author is the General Secretary of the Temple of Understanding—India [NGO with consultative status at the United Nations]; a Trustee of Bahá’í Lotus Temple in New Delhi & National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of India. He also serves as Chairperson of the Sarvodaya International Trust—Delhi Chapter; Visiting Faculty to the Centre for Cultural Resources & Training, Government of India; Member, Ethics Committee, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital; subject expert for interfaith harmony & Indian culture with Jawaharlal Memorial Fund. Mailing address: S – 28, Greater Kailash Part I, New Delhi 110 048. Telephones: 011-29237919 / 9810441360; Email: [email protected] / [email protected]

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References & Bibliography 1.

Baha’i Vision for Children: A compilation – Selected Statements of Baha’i International Community (Rethinking Education), New Delhi, 2003, p. 44.

2.

From the Five Year Plan (2011-2016) message of the Universal House of Justice dated 28/12/ 2010 addressed to Continental Counsellors.

3.

The Century of Light. (New Delhi: Baha’i Publishing Trust of India, 2001), p. 135.

4.

Ibid., qtd. Shoghi Effendi, p. 135.

5.

Cf. From a letter dated 9/11/1993 qtd. in Promoting Entry by Troops. (New Delhi: Baha’i Publishing Trust, 1994)

6.

Cf. The Universal House of Justice, Ridvan message 2011.

7.

Cf. Baha’i Vision for Children: A compilation, op. cit. p. 46.

8.

Ibid., p. 46

9.

The Universal House of Justice, op. cit. message dated 28/12/2010.

10.

From the Internet

11.

Fersh, Seymour quoted in “Our Place in Space” published in Peoples and Cultures (Agincourt, Canada: The Book Society of Canada Limited, 1977), p. 17.

12.

Cf. A statement by Office of Public Information, Baha’i International Community, 1999 commenting on ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s Tablet “Seven Candles of Unity.”

13.

These curricula materials with the Baha’i Publishing Trust of India F 3/6, Okhla Industrial Estate, New Delhi.

14.

Baha’u’llah. Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah. (New Delhi: Baha’I Publishing Trust of India, 1973), p. 260

15.

Cf. Shoghi Effendi. Call to the Nations. (Haifa: Baha’I World Centre, 1977)

16.

The Prosperity of Humankind. Baha’i International Community, 1999

17.

Capra, Fritjof. The Tao of Physics—An Exploration of the Parallels between Modern Physics and Eastern Mysticism. Fontana/Collins. The Chaucer Press Limited, Bungay, Suffolk, U.K. 1975, p. 325.

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Teacher Education for Peace and Harmony: A Vedic Perspective Laj Utreja

How can Teachers and the Taught Accept Peace Education? Just as the objective laws govern the objective universe, so must there be subjective laws governing the subjective universe of human beings. Whereas, harmony is assured because of the inherent order in the objective world, this order must be introduced in the subjective world to assure harmony among all people of different geographies, races, cultures, faiths and genders. The most fundamental of this law is drawn from the Rig Veda, “Vasudheva Kutumbakam – the whole universe is o-ne human family.” The only way to introduce this law among into human beings is that they willingly subscribe to this law. This can be done through teaching and training. The origin of human values is the source and at the core of our being. The source, being non-physical, non-material, without any attributes and qualities, introduces values through Rita, the universal order. The order does not delimit importance of o-ne element of manifestation over the other, but provides an avenue for the universe to sustain itself. That order is called dharma, the sustaining principle. From that order follow the objective laws that govern the physical universe and the subjective laws that govern human beings. Consider, for instance, if the sun decides not to shine any longer, or the earth decides not to revolve around the sun there would be no world and life that we know of. While revolving around the sun, the earth does not diminish its role, but follows intrinsic value in the performance of the universal order. Similarly, the roles of a child and of a wife in a family are not inferior or superior to that of the rules father or the husband, so long as all follow their intrinsic values in the performance of family order. The same goes with any relationship: the employer and employee; teacher and student and the like. All human values flow from the universal order. Thus far, the world has not been successful in teaching the very simple precepts of the universal order – peaceful coexistence. The known history is replete with conflicts, strife and wars. We can avoid great suffering if someone stands up and teaches the way of true Peace. There is a way to effect peace in our time, and we must be willing to do something about it. The word ‘peace’ by itself may not mean much, but teaching certain practices may ultimately bring in the desired result. From the Vedic philosophy, three effective practices which may help us achieve peace can be delineated. 172

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Will and Repetition It has been shown that the mind of both adults and children are greatly influenced by repetition, and this can be continued throughout our lives. The repetition of sight, sound and action becomes ingrained in our minds and affects us in a number of ways including our thoughts and our emotions, and eventually shows up in our reactions. In the Vedic ways, a Sankalpa (resolution, free will) before performing any work is a kind of declaration to ourselves and to the spirit within us. The Vedas say that the whole universe is evolved through a Sankalpa of the Lord. When a child is taught through diligent continual repetition that killing someone ends the existence of that person and destroys families, leaving children without a father to lead, teach and provide for their families and that consequences among affected children and families build up as emotions of anger and thoughts of hatred and revenge that cannot ever be eliminated from their minds, that child will have a propensity in his mind to choose not to hate and not to murder.

(ii)

Prenatal Education – Spiritual Seeding The higher souls have a freedom to choose their parents. They like to choose to be born in the pure hearted parents. Therefore, if a person loves to get a great soul as a child he has to be spiritual. The parents, who are pure hearted and have divine aspiration, are blessed with great souls as their children. But sometimes we see that right children are born to wrong parents. How it is possible? Sometimes the great souls deliberately choose the wrong parents or wrong clan for two reasons: by choice, so that the clan or parents can be transformed, and the great souls want to reveal that even with the lot of psychological pollution in the environment it is possible to grow spiritually. There is also a possibility of a great soul’s birth in a wrong environment. But generally the great souls prefer to be born only to the spiritually qualified parents. However, ordinary parents can be taught to have children born to them with certain knowledge, e.g., peace and harmony. It has been shown that the minds of children are greatly influenced even while they are in the womb. There are also mantras for the well being of the pregnant mother as well as for health, security and prosperity in life of the unborn child. Teachers can teach the parents the following preparatory steps: Children of peace knowledge in the womb – Peace Mantras should be recited repeatedly to make the child’s mind peace-loving. These children will be born with peace knowledge and a higher receptivity for peace, just as Abhimanyu learned in the womb about entering the chakravyuh – a land war formation. Therefore, parents should be educated enough to nurture their children with the knowledge they want to impart, such as peace and harmony. 173

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(iii) Yoga The substance of yoga is summarized in the verse “Yogash chitta vritti nirodha.” Yoga is the cessation of mental modification or the way of being. The four words of the verse define the discipline in a practical way. Chitta is the mind field, which is the field of perception and reflection. A mind field connotes a subject and a separate object, which includes everything that can be grasped. Vritti is more than a thought. It is mental activity of the form of consciousness outside of conscious thinking. There is a separation between a perceiving subject and a perceived object. The word nirodha carries in itself the complete essence of spiritual realization in the soul. It is the cessation, the silence—not control, which is an effort, an uneasiness of sorts. The discipline of yoga is the cessation of something that hardly ceases and which is described by the expression chitta vritti. Any perception in which the perceived object is perceived as separate from the perceiving subject is designated by the expression chitta vritti. Yoga is the cessation of mental activity – not a temporary cessation, but endeavours to achieve a state of peace depending on particular circumstances. Most popular meditation techniques propose a truce in mental agitation. But then it is perceived only in the absence of thought or perception. Yoga, on the other hand, with cessation of mental activity is its ultimate accomplishment. Performing yoga offers the most practical and uncontested way to accept peace and harmony as our dharma.

Overview Vedas state that both the teacher and the taught pray together for togetherness in thought, speech and action by reciting the following Vedic Mantra: Samanee va Akootih, samana Hridayani vah; Samanamastu Vo Mano, Yatha Vah Susahasati! (Common be our intention, may we be united in offering; may we be united in hearts; may we be united in thoughts; Let there be oneness in your resolutions, hearts and minds, so may there be perfect unity amongst you.)

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Skills In Teacher Education For Peace And Harmony Dr. Leela Pradhan

Context Education can be a force for promoting integration and peaceful co-existence of people in societies. The ultimate goal of education is to impart knowledge, values attitudes and skills to empower people to bring development needs to be based on state of the art of knowledge and to continually review and update curricula and teaching materials accordingly. Different types of life skills need to be inculcated in teacher education for peace and harmony. Life skills can influence the way one feels about oneself and others. Life skills are abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life. Adaptive behaviour means the flexibility to adjust according to the situation. Positive behaviour brings positive thinking and ability to look at opportunities even in difficult situations in order to cope with the situations which important for peace making Life Skills are a group of psycho-social competencies and interpersonal skills that help people think critically and creativity, make informed decisions, communicate effectively and develop coping and self management sills to lead a healthy, peaceful, harmonious and productive life. Some life skills are interrelated and can be taught together in a learning activity. The students will develop the skills necessary to be effective peace maker.

Types of Life Skills Skills significant for education of peace and harmony are: 1.

Self-Awareness: Self-awareness is the recognition of self, our character, our strengths and desires, likes and dislikes and skills. Being aware of these points helps to build a sense of self esteem and self-confidence. Being aware of the good points about oneself helps people build a sense self-esteem and self-confidence. Being aware of their weaknesses will make the people to learn more. Self-awareness is necessary for developing a positive attitude towards life.

2.

Empathy: Empathy is the ability to be sensitive to another person’s situation, to understand his/her concerns, worries, fears, and needs and how they feel. It is the ability to imagine what life is like for another person by putting oneself in the other person’s place or situation and to understand what he or she is going through. Empathy 175

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allows us to find the common ground between ourselves and others. We will be able to make decisions that benefit ourselves without hurting others. It encourages a positive behaviour towards people in need of care and assistance, not to laugh at others who are in need or difficulty. Empathy works when we apply to our relationships with our loved ones, classmates, parents, friends and relatives etc. It helps to move closer to solutions, to resolve conflicts and enhance our quality of life. 3.

Critical Thinking: Critical thinking is the ability to analyze information and experiences in an effective manner. It is the ability to think clearly and rationally. It includes the ability to do reflective and independent thinking. Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively conceptualizing, applying, analysing, synthesizing, evaluating information gathered from, or generated by observation, experience, reasoning or communication. A person with a good memory and who knows a lot of facts may not be a good critical thinker. A critical thinker is able to deduce consequences from what he or she knows, sees additional information from relevant sources, and knows how to make use of the information to solve problems. Critical thinking plays a crucial role in evaluating new ideas, selecting the best ones and modifying them if necessary. In order to live a peaceful and harmonious life, one needs to justify and reflect on values and decisions. Critical thinking provides the tools for this process of self-evaluation. An individual having critical thinking skills will be able to do the following:

4.

a.

Raise pertinent questions which are clear and precise.

b.

Identify the relevance and importance of ideas.

c.

Understand the logical connection between ideas.

d.

Assess the arguments.

e.

Detect mistakes in reasoning.

f.

Listen carefully to others and give feedback.

g.

Suspend judgment until all facts have been gathered and

h.

Look for evidence to support assumptions and beliefs.

i.

Reject information that is incorrect or irrelevant.

j.

Show interest in finding new solutions.

k.

Solve problems systematically.

considered.

Creative Thinking: Creativity is the ability to imagine or invent something new. It is not the ability to create out of nothing but the ability to generate new ideas by combining, changing or reapplying existing ideas. Creativity is the brining of something that did not exist before either as a product, a process or a thought. Every one has substantial creativity ability. 176

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Creativity is also an attitude; the ability to accept change and newness, a willingness to play with ideas and possibilities, a flexibility of outlook, the habit of enjoying the good, while looking for ways to improve it. Creative people have the following characteristics: a.

Curious

b.

Seeks problems.

c.

Enjoys challenge.

d.

Optimistic.

e.

Able to suspend judgment.

f.

Comfortable with imagination.

g.

Sees problems as opportunities.

h.

Problems are emotionally acceptable.

5.

Problem Solving: Problem solving requires identifying the problem, exploring the available alternatives and deciding on the possible solution. A problem is an obstacle which makes it difficult to achieve a desired goal, objective or purpose. It refers to a situation, condition, or issue that is yet unresolved. Every problem seeks as answer or solution. Trying to find a solution to a problem is known as problem solving. The problems in our lives do not go away the themselves. They make us feel miserable. This gives rise to fear and worries. Many people have difficulty admitting acknowledging, or recognizing their problems. We have to list the problems so that they become clear. Defining our problem is a process of helping ourselves to discover the core issues. When we are able to see what our problem really is and what the causes are, we are likely to be close to the solution. Then it is necessary to analyse all the possible consequences of each option, and decide on what we really want to do and what is best for ourselves. Decision making which is based on as much information as we can gather, is an essential part of our problem solving. No solution is final. Implementing our solution is only part of the process. Testing is another part which actually works. We should not panic if our solution leads to failure. The experience of failure is essential to come up with new and better ideas for better solution and should keep trying. We cannot achieve breakthrough without failure. If we escape from problems, we give up the opportunity to develop our skills. Once we resolve our problem, we will find ourselves happier and more ready to confront new problems. Tackling problems involves the use of our mind. The ability to solve problems needs great courage and patience.

6.

Decision Making: Decision making is to choose from different options based on the existing knowledge of the topic under consideration and keeping in mind the positive or negative consequences of each of the option. Decision making can be regarded as an outcome of mental process that lead to the selection of a course of action from 177

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among several alternatives. Every decision making process produces a final choice. Decision making skill helps us to deal constructively with the choices of our lives i.e. choosing the best amongst the various alternatives in many life situations. A good decision would be one whose outcome would be positive or beneficial. Good decision making is an essential skill and is necessary for various life situations as for career success, effective leadership, marriage etc. Decision should never be made in haste. However, waiting too long may make one miss an opportunity. Every decision should be made within a decision environment, which is defined as collection of information, alternatives, values and preferences available at the time of decision. 7.

Interpersonal Relationship: International relationship is the ability to establish positive relationships in positive ways. Each individual live in a society and we need to maintain relationship with people around us. These interpersonal relationship skills help us to relate in positive ways with the people we interact with. This will keep a friendly relationship which is of great importance to our mental and social well being. Relationships are between two or more people. Each of us has relations with various people like family, relatives, friends, neighbours, teachers, boss, and colleagues, students etc. Out beahviour varies with depending on the type and degree of relationship with that person. Importance of inter-personal relationship:

8.

i.

A good relationship increases enjoyment of life.

ii.

Relieves feelings of loneliness.

iii.

Helps reduce the stress.

iv.

Improves health.

v.

Emotional support.

vi.

Good relations with people is helpful when one is having hard time, anxiety or panic attack, depression, stress etc.

Effective Communication: Communication is conveying a message verbally, in writing or through use of sign. It is the ability to express, verbally through spoken or written language and non-verbally through gestures and body movements. If we do not talk with others, they will not know what we are thinking and they will not be able to understand us. Without communication, our relationships with others are likely to be dominated by suspicion, misunderstandings and false assumptions. There are different types of effective communication: i.

Verbal Communication: One person talks and the other listens to be able to react. The conversation can be informative in the form of negotiation, statements 178

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or open ended questions, instructions, etc.

9.

ii.

Non-verbal Communication: Non-verbal communication is communication without words. Facial express is the most important means of communicating non-verbally. By looking at the face one can say whether a person likes or dislikes, understands or not. It can also express emotional state like happiness or despair. The body language communicates a lot in communication. It is ready to ready to read but at the same time easy to misinterpret.

iiii.

Listening: One person talks another person listen. The listener must pay attention to all that is said without interrupting the speaker and react later. People mostly listen, but do not understand the full message. Some people react to only half of what is said. Some people listen “selectively”, and miss much of the message. Sometimes we do no problem in communication and understanding.

Coping with Emotion and Stress: Emotions form an integral part of our life. We feel happy, loved, sad, fearful and jealous, etc. all human beings have emotions, which is normal. Coping with emotions is a Life Skills which is very important for living a healthy, peaceful, harmonous and successful life. A well adjusted and mentally healthy and peaceful person is the one who is able to keep his or her emotions under control. Importance of Coping with Emotions: a.

Peace in the world.

b.

Better skills for resolution of conflicts.

c.

Improvement in interpersonal skills.

d.

Decrease in violence and crime.

e.

Improved problem solving.

f.

Better coping with anxiety.

g.

Better impulse control.

Stress is a common phenomenon. It is also universal in nature. Stress falls into four categories: thought, feeling, and behaviour and physical symptoms. a.

Thoughts: Self-Criticism, difficulty in making decisions, fear of failure, repetitive thoughts, forgetfulness etc.

b.

Feeling: Anxiety irritability, fear, moodiness, embarrassment.

c.

Behaviour: Difficulty in speaking, crying, grinding teeth, increased or decreased appetite, alcohol or drug use does not feel like talking to anyone etc.

d.

Physical symptom: Tense muscles, headache, back or neck problems, abdominal problems, sleep disturbance, fatigue, trembling, dry mouth etc. 179

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Stress is unique and personal to each of us. What is relaxing to one person may be stressful to another. Too much stress can have physical and psychological effects that interfere with health and well being of an individual. Ways to manage stress: There are many way to manage stress. We need to find out ways that work best. Some methods include: a.

Deep breathing: Stress causes us to breathe quickly and causes more stress. We should take deep slow breath. Breathe in through nose and count as we breathe out through mouth.

b.

Talk it out: When we feel stressed share the feelings with a friend, family member or a relative or a teacher so that we can solve the problem and give a new perspective.

c.

Movement: Physical activity can reduce and prevent stress. When one feels nervous, angry, upset, release the pressure through exercise or physical activity, running stretching, walking can be done anywhere. Playing with children or a pet, like dog, can relieve stress, make relax and energies the body.

d.

Take care of the body: Adequate sleep and healthy food give energy to mind as well as the body. Well nourished bodies are better able to cope with stress.

e.

Laugh: Laughter is good to cope with the stress for some persons.

f.

Physical comfort: Be physically comfortable according to the situation. For example to wear comfortable clothes, go somewhere if it is too hot or move if the chair is uncomfortable etc.

g.

Take a break: Allow oneself reasonable breaks when things seem difficult. Take a walk or change the scene.

h.

Managing time: Make a realistic schedule and include time for stress reduction as a regular part of one’s schedule.

i.

Know the limits: There are certain circumstances in life which are beyond control. If a situation is beyond control and cannot be changed at the moment, learn to accept it as for now, until such time when things can be changed.

j.

Have a good cry: A good cry can be healthy way to bring relief from stress to somebody. However, crying every time is not good. It can be a sign of depression.

k.

Talk less and listen more: Listening banishes stress.

l.

Look for the things around: Good things around can be positive or enjoyable moments.

m.

Co-operation or Compromise: Always consider co-operation or compromise rather than confrontation. It reduces stress and helps everyone feel more comfortable. 180

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Coping with stress means recognizing the sources of stress in our lives recognizing how this affects us physically and emotionally and finding out ways that help control the levels of stress, by changing the environment or life style and how to relax. 10.

Resolving Conflict: Conflict is natural and happens in any relationship. Conflict is unavoidable. We must learn to manage it. We face with conflicts with the people who think and act differently than we do or in ways that are different from our values and beliefs. Tips for conflict resolution: i.

Don’t react: If we keep our emotions under control we have a better chance of hearing what other person is trying to say.

ii.

Listen carefully without interrupting: Ask questions and wait for and listen to answers.

iii.

Communicate clearly and respectfully so that our view can be understood.

iv.

Move towards resolving the situation and away from justifying our position.

v.

Stay focused on the topic at hand.

vi.

Try to find a solution that is acceptable to both the parties.

vii.

Look forward and not backward. Stay in the present and plan for the future, do not think of the past.

Conclusion: Education promotes knowledge, values and behaviour. They evolve and grow in a process of creative interchange. One of the aims of teacher education is effect change in behaviour among students. The change must be peaceful and harmonious i.e. all aspects of child’s personality, namely physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, moral and aesthetic should be developed. This aim is based on the psychological foundations which assert that each child is born with some skills, aptitudes and capacities. To develop his individuality in a balanced and effective way, harmonious development of all aspects of his personality is a must. It is with such harmonious development of his inherent powers that he will be able to play his part in life and achieve success in all fields.

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Relevance of African Human Values to Peace and Harmony Based Education Mr. Habyarimana Heli Rwanda

Abstract Today’s human mindset is overwhelmed by individualistic and capitalist thinking, which, in different parts of the world, leads to conflicts of interest, wars and other forms of disparities among people. There is a strong need to equip current and future generation, especially teachers, with education that promotes the culture of peace and harmony, and consequently, could bring about people’s change of mind for a much better humanity. This article assumes that knowledge and application of African human values and forms of social harmony in education could promote harmony and equilibrium not only in Africa but also all over the world. It aims at raising education practitioners’ awareness of principles, values and morals found in African society, and which could inspire them to promote and safeguard peace and harmony in the society they serve. In fact, African socialism, communalism and communitarianism confer on Africans the values of unity of being, familyhood or consanguinity, openness, mutual commitment and cooperation, interdependence, and the umbilical linkage with and between generations. Moreover, these moral principles have been actually influencing peoples’ lives through the determination of the concept of good and bad, right and wrong, humanism, humanity, brotherhood, and the notion of the common good. It is in this regard that, from the aforementioned principles, that the concept of Ubuntu / b ntu / has spread in different parts of Africa, Ujamaa / d a’ma:/, Harambee / haram’be:/ and Fihavanana /fihavanana/ have been significant in East Africa, the notion of Tiboa /tibYa/ and ibuanyidanda /ib aKjidanda/ have dominated the W est Africa, and ubupfura / b ’pf ra/ has characterised Rwanda. Indeed, they have been reflected in African languages, philosophy, thoughts, morals and everyday practices. Thus, their effective integration in education could probably shape and sharpen a peace and harmony based thinking among current and future generations. The question here is how the African human values should work hand in hand with the principles of education in order to produce persons of integrity likely to contribute to the institutionalisation of peace and harmony. There is the intention of the present article is to point out relationships between these African values and peace-based education as well as explore implications for one another for the common good of Africa and the humanity. 182

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Key words African moral values, ‘ubuntu’, ‘ujamaa’, ‘harambee’, ‘fihavanana’, ‘tiboa’, ‘ibuanyidanda’, ‘ubupfura’, peace, harmony, education, teacher trainee.

Introduction Humanity has never needed more teaching and practice of peace and harmony than today. Current news and information are dominated more by wars, fratricide and tribal, national and international conflicts which have been tearing apart the human fabric at different levels. Thus, to internalise positive peace and harmony, efforts have been made by different institutions, political, governmental and non-governmental, religious and civil society, only to cite some of them, but they have not achieved a significant result yet. This failure could be linked to the fact that some endeavours have been interest-driven, and others have been partially implemented, or inadequately fitted in certain situations. Moreover, plenty of initiatives missed the target or were directed at the wrong one. As a matter of alternative, education has been thought of as an important actor to bring about peace and harmony-oriented consciousness, especially with the contribution of teachers. In fact, peace and harmony could be effectively implemented if teacher education was restructured with that purpose. Indeed, since education in general and teacher education in particular are closely linked with different domains of everyday life, success in the domain should impact on global success of peace endeavours. The main concern is then how to impart relevant peace and harmony-oriented skills and to create as well as to raise awareness among teachers and teacher trainees for undertaking practical activities aiming at promoting and enhancing peace and harmony in their homeland. To answer the question, a recourse to human values, as specified in African culture and practice, could be proposed as one alternative among others. The following paragraphs explore ways in which African socialism, communalism and communitarianism, as linked with unity of being, familyhood or consanguinity, openness, mutual commitment and co-operation, and interdependence, should serve as ingredients of peace and harmony education not only for African teacher trainees but also for the world of teachers in general. Specifically, the crucial interrogation lies in how the African concepts of Ubuntu / b ntu /, Ujamaa / d a’ma:/, Harambee /haram’be:/, Fihavanana / fihavanana, Tiboa /tibYa/, ibuanyidanda /ib aKjidanda/, and ubupfura / b ’pf ra/ could shape positive peace and harmony among teacher trainees, and thus contribute to building ‘educated human beings’ with the mindset of peace and harmony.

Current need for peace and harmony-based education Peace and harmony are among the imperatives for world survival, and their scarcity could lead to failed efforts at development and social stability. Okoro (2010, 139) stressed the aspect of ‘‘peace as a precondition for human development’’ to justify the reason why 183

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several methods have been introduced to handle peace in different corners of the world. As far as education is concerned, Chenge (2006) in Sifuna et al.(2006, 162) described it as ‘‘a process of liberation by which human beings are prepared to be able to free themselves from the limitations imposed on them by the physical world, to which they belong’’. As soon as people become free, they may are likely to take responsibility of their peaceful destiny and harmonious living. In brief, ‘‘education not only frees human beings from constraints but also frees them to act humanly’’. This aligns with and contributes to ‘shaping an educated human being’ enthusiastic about peace and harmony-oriented life. Today educational system is alleged to divert from the mission of making peace to the benefit of other interests. Woolman (2001, 28) deplored that ‘‘economism has become a dominant force influencing education policy […and thus] education is regarded as a key to economic development’’ at the expense of being a tool for peace and harmony. In this sense, attributes of economic development such as mutual rivalry, national and international instability and competition, and harsh rush to investment only to state some of them, have gained space in education through different subjects taught. Moreover, while they were discussing the issue of education and training of teachers in Africa particularly, Karugu (2006) in Sifuna et al. (2006, 364-369) challenged the teacher training system of which major concerns were limited to the matter of curriculum to be taken by teacher trainees and qualifications to be awarded at completion of the training rather than values to be imparted and internalised. In fact, a teacher education has been thought of in terms of scientific knowledge to the detriment of humane knowledge which includes peace and harmony. Bearing in mind the important mission of education as shaping of an educated human being, there is a need to reconstruct education so as to meet the mission of peace and harmony promotion. Berckson (1940) in Woolman (2001, 40) proposed a ‘reconstructionist philosophy’ of education and the school system which would transform it into ‘‘an agency for social improvement’’. In this regard, education should determine ‘‘the type of social order needed to preserve fundamental human ideals in the context of changing the future world’’, and it is undoubted that the most important social order needed is based on peace and harmony among world citizens. Looking at school/education objectives and vision along eras, Schlechty (1990, 34) highlighted that ‘‘given that our present system of schooling was designed to meet the needs of first an agrarian rural society and then an urban industrial society, it should not be surprising to find there is a need to redesign our schools [and it is that] fundamental reconceptualization of the purpose and vision that will provide the framework out of which restructured schools might emerge to meet the needs of the twenty-first century’’. Peace and harmony take the priority place in terms of the needs of the century. In this process of education restructuring, Schlechty (1990, 11) had earlier stated that ‘‘restructuring requires that all who participate in the life of the school [education] unlearn 184

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many things that have been taught in the past and learn new skills and abilities’’. In this regard, leaders, teachers and students should play their role to achieve the target. For the current specific case, the focus should be on teachers as important stakeholders in achieving first and then prompting peace and harmony through the restructured peace-based educational system. As suggested by UNESCO (1994, 50) in the practical guide for the implementation of the recommendation concerning education for international understanding, cooperation and peace and education relating to human rights and fundamental freedoms, a pedagogy of peace should be applied within the restructured education. The former one should integrate inseparably theoretical frameworks and practical approaches to teaching peace such as education for peace and disarmament, human rights education, internationalistic education, and environmental education. In this framework, peace should be understood as harmony within ‘a person’s inner self and of interpersonal relations’ at all levels, absence of animosity, unity, protection of the natural, social and spiritual environment of human beings, as well as the ability to effectively handle conflicts. Therefore, the restructured educational system, in this view, responds to the importance of social human values to/in education. Defined by Sifuna et al. (2006, 236) as ‘‘beliefs that something is worthwhile and desirable’’, values are ‘‘crucial for the survival of human societies’’, and thus they should be ‘‘learned and accepted by all society members’’ starting by teachers and learners. The above arguments join the statement by the manifesto of the South African Values in Education Steering Group (2001, 3) as values serve as ‘‘the common currency that makes life meaningful, and the normative principles that ensure ease of life lived in common’’. Thus, since education does not exist simply to serve the market, but to serve the society, instilling values in teacher trainees and students should make a useful ingredient to form a peaceful and harmonious humanity as well through the promotion of tolerance, respect and dignity (Values in Education Steering Group 1994, 30). Socialisation is the proper term to express this inculcation of values in teachers and students for the purpose of peace and harmony. So, what should be the role of the school in this process? Sifuna et al. (2006, 239) stressed that ‘‘the school is the first formal institution for socialisation that an individual is exposed to’’, and this is done through three main channels namely ‘the content of the formal school curriculum, values and attitudes of the teacher, and the degree to which teachers act as positive role models for the students’. However, current educational system has failed to consider moral values as important part of the curriculum and has put them in the background. Wainaina (2006) in Sifuna et al. (2006, 140) pointed out two important reasons namely the misunderstanding of the nature and importance of values in society on the one hand, and prioritising non-moral values at the expense of moral values on the other hand. This explains the reason why the reconceptualization of education and teacher training should highly consider the importance of moral values to peace and harmony-based education. What about African moral values? 185

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Educating for peace and harmony through African moral values and principles of education While discussing the relevance of African community values of peace and harmony based education, it is worth looking at how Africans have viewed peace and harmony. Godfrey Igwebuike Onah (2008, 6-13), in his essay on the meaning of peace in African traditional education and religion, stated that peace was seen as ‘fullness of life’, ‘the result of harmonious living’, and ‘a precondition for progress’. In other words, peace involves ‘‘effective integration of human, spiritual, material and social aspects all together, which conveys to human beings the ability to reconcile their desires with means, and the capacity to coordinate their thoughts, sentiments and their verbal expressions’’. If these preconditions are met, people may think of true and sustainable progress. In this perspective, African socialism, communalism and communitarianism have been shaping peace and harmony among citizens. The principles entail values of African unity of being, familyhood or consanguinity, openness, mutual commitment, co-operation and interdependence. Their integration in and characterisation of at least all facets of social life, as well as their adoption in and application to education, should undoubtedly result in forming ‘educated human beings’ starting from teachers to learners. African socialism is thought in terms of ‘‘sharing resources in an African traditional way and in all aspects of life’’. The concept has been in opposition to ‘negative individualism and egocentrism’, rather prompting ‘sharing the common fate’ among people. In addition, Odimegwu (2009), framed communalism in terms of ‘a sense of communion’, ‘feeling involved with others’ resulting into the consciousness that ‘human being belongs as an integral entity’. Moreover, in Africa, the community has had priority over the individual (Menkiti, 1984) as stressed by Mbiti’s statement (1990, 171) ‘‘I am because we are, and since we are, therefore I am’’ thereby emphasising the African communitarian ethos which runs counter to selfhood and individuality. Practically speaking, the aforementioned principles and values have been integrated and practised in real social life through a number of concepts all over Africa. Let us look at Ubuntu / b ntu /, Ujamaa / d a’ma:/ , Harambee /haram’be:/, Fihavanana / fihavanana/, Tiboa /tibYa/, ibuanyidanda /ib aKjidanda/, and ubupfura / b ’pf ra/ and their ways of building peace and harmony in real life in general and shaping peace and harmony based education. First, the concept of ubuntu has widespread in so many parts of Africa, especially ‘the Bantu region’. Louw (1998) stated that the concept of ubuntu entails the fact that individuals live in their several relationships with others as stated by the original definition quoted from the Zulu maxim umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu (a person is a person through (other) persons). So many personalities like Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu (South Africa) used the concept and the philosophy while they were exhorting citizens of their interconnectedness and their living as a community. The concept further gave to the philosophy ‘ubuntuism’ of 186

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which maxim is ‘‘to be human is to affirm one’s humanity by recognizing the humanity of others and, on that basis, establish respectful human relations with them’’. In other countries like Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and Uganda, ubuntu has got the meaning of ‘‘human characteristics of generosity’’, and/or ‘‘human’s essence or humaneness towards others in the community ‘’. Second, the concept of ujamaa (from a Kiswahili word meaning ‘extended family’) was developed in Tanzania in 1960s. The late President Julius Kambarage Nyerere (1922-1999) put it as ‘‘an African socio-economic model for development’’ based on the thought that ‘‘a person becomes a person through the people or community’’ which thereby joins the characteristics of ‘familyhood’ and ‘consanguinity’ of Africans. In this respect, people with ujamaa are ready to help others, and if they are rich, they support the needy co-citizens so as to improve their life. By implication, educators with ujamaa are probably important actors of peace and harmony since they assume the responsibility for mutual support and development. Thirdly, the concept of harambee (from Kiswahili word meaning ‘let us all pull together’) was adopted to express unity of people towards a worthy end in the neighbouring country Kenya. Referring to Njeri (1998), harambee ‘‘embodies ideas of mutual assistance, joint effort, mutual social responsibility and community self-reliance’’. In this view, ‘‘principles of collective good go far beyond individual gain’’. The spirit of harambee has guided the general social life of Kenyans and has prompted them to achieve so many endeavours as a result of their collective efforts as well as their ‘self-help’. Thus, education to harambee should lead to full commitment to responding to challenges and sharing opportunities in a holistic and sustainable way. In other terms, people’s interconnectedness and mutual help for the common good should foster the spirit of promoting peace and harmony. They should even constitute a foundation of peaceful and harmonious living since people are less eager for their individualistic interests than common and shared interests. Fourth, the culturally rooted, well known and respected fihavanana has prevailed in Madagascar. For Dahl (1999, 85), the concept has a wide range of meaning including ‘‘kinship, friendship, solidarity, readiness to help, and good relationship’’. They are expressed as rights and duties of all members of the community. Moreover, the very deep meaning of fihavanana is ‘‘a synonym of peace and harmony’’, and it aims ‘‘to make friends, to conciliate’’. Therefore, educating to fihavanana equals educating to peace and harmony, and teacher trainees who have fihavanana should be minded to promote peace and harmony in their community. Fifthly, a look at the West Africa leads to the concepts of tiboa and ibuanyidanda. Originating from Akan people (in Ghana and Ivory Coast especially), the concept of tiboa was conceived as ‘‘an individual conscience or moral sense’’ urging to moral practice. Gyekye (1987, 142) attributed to tiboa ‘‘to influence a person’s moral choice, decision, response, and attitude’’ 187

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and thus inducing an individual sense of right and wrong. Consequently, people who fail to comply with community morals and rules have their tiboa ‘dead’ whereas people of integrity have their tiboa ‘active’ and ‘alive’. Undoubtedly, promoting peace and harmony should be achieved if people had this conscience of always doing right. In the same line of view, Igbo people of Nigeria have developed the ideology of ibuanyidanda as ‘social solidarity’. Okoro (2010, 148) specified it as ‘‘the central moral education […] which emphasises complementarity as a philosophy of social living’’. In fact, individuals do exist only because they belong to a community and in interconnectedness with one another. Thus, ‘a humanistic society’ is brought about only when people feel this belongingness to a community in which they are aware of their interdependence for their common survival. We could wonder whether the current world does not need to inculcate in teachers this spirit of complementarity as put by ibuanyidanda philosophy. The answer will be obviously positive with enough supportive arguments. Last, the Rwandan concept of ubupfura has been integrating and considering all best practices aiming at promoting human dignity, humaneness, social wellbeing, and good cohabitation, which lead to ‘‘the edification of a collective destiny’’. Bujo and Muya (2006, 39) associated the Rwandan ubupfura with the Burundian Ubushingantahe / ubu’ i:K an’ ta:he/ to express a combination of such human values as perfection, secrecy, self-control, politeness, faithfulness, courage, and compassion, which make a person appreciated in the community. Therefore, a society with ubupfura is harmonious whereas a society lacking it is inhuman. In this respect, promoting ubupfura not only in education but also in other facets of everyday life should result in shaping a peaceful and harmonious community. To sum up the above principles, values and concepts, it is obvious that their focus is mainly on shaping a human being who exists only in harmony with the community. In other words, the existence of an individual makes sense when he/she is integrated in the wide network of the community, and individuals are called upon to seek their conformity with best practices as set by the society in order to be ‘human’. They contribute to the achievement of that crucial endeavour of the formation of people from ‘the inhuman stage’ towards ‘humanity’, and this is the core concern of education from its etymology. We may seek to know how these African principles and values, in their being what they are, could work hand in hand with principles of education to serve the purpose of producing ‘an educated human being’. To start with, a reference to Nahl and James (1979) and their reminder of some principles of education as earlier put by Rudolf Steiner in The roots of education (1924) is hereby worthy making. In fact, education first builds and shapes the social person with both national and universal citizenship (the pragmatic principle) from a ‘sub-human’ state also termed ‘the fall of man’ to ‘a full humanity’ through the ‘humanisation process’ (the principle of ethical physiology, the principle of collectivity and the principle of fall of man) for which 188

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responsibility is taken by teachers (principle of dependence). Moreover, learners ought to develop ‘a social feeling’ and ‘an understanding for others’ (the principle of education for social life). Last, the end of the process is to make learners ‘be completely human’ (the principle of humanity) in other words people with ‘‘a living interest, devotion and sympathy with others’’. It is obviously clear that both African moral values and principles of education work towards the common goal of ‘the humanisation of a person’ so as to fit the society. Okoro (2010, 146-147) quoting Ntahobari and Ndayiziga (2005) stressed this common endeavour of African social values and education in the sense that, in African tradition society education, children were taught ‘‘the principles of community living centred around themes of moderation, solidarity, respect for truth and willingness to work and strive for self and community advancement, respect for authority, sense of honesty, modesty, tolerance, sense of goodness and kindness, love of one’s neighbour, and respect for life’’. It is thereby evident that education and values were intertwined and have merged for the common purpose. Besides, since this is still valid for the current African society and the world in general, it is imperative for the current society to go back to the roots of African values and revitalise values to education and education to values. Moreover, the content of African values jointly with principles of education, fulfil the guiding principles of the UNESCO recommendation concerning Education for International Understanding, Cooperation and Peace and Education relating to Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (1974) especially where nations were urged to formulate and apply in education policies aiming at increasing efficacy of education to the maintenance of peace, establishment of social justice, and respect of fundamental human rights. In this regard, African values should play their role and brand their significance to the building of a peaceful and harmonious world through their application in education. Meanwhile, what could happen if the above stated values in education were lacking? Nothing else except a terrible mess. In this respect, Okoro (2010, 153) cautioned about the neglect of African moral values in education, which could make people ‘rootless’ in the modern world which ‘‘does not support morality’’. This has been giving a serious cause of concern since, from time to time, these values have been drastically waning and vanishing on the one hand and on the other, ‘‘individualism has gained the throne, geocentricism and selfishness have become driving force, personal interest and subdued common interest, and competition has taken over cooperation and collaboration’’. Therefore, time has come to take necessary actions for revitalising and revalorising moral values in education and teacher training. All in all, from traditional African education to current modern education, values have been of an utmost importance to inculcate best practices in people in order to shape their humaneness in the society. African values have been proven relevant to this endeavour of taking a person from ‘the fall of man’ to an ‘educated human being’. The question remains about how the values should be integrated in the current school system and curriculum, and the weight they should be given in the current industrial and economy-oriented society. 189

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Conclusion To recap, each society has principles and values guiding social cohabitation and mutual consideration of one another. African Ubuntu, ujamaa, harambee, fihavanana, tiboa, ibuanyidanda and ubupfura have been making the core content of African traditional education many years ago, and their relevance has been proven to be positive. Societies have established them, each on its behalf, to function as people’s guidelines towards harmonious cohabitation and social advancement. Pursuant to the utmost purpose of education, namely shaping and producing ‘an educated human being’, it is obvious that the current educational system needs insight from social values to supplement ‘the formal scientific knowledge’. This merger should probably result into a symbiosis of ‘a human’ who fits the community. The challenge remains, however, the level of readiness possessed by today’s educational system which has been leaning more to individualism and self-interest than the community common good. Supposing that African values merge with education and are effectively integrated in teacher training, what could be thereafter their potential to create and promote peace and harmony? The history should probably provide an answer. In different parts of the world, education has been thought as ‘‘a powerful weapon to use to change the world’’ and a teacher has been considered as ‘powerful agent of change’. Thus, the world could optimistically expect peace and harmony from ‘educated to values’ teachers and other products of education.

References Bujo, B. and Muya, J. I. 2006. African theology in the 21st century: the contribution of the pioneers. Nairobi: Paulines Publications Africa. Dahl, O. 1999. Meanings in Madagascar: cases of intercultural communication. London: Bergin &Hervey. Gyekye, K. 1987. An Essay on African Philosophical Thought: The Akan Conceptual Scheme. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Mbiti, J.S. 1990. African Religions and Philosophy. London:Heinemann. Nahl, D. and James, L. 1979. Summary of Rudolf Steiner’s Principles of Education. Unpublished essay. University of Hawaii. Njeri, C.S. 1998. The harambee movement in Kenya. The role played by Kenyans and the government in the provision of education and other social services. Unpublished report. Moi University. Nyerere, J.K. 1970. Ujamaa. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Okoro, K.N. 2010. African Traditional Education: A Viable Alternative for Peace Building Process in Modern Africa. Journal of Alternative Perspectives in the Social Sciences 2 (1):136-159 Onah, G.I. 2008. The meaning of peace in African traditional religion and culture. Unpublished essay. Pontifical Urban University. 190

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Schlechty, P.C. 1990. Schools for the 21st Century. Leadership imperatives for educational reform. San Fransisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Sifuna, D.N., Chenge, F.H. and Oanda, I.O. 2006. Themes in the study of the foundations of education. Nairobi: The Jomo Kenyatta Foundation. The Values in Education Steering Group. 2001. Manifesto on Values, Education and Democracy. Unpublished report. Pretoria. UNESCO. 1994. International practical guide on the implementation of the Recommendation concerning education for international understanding, co-operation and peace and education relating to human rights and fundamental freedoms. Unpublished report. Paris. Woolman, D.C. 2001. Educational reconstruction and post-colonial curriculum development: A comparative study of four African countries. International Education Journal 2 (5): 27-46.

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Sociology, Multicultural Communities and Culture of Peace Marcos Estrada University of Warwick, Department of Sociology Coventry, CV4 7AL, United Kingdom

Preparing peace teachers and peace workers in the community has acquired a new dimension in the last decades. Nowadays, the goal of teaching has been recognised to be the value of teaching for peace, either for its maintenance or peace building. In order to understand the dynamics of our surrounding community, we can look at different aspects of the community, from a diverse range of lenses. Each view, in each different context, may have a different perception of social aspects comprised in their broad local and national environment. The larger this “environment” become, for example in the so-called transnational communities, the more aspects are drawn into consideration and more complex they become. More than ever, we live, commute and work with people from different ethnic and religious backgrounds, from different cultures. Although it may be perceived as a challenge by many, it is an opportunity for acquiring new knowledge, deconstruct ungrounded myths and to enhance social integration towards a peaceful environment. In order to understand the social dynamics of societies, the perspective of Mills (1959) that ‘sociological imagination enables its possessor to understand the larger scene in terms of its meaning for the inner life and the external career of a variety of individuals’ can be assumed (p.5). It is known that all aspects of our lives are interconnected, our inner life and a career belong to us, as a social interaction. Understanding our community elucidates questions that can impact in a positive or negative way in everyday social interaction. Sociology, as the study of society, offers the opportunity to looks at the social aspects and attempts to understand the way humans live in their social environment. Sociology looks at human activities in relation to social relations. The world has changed with the increase of the phenomenon called globalisation that makes communities, previously quite homogenous, to be a more multicultural places than ever. The future of globalisation is still uncertain, but an undeniable fact is that globalisation is here and will stay and further develop and make societies more diverse than it was ever seen. In order to exemplify the statement that communities are more diverse than ever, one can look at the people living in communities in the border region of Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina – commonly known as the “triple border”. It is a wide border space with people from 192

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different nationalities and cultures, not only from the mentioned countries, but also includes Europeans, Central Americans, Asians and Arabs immigrants, sometimes living in colonies in the region. Amongst the people in the regions, we can find people of all ages, infants, children, adolescents and adults, who have different needs. According to a report from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF, 2005) ‘Paraguay and Argentina has a significant presence of children and adolescents that migrate with their family from bordering countries (Brazilians and Argentineans in Paraguay, and Paraguayans and Brazilians in Argentina) (p.20-1)’. This report brings to light the fact that children and adolescents can receive education in a bordering country and construct a multicultural identify. Either in the formal, informal or non-formal educational setting, peace teachers and other professionals have to be aware of this fact and deal with it. The region, seen by both countries in the 70s as a region vital for integration and peace, is today represented as Bourdieu (1997) puts it, as a “difficult place” (p.11), where peace is at stake and conflicts between different groups have emerged. Brazilian immigrants are today seen as a “problem”. However, it is important to recall that they were stimulated to come to the region as a “solution” to populate the region. A range of experiences, including past and present sociological interactions, have played a role in the life of people living in multicultural communities in the regions. Sociological facts are playing their role in the current situation and in moulding the future. In this case, it is also important to recall that between 1864 and 1870, a major military conflict took place in this border region viz. the “Paraguay War”. As it is still relatively recent, and it caused more fatalities than any other conflict in modern times for killing most of its male population in Paraguay, the loss in all sides has not yet been forgotten by Paraguayans, nor by Brazilians and Argentineans. In the same context, Castles and Miller (2009) reinforce the view that history plays an important role in multicultural communities; they add that ‘experiences, cultural values, religious beliefs, institutions and social structures all channel and shape the effects of external forces, leading to forms of change and resistance that bring about very different outcomes in specific communities or societies’ (p.57). It has been seen that Brazilian immigrants in Paraguay, as well as Paraguayans, have been crossing the border to seek services in Brazil, not only education as briefly discussed, but also public services as health services including neonatal, and even social assistance that is considered to be better in Brazil than in Paraguay. Therefore, the ongoing organic process of multiculturalisation, the formation of new and multicultural communities, is constant. According to the theories of Arnold and Fawcett (1987), the formation of multicultural communities is an aspect of migration resulting from ‘state-to-state relations and comparisons, mass culture connections and family and social networks’(pp.456-457). It is suggested that past connections, immigration during other periods, common cultural values, amongst other bilateral factors may serve as the foundation for multiculturalisation, not only for the formation of multicultural spaces between Brazil and Paraguay, but in other parts of the world. The presence of multicultural social aspects may be strengthened by new arrivals. Therefore, policy makers and educators must work towards addressing them, not expecting them to simply fade away. Handlin (1973) cited in Basch et al. (2000), when referring to the movement of people from one country to another, recalls that it is easy to think of a group of 193

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people settling in a new country, acquiring a new culture and rupturing with their “old life” (p.4). Nevertheless, a rupture with the home land is gradual, and many times not complete. Although existence of these “multi-cultures in one” community is not a new phenomenon, the dynamics has presented sociology with new issues to be studied and addressed. Sociology has culture, peace and conflict inherent in it, and as a discipline it serves as a way to understand human social activity. We have already witnessed two world wars, and many other wars that have destroyed many societies and affected the world in different ways, although not considered to be world wars. It is important that all, either classified as “ordinary citizens”, “civilians”, “politicians”, “academics”, “policy makers”, “students” or by any other classification for the sake of being place somewhere in society, have an understanding of peace and its detriments. In the last decades, along with the many conflicts, numerous, reports and publications were written by governments and “Peace Organisations” seeking to understand, discuss, and even prevent future conflict, especially in multicultural societies as if they were a possible threat to world peace; they have, however, not prevented new conflicts. It was conceived that a new educational approach is required; education has since long time ago been reshaped in different ways seeking to address the necessity for a more peace lasting curriculum concentrated on the current demands of multicultural constructions in the 21st century. The civil society has strengthened its authority in many parts of the world and grassroots genuinely based at the community level, have appeared across the globe. It was seen that a peace curriculum is a significant and valuable pedagogy to prepare students to take action for themselves (Cabezudo and Reardon, 2002). This view is reinforced by Darling - Hammond (2010). She wisely points out that ‘[t]he process of managing decisions and solving social and scientific problems in contemporary democracies is growing ever more complex . . . students [must] learn, create and invent the new world they are entering’ (pp.2-3). A form of consciousness, that allows us to understand human behaviour within the context of the group and social structure is needed (Berger, 1963). Social structures shapes and are shaped by collective human actions, as is peace. Although sociologists around the world are not fully agreed on the definition of culture, it is not discussed that culture embraces social values. Peace is another topic subject to a wide discussion; its definition, whether we should educate for peace, or peace cannot be taught, but acquired through life experience, are still subject to debate. To combine culture and peace may be even more complex. Nevertheless, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), proclaimed the year 2000 as the International Year for the Culture of Peace (UN Doc, 1998, A/RES/52/15) and the period ranging from 2001 to 2010 as the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World 2001-2010 (UN Doc, 1998, A/RES/53/25). Along with the launch of the Decade was created the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace (UN Doc, 1999, A/RES/53/243) to build and sustain a culture of peace through education. It was recognised that ‘peace is not only the absence of conflict, but also requires a positive, dynamic participatory process where dialogue is encouraged and conflicts are solved in a spirit of mutual understanding and cooperation’ (p.2). The Declaration and 194

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Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace not only recognise, but, for the first time, UNESCO calls for a global movement for a Culture of Peace. Despite the launch of the International Year for a Culture of Peace, the Decade for a Culture of Peace along with the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace, UNESCO did not report many actions during this period. Although they have reinforced the importance for a Culture of Peace, the actions laid entirely in the hands of unknown peace teachers and workers, ordinary citizens and civil society organisations. A sample of the many initiatives carried by the unknown peace workers and civil society organisations during this period was not carried by UN, or any other of its agencies such as UNESCO, or any international peace organisation, but by a group of youth from ten countries, the Youth Team for a Culture of Peace. Voluntarily, with no funding or institutional support at all, they started September 2009, working towards the elaboration of a report on the Decade for a Culture Peace. Afterwards, as expected, in December 2009, the United Nations General Assembly, in its sixty-forth session made an important request 17. Further requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its sixty-fifth session [in 2010] a summary report on the activities carried out in the past ten years by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and other United Nations entities, Member States and civil society, including non-governmental organizations, to promote and implement the Programme of Action (UN Doc, 2009, A/ RES/64/80). Although the Secretary-General has not submitted to the General Assembly a report in the sixty-fifth session, in 2010, the Youth Team for a Culture of Peace produced a report the Final Civil Society on the UN International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence for the Children of the World (2001-2010), based on 1064 responses from over 100 countries (Estrada et al., 2010). The Report was submitted to the SecretaryGeneral of the United Nations and all individual responses were made available online (see website www.decade-culture-of-peace.org ). The report summarised the actions carried by peace teachers and Peace workers around the world, either working in the local community or at the international level. In addition, the civil society members were asked to provide information on their networks. After the Report was concluded, the next step was to strengthen the Culture of Peace New Network to continue informing about Culture of Peace around the world; thus youth from around the world have been invited to submit Culture of Peace news to be shared and spread online (see website www.cpnn-world.org ). Sociology is an important platform for understanding the current social issues, which should lead humanity to reflect and act upon pressing issues, such as peace, and to educate for people their role. As Brewer recalls in his book Peace Processes: a Sociological Approach (2010), ‘Charles Wright Mills once said that sociology cannot save the world - adding the caveat, however, that he saw no harm in trying’ (Brewer, 2010, p.207). The objective of the Report was also not to save the world; it has, however, not caused any harm in demonstrating 195

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the social engagement around the world for peace as a value that will guide humanity for achieving harmony. As part of the process of educating for a Culture of Peace, civil society members and organisations have played the major role, and the youth have been at the lead for more peaceful societies. The Decade for a Culture of Peace was valuable, but by itself had no value, the value came from worldwide initiatives carried by peace teachers and peace workers around the world educating for peace. The path to address issues in multicultural communities, not only in the example given in this short paper, is the mobilisations of civil society members. Education seeking a Culture of Peace has to be understood in a wide context by peace teachers and ordinary citizens, in the formal, non-formal and informal setting. Peace and harmony will not be achieved by inefficient diplomatic moves, but with the mobilisation of civil society members to understand the blended combination of different characteristics of a Culture of Peace; they can provide a revolution of thinking that would make peace a genuine social aspect of the world.

Bibliography Albuquerque, J. L. C. (2005). Fronteiras em Movimento e Identidades Nacionais: a Imigração Brasileira no Paraguai. Ph.D. Universidade Federal do Ceará. Albuquerque, J. L. C. (2009). A Dinâmica das Fronteiras: Deslocamento e Circulação dos “Brasiguaios” entre os Limites Nacionais. Albuquerque, J. L. C. (2010). A Dinâmica das Fronteiras: os Brasiguaios na Fronteira entre o Brasil e o Paraguai. 1st ed. São Paulo: Annablume. Arnold, F. and Fawcett, J. T. (1987). Explaninig Diversity: Asian and Pacific Immigration System In: Fawcett, J. T. and Cariño, B. V. (eds.) Facific Bridges: The new immigration from Asia and the Pacific islands. New Yourk: Center for Immigration Studies. Basch, L., Schiller, N. G. and Blanc, C. S. (2000). Nations Unbound: Transnational Projects, Postcolonial Predicaments, and Deterritorialized Nation-States. Amsterdam: Gordon and Breach Publishers. Bourdieu, P. A. (1997). A Misèria do Mundo. Petrópolis: Vozes. Brewer, J. D. (2010). Peace Processes : a Sociological Approach. Cambridge: Polity. Bylander, J. and Rose, S. (2007). Border Crossings: Engaging Students in Diversity Work and Intergroup Relations. Innovative Higher Education 31 (5), pp.251-264. Cabezudo, A. and Reardon, B. (2002). Rationale for and Approaches to Peace Education Learning to abolish War: Teaching Toward a Culture of Peace. New York. Castles, S. and Miller, M. J. (2009). The Age of Migration: International Population Movements in the Modern World. 4th ed. London: Macmillan. Darling - Hammond, L. (2010). The Flat World and Education: How America’s Commitment to Equity Will Determine our Future. New York: Teacher’s College Press. Estrada, M. et al. (2010). Final Civil Society Report on the United Nations International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence for the Children of the World (2001-2010).Forum 2010: Education, Research and Culture of Peace. Madrid: Fundación Cultura de Paz. 196

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Mills, C. W. (1959). The Sociological Imagination. New York: Oxford University. Sprandel, M. A. (2006). Brasileiros na Fronteira com o Paraguai. Estudos Avançados 20, pp.pp.137156. UNICEF (2005). Situação das e dos Adolescentes na Tríplice Fronteira entre Argentina, Brasil y Paraguay: Desafios e Recomendações. In: Sprandel, M. A., ed. Curitiba: Itaipú Binacional. United Nations (1998a). International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World (2001–2010).A/RES/53/25. United Nations (1998b). Proclamation of the Year 2000 as the International Year for the Culture of Peace.A/RES/52/15. United Nations (1999). Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace.A/RES/53/ 243. United Nations (2009). International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non- Violence for the Children of the World, 2001–2010.A/RES/64/80.

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Education for Youth Building a Harmonious World Nina Meyerhof, Ed.D.

We, of Children of the Earth, a non-profit UN NGO, work to “inspire and unite young people, through personal and social transformation, to create a peaceful and sustainable world”. Our belief is that one by one, this inspiration to explore the inner life will lead to being socially responsible and united for peace building The future generation, the inheritors of all our actions, is rarely given the tools to prepare for this life journey. We could help these young people now rather than later. Imagine if you did not have to reconstruct your past and peel away your life experiences. Imagine if you had been told, “just be yourself” and be loyal to your inner voice. Imagine if you had been given the tools to learn how to make and keep positive relationships with your friends and fellow human beings. What a wonderful world we would live in! “Children of the Earth” is recognized as a world leader in education for ethical consciousness and interfaith unity. We stand for how we live as a species of humankind on one Earth and in relation to the whole of the Universe.

One Earth….with all her Children smiling! We are learning from science that we are interdependent and interconnected as one life. In the awareness of consciousness, there is possibility to finally learn this fact. We are learning to understand that peace can exist not only as a state of being but also be the manifestation as a way of creating peace in our world. It is in our unity that we will be able to accept our diversity and finally find means to live together here on Mother Earth. In the past, education imitated culture. As global awareness and activity increases, the culture of the community becomes diffused. New Culture must emerge as living within a common Universe for survival of all species. Our work is based on Universal Ethics, Achieving Standards as Principles for guidelines and establishing global values and thus Harmony occurs. From years of experience of asking young people to delve into their inner nature and to discover the voice within, we at Children of the Earth noted that there were many commonalities in terms of how to live and what is meaningful. We asked youth at different meetings to distill this into a Code of Ethics that would be relevant to them as well as a 198

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message to others. What emerged is a universal set of ethics to which all agreed upon. They were willing to live by this code and to continually self-assess their behaviour to see if it aligned with it. Self-assessment and not need someone else to offer his or her judgment. We all know when we live in love, with trust, in honesty with truth as our guide, using our courage to be all of that seeking wisdom and still be a humble person. What a great human being to have as a role model!

Code of Ethics: Actions Based on Selflessness and Love LOVE - for the form, voice, thoughts and spirit of each person RESPECT - for differences HONESTY - of our feelings, thoughts and behaviors; to be transparent TRUTH - in feelings and thoughts COURAGE - to take a stand HUMILITY - to reflect inner peace WISDOM - to be a seeker

Guiding Principles z

Trust your intuition

z

Demonstrate dignity and respect

z

Communicate with honesty and clarity

z

Assume the good intentions of others

z

Support shared leadership

z

Celebrate diversity

z

Be inspired to take risks

z

Allow decisions to emerge and embrace the process

z

Understand the whole is greater than the parts

z

Strive to support sustainability both personally and environmentally

z

Honor agreements and take ownership for outcomes

Becoming a Global Citizen One of our goals is to experience one’s self as a global citizen. This means one feels the connection between and amongst others within local life, the national arena and the international world proving that we are united as a family of humankind and eventually must live caring for one another. As we begin the journey inwards, we also work outwards from the principles towards becoming a global citizen. It is the process of seeing the whole or being holistic. We move 199

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from the principles to serving the collective good, from a world of competition to a world of mutual collaboration. The shift from what exists to what is possible involves the choice to live in a different way. Our values alter from a self-oriented, greed-based society to an altruistic society one in which we care for each other. Values Competition Materialism Violence Separation Dualism Conflict Nationalism Reason or Logic Knowledge Domination Cultural Competition

Collaboration Non-attachment and Nature Compassion Wholeness Unity Peace Global Understanding Imagination Wisdom from Within Empowerment Multicultural Collaboration

The Spiritual Activist Model Proposed by Children of the Earth Reflect is the journey that we take to awaken the inner self. The path may include: meditation, contemplation, and/or prayer. As we become still, we hear the inner calling of our authentic self and experience personal purpose. Connect bridges the perceived gap between self and other and leads to unity. Through deep compassion and listening, conflict transcendence and non-violent communication, we learn that it is possible to live in harmony, and thus we weave the interconnectedness of our family worldwide. Action is taking the inspired will to serve others in the world through individual actions, local projects and global work. These acts are based on spiritual principles and ethics of Spiritual Activism. Humanity is at a crisis/opportunity moment. We are responsible for educating our next generation and setting the tone for all future generations to come. Let us seek Global Harmony on all levels and establish holistic ways of living. We are one family of humankind having this human experience and being called forth to give meaning in each step we take. Let us dedicate ourselves and live in peace.

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Peace & Harmony

Harvesting what we Plant: Integrating Peace & Harmony in the Malawian Teacher Education Curriculum Dr Steve Sharra Malawi Teacher Professional Development Support Project Lilongwe, Malawi

Abstract The Malawi teacher educational system has been undergoing several reforms since 1994, when the country ended a 30 year one-party system and adopted a multiparty form of government. Most of the reforms since then have been of a policy, rather than of curriculum, nature. For example, the first multiparty government abolished school fees and made schooling free for all primary school pupils. A new teacher education programme was designed to address the rise in enrolment resulting from the new free primary education policy. A study of the new teacher education programme found that problems of poor quality and low morale posed an obstacle to the quality of education being offered to Malawian children (Kunje D. with Lewin K. M. & Stuart J. S., 2002). In 2007, a new curriculum came into being, after having been developed for four years beginning 2003. Although the new curriculum embraces topics on conflict resolution and human rights in a new subject area, there has never been a bold attempt to introduce peace curriculum into the system. A study I carried out with 21 teachers in 2004 explored prospects for addressing subject matter content from a peace and social justice perspective, and suggested how classroom learning could adopt peace education as a framework. Current reforms in Malawi’s teacher education system present a serendipitous opportunity to connect my early work in creating a Malawian peace curriculum to new ideas about what a teacher education curriculum ought to look like. This paper observes that a paradigm shift has happened in global teacher education policies, from a teacher training perspective to a teacher education framework where teachers are seen as professionals who contribute to curriculum development and adopt action research (Eleonora Villegas-Reimers, 2003). The paper describes the earlier efforts of my study to approach ordinary subject matter from a peace curriculum perspective, and probes issues, challenges and opportunities for influencing the teacher education curriculum. The argument the paper makes is premised on the need to reconceptualise African teacher education away from the deterministic ways teachers were taught when they were pupils, and in which knowledge is conceptualized (Albert K. Akyeampong, 2002). Integrating peace and 201

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harmony in the teacher education curriculum needs to start with subject matter content to demonstrate to teachers how every day classroom situations present possibilities for teaching peace. The paper examines recent reforms in Malawi’s teacher education system, and discusses possible topics and methodological approaches for a teacher education curriculum that integrates peace and harmony. Introduction Global events of the past three years have prompted major rethinking and paradigmatic changes in structures of power and governance, public and social policy. It is inevitable that these changes also be reflected upon by thinkers of educational theory and practitioners of curriculum policy. The idea of peace and harmony in the teacher education curriculum presents a fresh opportunity for an examination of how school knowledge reflects dominant thinking in the society at large, and what role it can play to reshape local and global ideals. Exploring notions of peace and harmony and definitions of being human can build a foundation for efforts to make education relevant to global peace. The idea of peace and harmony in the education of teachers involves questions on how to integrate peace and harmony on the one hand and definitions of being human on the other, into education systems around the world. The following questions provide an entry point for this discussion: z

What do we know about the literature on teacher education in regard to curricular efforts for peace and harmony?

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How do we stake a claim for the significance of peace and harmony in teacher education for a more peaceful and harmonious world?

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What models of teacher education and professional development practices are more effective in promoting pedagogical practices that empower teachers, learners and communities?

This paper does not set out to provide practical answers to these questions, but rather to set the parameters for what the issues are. In articulating what the above questions mean, the paper first explores two traditions, one Malawian and the other Indian, in how they treat the question of defining what it means to be human. This exploration leads to a consideration of how these two traditions view the idea of peace and harmony, followed by a discussion of how peace and harmony would look like in teacher education, using scenarios from Malawi and India, and from a broader peace education initiative involving fourteen African countries. The paper then lays out a rationale for how professional development of teachers can integrate ideals of peace and harmony, and suggests strategic peace lesson planning for building teacher competencies in the teaching of peace and harmony. The overriding aim of this paper then is to contribute to a discussion on issues that a Teacher Education curriculum for peace and harmony should take into consideration, from African and Indian perspectives, using insights from the literature on uMunthu, peace and harmony, and non-violence. It is also my intention in this paper to dwell on the striking resemblance between what I have all along considered to be an exclusively African philosophical concept, 202

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uMunthu, and what Satish Kumar argues is a central aspect of Hindu philosophy, So Hum. There are two key underlying purposes for this discussion. The first one is to explore whether a teacher education curriculum based on ideals of peace and harmony can position itself to reshape educational practices for a more just, equal, peaceful and harmonious world order. The second purpose is to suggest a resuscitation of endogenous knowledge systems as an approach to rethinking how peace and harmony education can promote a more just, equal, peaceful and harmonious world order. Defining being Human This discussion is a continuation of work I started in 2004 when I set out to investigate prospects for teaching peace in the context of subject matter content in the Malawian primary school curriculum. The result of my inquiry was a concept termed uMunthu-peace, informed by definitions of human identity as conceptualized by societies in southern Africa. In my mother tongue, Chichewa, the word for “human being” is munthu, while the identity, meaning and quality of being human is uMunthu. A proverb in Chichewa states that one only becomes human in the presence of another human being; an individual does not constitute a community. In my inquiry, in order to investigate how uMunthu was relevant to the teaching of peace teachers I interviewed for my project spoke about gaps between the school curriculum and social conduct befitting a human being. One teacher pointed out how it was one thing to be highly educated, and quite another to have uMunthu. Malawian society was full of highly educated individuals who had no idea what it meant to have uMunthu. As a result, Malawian society suffered a lot of social ills caused by the absence of uMunthu. These teachers suggested that the school curriculum needed to approach subject matter content from a perspective that promoted the ideals of uMunthu. Only then would schooling become relevant to problems of structural violence and social conflict and inequality. I have provided a detailed description of my 2004 study in a chapter in a book titled In the Spirit of Ubuntu: Stories of Teaching and Research (Caracciolo and Mungai, Eds., 2009). uMunthu is a concept that has attracted scholarly attention in southern Africa, including in Malawi. African scholars who have explored the concept include, among others, the Kenyan philosopher of religion, John Mbiti, the Malawian philosopher Harvey Sindima, Malawian theologian and educator Augustine Musopole, M.B. Ramose of Zimbabwe, and Mandivamba Rukuni, an agricultural economist from Zimbabwe. In South Africa both Nelson Mandela and retired former Archbishop of Cape Town Desmond Tutu have written and spoken about how the concept, spelt as “uBuntu” in South African languages, was central to the Truth and Reconciliation process the country underwent, and to the transition from apartheid to democratic rule. For purposes of this paper I rely mostly on the Malawian philosopher, Harvey Sindima, to explain the concept of uMunthu from a Malawian perspective, and on Satish Kumar to highlight striking similarities between uMunthu in Malawian traditions and So Hum in Hindi tradition. Harvey Sindima has argued that “the task of African intellectuals has been to explore their 203

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world and capture the meaning of life and persons.” He sees two reasons why this task is important: first, “to stop, or at least to slow down, the erosion or loss of meaning of life now present in African society,” a view that was expounded by the teachers I spoke with in my 2004 study. The second reason why the task is important, according to Sindima is “to integrate African values within the contemporary African socio-political situation” (p.125).

Peace and Harmony in African and Indian Contexts Until Satish Kumar published his 2002 book You Are Therefore I Am: A Declaration of Dependence, the only sources I was familiar with for defining a human individual in the context of a collective community of Southern Africa. The Kenyan philosopher John Mbiti pointed out, in a 1969 book, that the Cartesian dictum “I think, therefore I am” was a contradiction of the community perspective from which Africans defined a human being (Musopole, 2004). Rather than “I think, therefore I am,” Mbiti wrote that Africans defined a human being in terms of “I am because you are.” Satish Kumar draws on the Hindi dictum, “So Hum,” which in similar manner to the African dictum overturns the Cartesian dictum to define a human being as a member of a community rather an individual, hence the formulation “You are, therefore I am.” Kumar’s treatment of the definition also draws from Jainism, in which philosophy of peace was articulated to him by his mother, and by reading Indian thinkers such as Mahatma Gandhi from the early part of the 20th century and speaking to Indian intellectuals such as Vandana Shiva today. Kumar provides a much broader perspective by drawing on scholars and activists outside India, to include the voices of antinuclear activists such as Bertrand Russell, American civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr, and Fritz Schumacher, an economist. Most of these thinkers and traditions share the uMunthu definition of a human being and a view of peace as being in harmony with nature. Consider this example from Kumar’s mother, and how it compares with Harvey Sindima’s conception. Kumar’s mother tells him: “Breathing connects you with the world. You are sharing the same breath of life, the same air, with all humanity. You are connected with everyone through this invisible medium: you share the same breath with animals, birds, fish, plants—the entire universe.” (p.22). For Sindima, a Malawian philosopher, “the question of human life cannot be understood apart from nature, to which it is bonded. Nature plays an important role in the process of human growth by providing all that is necessary, food, air, sunlight, and other things. This means that nature and persons are one, woven by creation into one texture or fabric of life.” p.126 A similar consideration can be seen between Sindima and other scholars of Black philosophy. According to Sindima, “The African concept of person is grounded in the concept of life, which is the basis for understanding all creation and is central, all-embracing and overarching notion informing a manner of living in the world” (p.127). Sindima extends this view to community and nature: “The African concept of community also rises from this understanding of bondedness to natural life or the feeling of being in the network of life. From this it follows that the ethical imperative is not to treat the other or nature as a means, since the other is also part of the self.” 204

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Sindima’s perspective of the connection between nature and life can also be seen in Dona Richards, who also studies African philosophy. Richards says: “The traditional African view of the universe is as a spiritual whole in which all beings are organically interrelated and interdependent” (quoted in I Am Because We Are: Readings in Black Philosophy, Eds. Fred Lee Hord & Jonathan Scott Lee, 1995, p. 8). Richards adds that in African philosophy, “Nature is spirit, not to be exploited. . . All beings exist in reciprocal relationship to one another; we cannot take without giving. . . The mode of harmony (rather than control) which prevails does not preclude the ability to struggle.” Richards’ notion that harmony embraces struggle adds a dimension of peace that deals with social injustice, political repression and structural inequality. In their introduction to the book I Am Because We Are: Readings in Black Philosophy, Fred Lee Hord & Jonathan Scott Lee connect the collective definition of a human being to social justice by placing the individual in the community, in the tradition of the African and Indian thinkers we are discussing: “. . . the identity of the individual is never separable from the sociocultural environment. Identity is not some Cartesian abstraction grounded in a solipsistic self-consciousness; rather, it is constructed in and at least partially by a set of shared beliefs, patterns of behavior, and expectations. In place of Descartes’s “I think; therefore I am,” we find in this black the tradition, “I am because we are, and since we are, therefore I am.” If individual identity is grounded in social interaction, in the life of the community, then that individual’s good life is inseparable from the successful functioning of his or her society” (p.7). Kumar takes these connections to another level through a description of his encounters with several other peace thinkers and activists, forming a wholesome framework for peace, harmony and non-violence. Referring to his own formative years when he started reflecting on issues of human identity and peace, Kumar quotes Gopalji, philosopher and Kumar’s childhood Brahmin teacher, talking about the importance of understanding the interconnectedness of peace from within and from without: “Unless I make peace within, how can I make peace without? Without inner peace no outer peace can be realized” (p.25). Golpaji’s views about inner and outer peace are reflected in Gandhi’s views as well as in discussions that Kumar had with three other thinkers in India and the United States. In sentiments that argue about the interconnectedness between inner peace and the social world, views also held by Vinoba, Martin Luther King Jr, and Schumacher, Kumar quotes Golpaji as saying: If our society is full of people who have self-respect, have no negative thoughts, and who have achieved a degree of peace of mind, then naturally they will not fear any ‘enemies’. But if spiritually we have not been able to overcome our personal fears then it is very easy for governments to and military leaders to encourage fear of an external enemy. . . It may not be easy to see the connection between spiritual peace and political peace, between 205

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inner peace and world peace, but these two aspects are interconnected, totally interlinked (p.25). Golpaji hastens to add that seeing inner and outer peace as connected does not mean that one needs to first have inner peace before pursuing global peace. “It is not that we have to wait for world peace until we have achieved personal peace. Personal, political, and planetary peace are to be pursued together. One includes and reinforces the others. One kind of peace is not possible without the others. The three dimensions of peace belong together” (ibid.) Similar views on the social nature of individuality are expressed by Gandhi, as are stated by Vinoba, a scholar of the Bhagavad Gita who knew and followed Gandhi, and whom Kumar travelled 3,000 miles to visit and talk to in 1957. Kumar quotes Vinoba as saying: We cannot distinguish between the good of the individual and the good of society. If we look at the big picture, then it becomes clear that ultimately what is good for the individual is also good for society, and vice versa. There can be no conflict of interest here . . . The moment we cut off individuals from the society and think that either spiritually or materially an individual can blossom without community, or the community can flourish without the contribution of individuals, we are misguided. (p.71) Teacher Education Curriculum for Peace and Harmony Bringing concepts of peace and harmony into the education of teachers in Africa provides a crucial opening for integration of peace education in school curriculum and educational policy (Sharra, 2009b). It also enhances prospects for indigenous knowledge systems that promote peacebuilding and development (Osei-Hwedie and Abu-Nimer, 2009). Using Malawi as an example, opportunities for this type of integration can be identified at three levels, namely continuous professional development (CPD), pre-service teacher education, and at the policy level. Let us address the CPD level first, using current teacher professional development efforts in Malawi. Since February 2010 the Malawi Ministry of Education has been implementing a teacher professional development programme aimed at providing continuous professional development (CPD) opportunities for primary school teachers. Known as the Malawi Teacher Professional Development Support (MTPDS) project, the concept of a school-based CPD programme for Malawian primary school teachers derived from the National Strategy for Teacher Education and Development (NSTED), the policy document guiding the direction of teacher education in Malawi for the ten-year period between 2008 and 2017. Much of the policy lays out how the Ministry of Education envisions professional advancement and the career path for Malawian teachers over the ten-year period. The content has thus far focused on helping teachers teach reading instruction better, and helping school leaders establish school-based CPD activities in their schools. The reading instruction content has been delivered in a series of literacy modules, whereas the content 206

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for the school leaders has been delivered in a series of leadership modules. School-based CPD programmes, once fully established and operational, hold potential for introducing peace education as a professional development concern. That way, practising classroom teachers would have a chance of learning about peace education and how to integrate it into their lessons. The next level to consider is pre-service teacher education, again using examples from Malawi. In Malawi new teachers are trained in a two-year program, known as Initial Primary Teacher Education (IPTE), with options for a residential model and an open and distance learning model (ODL). There is an ongoing review of the current IPTE programme, but thus far the focus has been on the administration aspects. Should the curricular aspects of the programme come up for review, it might open an opportunity for peace education as well. The third level is of a policy nature, and the example comes from a recent continent-wide initiative for peace education. In 2009 Kenya hosted a conference on peace education for African Ministers of Education. Fourteen ministers attended, and media reports indicated agreement amongst the ministers for the introduction of peace education in the school curriculum of African countries. The organization that facilitated the conference, the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), has since been active in promoting peace education in the education systems of a few African countries. Since 2009, when the conference was held, Kenya has gone ahead to create a peace education programme, as indicated in an August 2011 news article. In 2011 the Democratic Republic of Congo held a peace education meeting, termed the Kinshasa Round Table on Education, Peace and Development. The ADEA formed the Inter-Country Quality Node for Peace Education, which has given visibility to the idea of peace education in African education systems.

Models of Teacher Professional Development The concern of this conference here in New Delhi and the desire to infuse peace and harmony in teacher education comes at a time when there has been a paradigm shift in how the education of teachers is viewed globally. In thinking about how to make a peace and harmony curriculum an integral part of the education of teachers, it is also important to know what models of teacher education and professional development are going to be effective. According to Eleonora Villegas-Reimers (2003), unlike previously, teachers are now thought of as professionals, and their preparation is conceptualized as a “lifelong learning process, where they are active participants in their own growth and development as teachers” (p. 67). This has rendered the concept of “teacher training,” both at the pre-service and inservice stage, irrelevant. Villegas-Reimers adds that “teachers are now beginning to be considered not only as professionals who consume the knowledge created by ‘expert researchers’, but as creators of that knowledge” (p.109, citing Stokes, 2001). There is now a new emphasis on “promoting the role of teachers as researchers and reflective practitioners”, says Villegas-Reimers. 207

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Not only are teachers now being seen as professionals, researchers and reflective practitioners, there is also a change in thinking about what constitutes effective practices in teacher development. One such effective practice is the environment in which teacher development ought to take place. According to Schwille & Dembele (2007), “the natural environment for enhancing a teacher’s skills and knowledge is the classroom itself, and not the less authentic meeting of conference room in which in-service education has more traditionally taken place” (p. 106). Schwille and Dembele present a number of factors, drawn from recent literature reviews, that contribute to the effectiveness of teacher professional development (p.107-108): z

programmes conducted in school settings and linked to school-wide efforts

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teachers participating as helpers to each other and as planners

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self-instruction with differentiated training opportunities

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teachers in active roles, choosing goals and activities for themselves

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emphasis on demonstration, supervised trials and feedback

The literature Schwille and Dembele refer to highlights two types of teacher professional development that stand out as amongst the most innovative and effective, namely Japanese lesson study and Chinese teachers’ research groups. The premise for both models is that practising teachers learn the most from working with and studying their own classrooms. Teachers observe and discuss each others’ lessons, while investigating the long-term, central goals of schooling. Teachers write reports of the discussions, and dissemine them. The Japanese lesson study and Chinese teachers’ research groups are bottom-up, teacher-led models of continuous professional development.

Framing Teacher Competencies for Teaching Peace and Harmony Integrating ideals of peace and harmony in the teacher education and professional development curriculum for Sub-Saharan Africa will need to start with an examination of the concept of peace from African contexts. An important challenge will be figuring out both programmatic structure of teacher professional development as well as curriculum content, which according to Kwame Akyeampong (2002) is need of radical reform. Akyeampong argues that in Africa teachers have “abdicated responsibility for exercising agency” over what they teach, whom they teach, how they teach, and the rationale for teaching. Surveying the literature on why pedagogical practices are difficult to change, Martial Dembele and Be-Rammaj Miaro II cite arguments by Tabulawa about how more than technicist explanations such as lack of resources and poorly trained teachers, epistemological beliefs about the nature of knowledge also matter in how teachers approach curriculum content (Martial Dembele and Be-Rammaj Miaro II, 2003). Another prerequisite for the process of integrating peace and harmony in the teacher education and professional development curriculum will be learning lessons from models tried in different parts of the world. While there is no shortage of models for teacher 208

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professional development, there is a dearth of literature on efforts to integrate peace education into teacher professional development. Of importance will be the peculiar circumstances in which teaching and learning occur in Sub-Saharan Africa. In Malawi, for example, most classes have more than 100 learners, a setting which requires special consideration when suggesting reform ideas and pedagogical innovations. Returning to my 2004 study of peace education in Malawian classrooms, two approaches stood out, they may provide insight into what needs further investigation for how teachers can bring ideals of peace and harmony into their teaching. The first approach is autobiographical narrative, while the second is strategic peace lesson planning. Teachers in my study wrote autobiographies whose narratives explored their lives as students at a time when Malawi’s political system dictated what and how teachers should teach. Such narratives helped teachers understand the concept of structural violence as it affected their own lives, and how teaching and learning were determined by the prevailing political system. Strategic peace lesson planning happened when teachers collaborated to develop lesson plans whose sole aim was to approach a lesson from a peace education perspective. In one such lesson, a teacher demonstrated to students that the mathematical concept of ‘ratio’ was important for understanding proportion. But the same concept of ratio could also help students notice gender discrepancies in social structures and their effects on the education of girls. School enrollment statistics in Malawi show a discernible pattern where equal numbers of boys and girls start school together, but after eight years of schooling girls drop out at twice the rate of boys. Such social analyses of subject matter content and their classroom practicality may help connect the curriculum to peace education and lead to transformative learning, without having to impose a new subject in the curriculum. Strategic peace lesson planning is a pedagogical practice that warrants further classroom research.

Conclusion The aim of this paper has not necessarily been to provide a blueprint for integrating peace and harmony into the teacher education and professional development curriculum, but rather to lay out what preliminary and conceptual issues the question raises. The paper has discussed the idea of peace and harmony, and has posed questions for how a teacher education curriculum could integrate concepts of uMunthu and So Hum to teach peace. The paper has explored a striking resemblance between uMunthu as an African philosophical concept, and So Hum as a Hindu philosophical concept that stands for the same idea of how human identity is derived not from the individuality of a person but rather from communal existence and collective responsibility for one another and for all of nature. As educators interested in peace and harmony, we have a difficult but doable task to conceptualize a curriculum that integrates peace and harmony with subject matter content. This conceptualization process requires addressing questions over what we know about the literature on teacher education in regard to curricular efforts for peace and harmony. The process also involves staking a claim for the significance of peace and harmony in teacher education and professional development for a more peaceful, just, equal and harmonious world. Given global events of 209

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the past three years, there is a compelling need for forms of teacher education and professional development that empower teachers, learners and communities, in furthering peace and harmony, equality and social justice around the globe. The integration of peace and harmony in the education of teachers around the world is an imperative for the current generation of educators if the future of the planet is to be safeguarded. What the world harvests in the coming decades depends on what the world sows today. The knowledge that peace and harmony are concepts occurring in the communal thought traditions of Sub-Saharan Africa and India ought to give added impetus to collaborative efforts in developing a set of teacher competencies for teaching peace and harmony in schools in India, Africa, and around the world.

References Akyeampong, A. K. (2002) Reconceptualising Teacher Education in the Sub-Saharan African Context Journal of International Co-operation in Education, 5 (1). pp. 11-30. Dembele, M. and Rammaj Miaro, B. II (2003) Pedagogical Renewal and Teacher Development in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Thematic Synthesis. Paris: Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA). Hord, F.L. and Lee, J.S. (1995) I am because we are: Readings in Black philosophy. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press. Kumar, S. (2002) You are, therefore I am: A declaration of dependence. Devon, UK: Green Press. Musopole, A. (1994) Being human in Africa: Toward an African Christian anthropology. New York: Peter Lang. Ramose, M.B. (1996) Specific African thought structures and their possible contribution to world peace. In H. Beck & G. Schmirber (Eds.), Creative peace through encounter of world cultures. New Delhi: Sri Satguru Publications. Rukuni, M. (2007) Being Afrikan: Rediscovering the Traditional Unhu-Ubuntu-Botho Pathways of Being Human Harare: Mandala Publishers. Schwille J. and Dembele M. (2007) Global perspectives on teacher learning: improving policy and practice Paris: UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning. Sharra, S. (2009a) Towards an Africa Peace Epistemology: Teacher Autobiography and uMunthu in Malawian Education. In D. Caracciolo & A. Mungai (Eds), In the Spirit of Ubuntu: Stories of Teaching and Research. Rotterdam (Netherlands): Sense Publishers. Sharra, S. (2009b) African Paradigms for African Peace: Knowledge, Research and Contexts, in Journal of Peacebuilding and Development 4 (3) pp. 92- 96. Sindima, H. (1995) Africa’s agenda: The legacy of liberalism and colonialism in the crisis of African values. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. Osei-Hwedie, B. and Abu-Nimer, M. (2009) Enhancing the positive contributions of African culture in peacebuilding and Development, in Journal of Peacebuilding and Development 4 (3) pp. 1-5. Villegas-Reimers, E (2003) Teacher professional development: an international review of the literature. Paris: UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning. 210

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Approaches to Peacebuilding in Nepal Experiments in Various Dimensions Dr. Bishnu Pathak*

Setting Conflict occurs in the world as a result of the emergence of identity, need and class-based (INCB) politics rooted in basic socioeconomic and human values and interests, in conjunction with population bulge theory. During the Cold War, the world was largely divided into two opposing camps, capitalism and communism. Johan Galtung, the father of peace studies, has stated that nationalisms, ethnicities and religious identities in the post-Cold War era have led Western intellectuals to reconsider the role of these factors in the developing world order (Galtung 2008a: 10). There has been a shift from the previous two-pillar power equation to a unipolar world, with the politico-ideological divisions between communism and capitalism being replaced by INCB dimensions (the widening gap between rich and poor; cultural; personal; relational; and structural). These contemporary conflicts are complex, with deeprooted causes. Conflict arises from differences and contradictions in attitudes and behaviour (Galtung 2000: 14). South Asia is affected by INCB socio-political conflicts, and their pattern varies from one country to another. Examples of such conflicts across the entire region are the ideological, religious and territorial struggles and armed violence in India; the secessionist and statedemolishing fighting in Sri Lanka; the politico-military rule and tribal violence in Pakistan; ethnic/tribal aggression and the internationally sponsored war on terror in Afghanistan; conflicts in Bangladesh between the majority Muslim and minority Hindu populations and over resources; and the ideological and INCB conflicts in Nepal. Conflict is a relationship between two or more variables or parties (individuals or groups) who think they have compatible on goals (Fisher et al 2000:4). Conflict arises in the world because of imbalance in cultural identity, social hierarchy, huge discrepancy between rich *

Mr. Pathak, who holds a Ph.D. in Conflict and Human Rights, has been working at the Peace and Conflict Studies Center or PCS Center (formally known as Conflict Study Center or CS Center) as a President and Director. He is a Convener of South Asia; TRANSCEND International and Board Member of TRANSCEND Peace University. He presently involves on Evaluation of DANIDA support to the Peace Process of Nepal as a Sr. National Peace, Security and Human Rights Expert and Researcher at Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies (CPACS), University of Sydney.

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and poor, unequal access to resources, and asymmetrical power. Such trends block the constructive change leading to destructive violence. Bishnu Pathak in his widely circulated books on Politics of People’s War and Human Rights writes that poor, marginalized and developing countries are found more vulnerable to armed conflicts owning to inequality in distribution of resources and opportunities, inadequate service delivery system, injustice to identities and beliefs, ineffective governance and administration, inefficient sociopolitical transformation and intolerant leadership (2005:1). Nepal cannot be an exception. Conflict is not new in Nepal. Roughly, in each decade, structural, INCB and politico-ideological conflict has occurred there (Pathak 2005: 386). Thus there had been Makai Parva in 19201; the Prachanda Gorkha episode in 19322; the Praja Parisad movement in 19403, the Anti-Rana movement in 19504; the banning of the multiparty system in 19615; the Jhapa uprising in 19716; the anti-Panchayat turmoil (referendum for democracy 1

Makaiko Kheti (The Cultivation of Maize) published by Krishna Lal Adhikari (Subba Krishna Lal). That was a satire directed to PM Chandra Samsher JBR and that book called for social and economic reform. He arrested and kept into jail and died in three years.

2

A group of young people calling themselves Prachanda Gorkha, planned to bomb to senior Rana rulers. As the Rana knew that they are organizing, they were arrested and detained into jail before any plan of success. In 1935, Praja Parishad formed. This party wants to establish democracy, putting with Constitutional Monarch. In 1940, they distributed leaflets in Kathmandu and they were arrested and charged them assassination of Rana rulers and families. Four were sentenced to death and many others were long sentenced in jail.

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The anti-Ranaism movement was conducted under the leadership of B P Koirala and Ganeshman Singh of the Nepali Congress and the then King Tribhuwan. The King Tribuwan clandestinely sheltered into New Delhi and India supported the democratic movement politically, morally, and financially.

5

The first democratic or parliamentary system of government led by BP Koirala was sacked by the then King Mahendra under the active and moral support of the armies. He introduced monocracy in the name of the partyless Panchayat system banning all parties, related institutions changing Nepal Army to Royal Nepal Army. India was not happy with the monocracy, but Nepal’s northern neighbor China had encouraged king to introduce the similar system (“food first” putting behind the democrats’ “freedom first”). However, Mahendra was not even a favor of communist parties and their leaders. Some of the communist leader later fused with the money and muscle of the king and enjoyed with the power.

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One of the chief constituents of the present day CPN (UML) had launched an armed struggle called Jhapa Uprising (Jhapa Peasant Movement) guided by the communist ideology. It applied the Marxist-Leninist ideology, Mao’s strategy and tactics of guerrilla warfare, political economy ,and scientist socialism similar of Mao in China influencing Charu in Naxalbari, India. It adopted the policy of class struggle and Barga Shatru Khatam Abhiyan (Exterminate the Class Enemy Campaign) following the strategy and tactics of “one area, one unit, one action” and “one man, one contact” however it was collapsed by the state. The same ideology and strategy and tactics was also followed by the Maoists in the past.

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or monocracy) in 19807; the People’s Movement I in 19908; the People’s War, in full swing in 2000; and the Tarai-Madhes and ethnic conflict of 2009-11. Conflicts develop out of grievances and may escalate into violence (Wallensteen 2007: 272). Conflict occurs in the emotional human mind, and reaches a violent climax after passing through several stages: discussion, the appearance of conflict, escalation, segregation, the outbreak of violence, and destruction (see Pyramid I). From the violent climax, the conflict steps down towards peace in cases where one individual / group / party in the conflict triumphs over the other; where there is a stalemate or balance between the conflicting parties; where there is extreme pressure on societal and/or international levels; and falls down by itself ending its lifecycle without any external/internal forces. The phases of de-escalation includes direct and indirect mediation (including facilitation, if need be); formal or informal dialogue (initiation of talks) or negotiation; establishing a code of conduct for bargaining for ‘do’ or ‘does’ and ‘don’t ‘or ‘does not’; participant or nonparticipant monitoring mechanism for signed understandings, agreements and accords; and reculturation. Because of globalization and free market policies, the meaning of culture goes beyond of geographical area, race, religion, belief, art, law, customs (Tylor 1871: 1) and specific behavior of the society or community. Culture is a slippery and ubiquitous concept (Birukou et al 2009: 2). Culture is not just a complex traditional behavior and socially transmitted patterns, but it is a notion of civilization and modernization. Several counties in the world have been witnesses of cultural movements or seceded for the need and desire of human beings. Culture is human, culture is creative and culture is the art of making (Pearce 2010:2). 7

The brutalities and atrocities of the police against the students’ protest finally compelled the then King Birendra to chose either the monocracy or multi-party democracy through the referendum. However, the Panchayat system finally won the election while the communist parties did not cast votes on the one hand and the state mechanism rigging the misusing the power, politics, and property.

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The united efforts of the Nepali Congress and the United Left Front (ULF) were finally able to restore the multi-party democracy along with parliamentary system of government minimizing the absolute power of the King to ceremonial head of the state.

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The protracted violence or armed struggles destroyed multi-cultural perspectives, ie, socio-economic culture, political culture, and so forth. Therefore, reculturation, in broad term, is the urgency in the most postconflict country like Nepal. The reculturation passes several stages from transitional peace appearance to reach on conclusion attaining just peace or sustainable peace. The reculturation stages shall be: Disarmament (D), Demobilization (D), Reinsertion (R), Repatriation (R), Resettlement (R), Rehabilitation (R), Reconciliation (R) and Reintegration (R) (DDRRRRRR or 2DR) (see, Box I). The lifecycle refers to litigation, arbitration and adjudication with a view to promoting coexistence through truth, respect and tolerance in the post-conflict society. In this way, we find many conflicts in the bottom of pyramid which gradually tapers off, disappears, and peace is achieved until conflict reappears. Not all conflicts reach at top of the pyramid, but many disappear itself on the way to go up in the changing context. Some disappear somewhere in the middle through mediation or negotiation or agreement. Only a few conflicts reached at the top crossing the several stages in the pyramid. Thus, conflict-peace has its own lifecycle rather like an ecosystem. There have been cross-cuttings, direct and propositional relationships at each conflict-peace phase (Pyramid II). For instance, the conflict appearance phase may transform either to peace through mediation, talks, code of conduct, monitoring, agreement or reculturation and reciprocate relation of peace phase too. Inverse and crisscross relationships between the cause and effect dimensions finds in Pyramid III. The lifecycle belongs to all structural, perpetual, manifest and latent dimensions. The lifecycle shall repeat each hour to day, week to month, month to year and so forth in all intra-personal to inter-personal, intra-group or community or institution or party to inter-group or community or institution or party, interregional to intra-regional and national to international echelons in both positive-negative peace-conflict phase. The conflict-peace lifecycle is a complex set of relationships among the habitats, living resources (production, distribution and consumption), culture, and residents of an area. If one part of lifecycle destroyed or disappears, it gives the impact on everything else. It does 214

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not belong to human beings alone, but all living organisms and species (animals) in the universe. The conflicts, in humane cases, are solvable themselves through the need of negotiations at one time or another. It is obvious of that conflict precedes conflict prevention (stop to outbreak of violence), conflict settlement (end violence by means of agreement), conflict management (avoid further violence in future), conflict resolution (address the root-causes of violence) and conflict transformation (transform negative “destructive” energy to positive “constructive” socio-political and economic change synergizing individuals’, groups’, institutions’ and parties’ efforts). Professor Johan Galtung who mediated 100 conflicts in 50 years starting between black and white in Charlottesville, Virginia, USA (2008c), uses the term “transformation” most of his noble works, researches, lectures and so forth in the world through the prognosis, diagnosis and therapy tools. The transformation in this study uses not only responding latent conflict, surface conflict and open conflict, but even at escalation, segregation, violent outbreak, destruction and climax dimensions. Transformation reciprocates in the peace phase too. Nepal has not escaped from this cycle. The appearance, taper off, disappearance and reappearance of the conflict-peace cycles follow the thesis, antithesis and synthesis (TATS) model. On 21 November 2005, following a mediation initiative in New Delhi, the Seven Party Alliance9 (SPA) and the CPN (Maoist) or (SPAM)10 signed a 12-point understanding,11 in terms of which SPA agreed to a republican state (the Maoist agenda since the initiation of People’s War on 13 February 1996), while the United CPN (Maoists) accepted a multiparty democratic system (SPA’s agenda). However, SPAM’s central objective was the drafting of a new constitution by a freely and fairly elected constituent assembly. The People’s Movement II (5-24 April 2006) and the Maoists, through their People’s War, ultimately succeeded in ousting the 241-year old monarchy and established a republican Nepal. Conflict resolution is necessary in all types of armed conflict, violence or wars. Johan Galtung recognises and analyses violent and non-violent actors and behaviours, as well as the structural elements of conflicts, in order identify those desirable human conditions that promote approaches to peacebuilding.

Peacebuilding Approaches Peace is not an attribute of one party, but of the relations between parties (Galtung 2008a: 16). Along with peacemaking and peacekeeping, peacebuilding was regarded as a post9

Namely NC, CPN (UML), NC (D), Nepal Majdoor Kisan Party, Jana Morcha, Nepal Sadhbhavana Party (A) and CPN-ML.

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SPA-Maoist.

11

The 12-point understanding of 22 November 2005 includes: restoration of parliament to form an all-party government; commitment to democratic norms and values by the Maoists; holding elections for the constituent assembly through dialogue and understanding; holding a national conference to form an interim government for the constituent assembly elections; and confining the Maoist army and the Royal Nepal Army under international supervision.

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conflict activity, but is now seen as also including aspects of initiatives that predate conflict as well as taking place while it is still raging (DFID 1999-2001: 3). Peacebuilding is a complex and multidimensional exercise, ranging from disarming conflicting parties to rebuilding structural, legal, institutional, security and operational arrangements. Galtung coined the term “peacebuilding” back in the 1970s. It is now recognised as one of the tools available to the UN in responding to conflicts in the post-Cold War era and, indeed, at the beginning of a new Cold War in the 21st century, involving the US-Indo-west bloc and the ChineseConfucian-Muslim alliance.12 The challenges of restructuring the state, of integrating, democratising and rehabilitating the army, and of transforming the Maoists into a civilian party have been the major bones of contention in the process of writing a constitution for Nepal. The analyses below of the peacebuilding approaches are based solely on the author’s personal involvement, experience and self-examination.

Utilitarian peacebuilding The utilitarian is an ethical theoretical concept to hold moral worth of action to maximize the overall happiness in principle. It is a concept of creating the happiness removing all the misery. Jeremy Bentham developed utilitarian principle of h is axiomatic phrase of 1776. He argued that utilitarian is principles of morals, universality and legislation (Burns 2005: 4950). Utility adheres to the doctrine of utilitarianism. John Mill developed utilitarianism theory which is known as the greatest happiness principle (Mill 2001). The utilitarian concept on this context tries to analyze the political parties, law and the Government. Political leaders always adopt the utilitarian approach for the sake of power. The late Nepali Congress (NC) president, Girija Prasad Koirala,13 said that the Maoists, who were perpetrating terrorist activities in the country, were fostered by the royal palace and sheltered by India. The following day, the UML general secretary Madhav Nepal proclaimed, “Not just the Royal Palace and India, but also the NC is behind the Maoist insurgency” (Pathak 2005: 1). These are two examples of how leaders and their parties treated the Maoists in the past. From February 1996 to April 2006, there were 11 changes of government, on the grounds that the displaced ministry had been incapable of ending the People’s War. Even after Constituent Assembly (CA) Elections held early 2008, three governments have already resigned as they received a huge pressure of that they were incapable to successfully conclude the peace process. 12

The term refers to the process of identifying and supporting structures in order to consolidate peace in post-conflict countries and prevent a relapse into conflict (Tschirgi 2004: i). The concept has dramatically changed after 9/11, as international military forces intervened in Afghanistan and Iraq. Peacebuilding approaches aim to contribute to the cessation of violence and to assure the post-violence stability, reconciliation and rebuilding (Barbara 2009: 124). The peacebuilding concept is a relatively new and integrated approach (Center for Peace and Human Security 2006: 24).

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Koirala, who had launched Sierra Kilo Two and Peter One operations against the Maoists, had adopted a hard-hitting approach towards the communists, and had publicly stated, “Male, Mandale Ra Mashale Ak Hun” (“The CPN [UML], ex-panchas, the CPN [Mashal], and the CPN [Masal] are all the same”). Within two minutes of commencing his speech to the historic first democratic mass meeting on 9 April 1990 at the open theatre, Kathmandu, he was compelled to stop by the crowd, when he claimed that the monarchy had also won.

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During 11-year, nearly 18,000 people were extrajudicially killed during the decade old armed conflict (Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction 2011: 15). A total of 11,234 complaints were registered in the National Commission on Human Rights (NHRC) in Nepal in which 3,206 (28.5%) of complaints have been settled. Rest 8,028 complaints are in different stages of investigation. The NHRC has sent 539 recommendations to the Government relating to human rights violations and abuses till the end of 2011. The NHRC has recommended 153 (28%) cases to the Government during July 2010 to December 2011. Out of 539 recommendations, 34 (6.3%) complaints were fully implemented, 138 (25.6%) complaints have partially been implemented, and 367 (68%) have not been implemented by the Government. Among the 386 recommendations by the end of May 2010, 239 (62%) complaints were extrajudicial killings, 47 (12%) disappearances, 3 (0.8%) abductions, 30 (7.8%) torture, 16 (4%) violence against women, 28 (7%) displacement and so forth. Out of 386, 262 (67.9%) recommendations have been against the state and 88 (22.8%) are against the Maoist party (Pathak 2011c: 5). Seven of out of 11 governments were led by the Nepali Congress alone. Of the total of 12,639 extrajudicial killings during these period, Prime Minister Deuba was responsible for 43 per cent, Surya B. Thapa 23 per cent, G. P. Koirala 9 per cent and Lokendra B. Chand 8 per cent. For their part, the Maoists were responsible for 36 per cent of killings, in the name of retaliation and alleged informers of the State security forces (See Annex I). Deuba who was PM when the People’s War started in February 1996, 2001 and 2004 publicly accepted that fact of saying, “Prachanda and I should take moral responsibility for the wrongdoings during the armed conflict” (Kathmandu Post 2012). While Nepal was heading towards heated debate among the political parties, civil society and human rights defenders, Deuba demanded for blanket amnesty. However, the Maoists are silent on that statement. It is to be remarkable of that compliance of the decision of the NHRC Nepal and judiciary by the executive authority is a serious impunity challenge in Nepal. Girija Prasad Koirala14 played an unprecedented role in signing the 12-point understanding and thereby bringing the Maoists into the political mainstream. The proclamation of the interim constitution in 2007, as well as the signing of a peace accord in 2006, the invitation to UNMIN, and so on, is other notable landmarks in the peace process. Koirala had the personal authority and experience to negotiate credibly with all the parties (Voice of America 20 March 2010). A few ambitious leaders left their respective mother parties to join the socio-cultural forces, both to control the youth forces and because they feared being replaced by their constituencies. All the mainstream parties in the constituent assembly afforded no importance to constitution writing, exemplifying Galtung’s observation that often the main actors both dominate the structures and share a common culture (Galtung 2008b: 15). Both UML and 14

Koirala, who had launched Sierra Kilo Two and Peter One operations against the Maoists, had been very hard hitting to the communists. He had then publicly said, “Male, Mandale Ra Mashale Ak Hun” [the CPN (UML), ex-panchas, the CPN (Mashal), and the CPN (Masal) are all the same]. While speaking in the first historic democratic mass meeting on April 9, 1990 in the open theatre, Kathmandu, he was compelled to stop by the crowd within two minutes of his speech due to his hard hitting against the communists and supporting to the then monarchy.

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NC said that they had agreed to the CA to please the Maoists, while Prime Minister Madhav Nepal even said that he had not been personally in favour of the assembly (Kathmandu Post 2010c: 3). All political actors including their concerned agencies are compelled to involve in positive peace as they received outstanding pressure from international communities, their cadres, and the people. Some of the ambitious leaders of NC, UML, and the leaders left their respective parties and joined their hands with the socio-cultural forces fearing that their role in the party shall be minimized. They shifted from their respective mother parties just to control not to emerge young, fresh, and dynamic leaders from socio-cultural and regional groups. Such leaders have a fear of that new leaders shall replace them. Notwithstanding is that cooperation and coordination are necessary tools to strengthen and promote the ongoing peace process. Self examination with due respect of all caste, ethnicity, gender, religion, region, class, etc is the core value of coexistence approach in Nepal. However, basic principle of the UK approach to conflict prevention in coordination and cooperation is required at multiple levels and depends on partnership with a variety of institutions (DFID 1999-2001: 3) as more than two dozen political parties are in the CA in Nepal. Meanwhile, for a long time India has been playing a role either for conflict or peace in the interests of its own security. In the name to control counterfeit currency, illegal fundraising to the Madrasas in Nepal especially those in Nepo-India bordering districts and terrorist activities to India from the soil of Nepal, India adopts three pillar theories: first, continuously support to the puppet Nepalese government; second, indirectly to the opposition political parties to check the government; and lastly to the cultural and armed forces providing moral, sanctuary, favourable terrain and financial supports. The bitter relations of the Maoists with the NC, the UML and India have underlain this utilitarian approach. The NC and UML have, on the advice of India, tried hard to bring the Maoists into their fold, but the Maoists have resisted. All the political actors have sought to use one another to achieve their specific purpose of winning power in the state, only to ignore each other after their objective has been accomplished.

The unity-criticism-unity peacebuilding On 1 February 2005, King Gyanendra mounted his coup by sacking the seven-month-old council of ministers headed by Sher Bahadur Deuba, alleging that he had been incapable and insincere once again to restore peace and security to make arrangements for parliamentary elections. The king’s absolute rule caused all rightist, leftist, ultra-leftist and regionalist forces to form a common political platform. To that end, G. P. Koirala visited New Delhi along with other SPA leaders and signed the 12-point peace roadmap called 12pt understanding on 22 November 2005 with Maoist leader Prachanda, whom an earlier NC-led government had declared to be a terrorist. Koirala visited New Delhi on 11 November 2005 and twice previously to talks with the Maoists leaders. 218

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The Road Map agreed to establish a democracy, initiate a national political conference to form an interim government; confine the armed Maoist forces and the royal army under the supervision of the reliable international communities to conduct the CA elections in a free and fair manner; commit the CPN (Maoist) to adhere to democratic norms and values. While the King’s regime did not anticipate the coalition of ultra-leftist and rightist forces against him, the SPAM were able to come together, form a functional alliance and build an alliance against the autocratic regime. US Ambassador to Nepal James F. Moriarty visited to New Delhi and pressure hard to the Indian authorities as well as Nepali leaders not to have any kind of political understanding between the rightist and leftist forces. Moriarty through statement said, “We discussed the continued need of the king to reach out to the political parties to find an effective way to work toward restoring democracy and to address the threat of Maoist insurgency.” The NGOs who were mostly controlled by UML and NC cadres conducted their green revolution influencing donors against the monarch’s enforced NGO Code of Conduct for them. Mathew Kahane, UN Resident Coordinator in Kathmandu said, “We believe the Code of Conduct is not conducive either to improving NGO governance or to fostering NGO endeavours.” After the 12-point peace road map, the existing triangular conflict: between the CPN (Maoist) and the monarchy, between the CPN (Maoist) and political parties, and between the political parties and the monarchy shifted to two polar natures: monarchy vs. SPAM. The understanding was made possible after SPAM adopted a unity-criticism-unity (UCU) approach. With the exception of the US, that shift was welcomed in all quarters. The hard-hitting anti-Maoists PM Koirala suddenly changed his stand while the Maoists Army abducted 71 armed policemen raiding to Holeri Police Post in Rolpa district in the two-hour exchange of fire in July 13, 2001. Large numbers of policemen from the headquarters of Rolpa, Dang, and Pyuthan districts were dispatched to rescue them. Koirala attempted to mobilise the Royal Nepal Army (RNA) to release them, but in vain. Despite of Koirala’s repeated orders to the then Royal Nepal Army (RNA) to make free the abducted policemen, the RNA came back ferrying Nuwagaon by helicopters. However, the RNA claimed that they had encircled hundreds of rebels and the abducted policemen were nearly to be released as the psychological warfare. The government influenced and anti-Maoists big house print and electronic media launched information warfare technique to quell the Maoists. But, the RNA did not mobilize against the Maoists army as they did not receive order from the then the constitutional monarch. On the regular visit, king pressured Koirala to resign from the position as he failed to improve law and order, minimize corruption, and action to corrupted people. Instead Koirala replied that you (the king) have also a charge of royal massacre of June 2001. Even though, he resigned in July 19, 2001 and Sher Bahadur Deuba, a close relative of Gyanendra, became Prime Minister in July 22. Then the Talks I was initiated declaring truce by both conflicting parties. However, Talks I could not be succeeded as the Government did not present any proposal and ended 22 November 2002. The Talks II (23 January to 17 August 2003) also 219

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ended while the RNA arrested 19-unarmed Maoists Doramba, Ramechhap district violating the CoC and were killed extrajudicially while being brought to custody. Then the Talks I (19 July 2001 to 22 November 2001) were initiated during the prime ministership of Deuba (NC), after a truce had been declared by both parties to the conflict. However, the talks broke down. A second round of talks took place from 23 January to 17 August 2003, but was broken off when the RNA arrested 19 unarmed Maoists in Doramba, Ramechhap district, thereby violating the code of conduct, and killed them extrajudicially while taking them into custody (Pathak 2005). As noted earlier, the furious Koirala had, in the wake of the king’s coup, started to hold formal and informal meetings with the Maoists to retaliate against the king. The 12-point understanding laid the grounds for the fight to establish a republic during the Popular Movement II (April 5-24, 2006). While the nationwide strike extended (from April 5-9) to indefinite date Gyanendra addressed the nation in April 21. The spokesperson of the US Department of the Sate welcomed the address and urged SPA to form a government soon. India’s Special Envoy Dr Karan Singh (Gyanendra’s relative) also welcomed the king’s offer and asked political parties to stop the April movement (Kathmandu Post 2005). Similarly EU Ambassadors also asked SPA to stop violence and form the cabinet. However, the Joint People’s Movement Central Coordination Committee (JPMCCC) including SPA said that Gyanendra’s address could not address their roadmap to peace, democracy, and the demand of the people. The SPA insisted not because of their-own motion, but the Maoists pressure. The king again addressed the written paper of the JPMCCC in April 24 and restores the House of the Representatives (HoR) which was defunct on October 4, 2002 ousting the then PM Deuba on the charge of incompetent. Koirala became prime minister for the fourth time two days later and the HoR was reinstituted on 18 May 2006, when all the powers of the king and his family were curtailed. The 11-year armed conflict formally ended on 22 November 2006 with the signing of the 10-point comprehensive peace accord by the Koirala and Maoist leader Prachanda at a gala gathering in Kathmandu. Similarly, the government and Maoist talk team coordinators signed the 7point agreement on Monitoring of the Arms and Armies and Ian Martin, Chief, UNMIN was a witness. The Interim Constitution (IC) proclaimed on January 2007. After two postponements (June and November 2007), the elections for the constituent assembly finally went ahead – successfully – on 10 April 2008. While the Maoists became the largest party in the CA, the international communities whispered the NC, UML, and other regional parties to amend the constitutional provision prime minister as both head of the state and head of the government. The fourth amendment of the Interim Constitution ensures head of the state to the president and head of the government to the prime minister following the provision of the unity-criticism-unity approach. That amendment was particularly done not to provide both the status to the Maoists prime 220

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minister on the advices of the international communities in general and India in particular. The international communities had a fear of that they Maoists won’t genuinely follow the liberal democratic practices. However, unity process moves ahead within the communist forces. Three communist factions have already diffused with the Maoists on the course of unity. Besides, Nepal adopts the unity in diversity. The unity in the diversity means Nepal is a common garden of flowers in terms of socio-cultural practices in Nepal. The basis of unity leads unification in the country, the unity in the various castes and nationalities to triumph of the cause. The People’s War had been initiated in response to the atrocities and brutalities of the NCled government, both its leaders and cadres. The Maoists primarily targeted NC cadres. Even so, both parties realised the importance of peace and signed the understandings and peace accord. Nepal’s violent divisions of the past were resolved constructively at the eleventh hour when the parties adopted the unity-criticism-unity peacebuilding approach. This approach first affirms the need and desire for unity, then resolves sharp contradictions through criticism, and finally arrives at a new unity based on the needs and demands of the various peoples. Similarly, the three former communist rivals united with the Maoists after engaging in criticism of one another.

Conclusion The trends towards a neo-liberal economy are being replaced in Nepal by an earlier political ideology. The neo-classical theory of economics maximises the role of institutionalised elites (private business sectors), weakening the public (state) role. Given the workings of markets, a handful of elites, numbering a few thousand, control the world’s politics by using the power of money to influence mainstream parties, governments and their bureaucracies. By contrast, the great majority of poor urban and rural people have little capital. The ambitions and values of the handful of elites, and their ignorance of the needs of the poor, are a stumbling block on the road to peacebuilding. Moreover, INCB violence is gradually on the rise, and this trend will continue unless the gap between rich and poor is narrowed. All of South Asia is experiencing INCB armed violence, as the region fails to introduce an inclusive participatory liberal democracy. Intensifying violence most affects children, women and senior citizens, with innocent children becoming informers, spies, cooks, messengers, weapons-bearers or trauma patients instead of giving their attention to books and pens. Just as the USA’s state mechanisms are influenced by oil corporations, weapons manufacturers, cigarette makers and pharmaceutical companies, Nepal’s peacebuilding initiatives are overshadowed by neighbours’ power, politics, rapid economic growth, sociocultural elements and its peoples. The peacebuilding process will only be concluded successfully when neighbouring authorities treat Nepal as an independent and sovereign 221

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integrity. Over six decades, no government of Nepal has completed its full five-year term, thanks to neighbours’ vested interest in Nepalese politics. Although landlocked Nepal is sandwiched between India and China, the latter’s silent diplomacy encourages India to closely watch Nepalese politics and interfere accordingly. China’s visit is substantially increased in recent years in Nepal suspiciously watching Indo-US civilian nuclear deal (Pathak 2010b: 96). If China does not change its stance by treating Nepal as a neighbour equal to India, Nepal will always be in a transitional state that encourages INCB conflicts. Nepal will achieve peace, prosperity, security and development when both India and China treat Nepal equally as a friendly neighbour and respect the principle of Panchaseel (mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity; non-aggression; non-interference in the other’s internal affairs; equality and mutual benefit; peaceful coexistence) and accept that “the pains and grievances of a neighbour are ours” and that a “neighbour should never be changed”. Even as Nepal adopts several peacebuilding approaches, it has failed to adopt Johan Galtung’s globally accepted post-conflict approaches such as rehabilitation (addressing collective sorrow), rebuilding (development), restructuring (peace structure), reculturation (creating a peace culture) and reconciliation (achieving a sense of closure to hostilities, and healing). Nepal generates many papers on peacebuilding, but implementation is very rare due to the growing culture of impunity and corruption that pervades all state authorities and non-state levels. Indeed, the power, politics, property and privilege overshadowed entire mechanism of constitution drafting and to conclude the peace process integrating and rehabilitating to the Maoist Army respecting their interests. Delaying (re)integration (into security forces and societies), rehabilitation and professionalization to MA, democratization and right sizing of the NA are against the ethics of Civil Military Relations. Moreover, the seven-point agreement signed recently did not speak a word of democratization and right sizing of NA. The lack of confidence building measures among the parties, radical change vs. conservative interests, parties’ affiliation with two extreme lines of thoughts; disorderly and under-governed liberal democracy of India and the orderly, over-governed, controlled democracy of China, are the salient hindrances of Nepal’s peace process. Nepal cannot be isolated from the ‘string of pearls’ strategy; Indo-US-West and China-Confucian-Muslim allies (Pathak 2011b: 1). Peacebuilding may soon be concluded in Nepal; but first, Nepali must shake off neighbour’s influence and become masters of their own destiny. Beyond that, all of us understand that, as the world slowly becomes a global village, the triumph of injustice anywhere gravely affects the struggle for justice everywhere, and Nepal is no exception to this situation. (Note: For full article/paper please visit our website www.iaseve.org.in)

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Understanding Human Being Rationally for Ultimate Peace and Harmony Nand Kumar, (IAS, 1989, Maharashtra) Director General, Rajmata Jijau Mother and Child Health & Nutrition Mission 1st Floor, Raigad Bhawan, Belapur CBD, Navi Mumbai [email protected] 9820276869, 022-23646818

The basis for these thoughts is a twentieth century philosophy Astitva Mulak Manav Kendrit Madhyasth Darshan (Existence Based Human Centred Madhyasth Darshan). I have received this proposal from Shree A Nagraj. I have not understood it, do not live it. I am making efforts to do so. I have read it and find the proposal acceptable/agree with it. The wikipedia gives following description of value: In ethics, value is a property of objects including physical objects as well as abstract objects (e.g. actions), representing their degree of importance. Ethic value denotes something’s degree of importance, with the aim of determining what action or life is best to do or live (Deontology), or at least attempt to describe the value of different actions (Axiology). It may be described as treating actions themselves as abstract objects, putting value to them. It deals with right conduct and good life, in the sense that a highly, or at least relatively highly, valuable action may be regarded as ethically “good” (adjective sense), and an action of low, or at least relatively low, value may be regarded as “bad”. What makes an action valuable may in turn depend on the ethic values of the objects it increases, decreases or alters.

Absolute and relative value (personal and cultural) There is a distinction between relative (or personal or cultural value) and absolute (or noumenal) value (not to be confused with mathematical absolute value). Relative value is subjective, depending on individual and cultural views, and is therefore synonymous with personal and cultural value. Absolute value, on the other hand, is philosophically absolute and independent of individual and cultural views, as well as independent of whether it is apprehended or not. Relative value may be regarded as an ‘experience’ by subjects of the absolute value. Relative value thus varies with individual and cultural interpretation, while absolute value remains 223

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constant, regardless of individual or collective ‘experience’ of it. Relative value may be explained as an assumption from which implementation can be extrapolated. If it was known, Absolute value could possibly be implemented, but this cannot be assumed, it is what it is. Inability to find Absolute Value is the main cause of conflict in the present day world. It is main hindrance to peace and harmony. The Madhyasth Darshan actually says that the absolute value has been found in terms of happiness which is every human being’s need.

Intrinsic and extrinsic Philosophic value may be split into instrumental value and intrinsic values. An instrumental value is worth having as a means towards getting something else that is good (e.g., a radio is instrumentally good in order to hear music). An intrinsically valuable thing is worth for itself, not as a means to something else. It is giving value intrinsic and extrinsic properties. An ethic good with instrumental value may be termed an ethic mean, and an ethic good with intrinsic value may be termed an end-in-itself. An object may be both a mean and end-initself. Intrinsic and instrumental goods are not mutually exclusive categories. Some objects are both good in themselves, and also good for getting other objects that are good. “Understanding science” may be such a good, being both worthwhile in and of itself, and as a means of achieving other goods. In these cases, the sum of instrumental (specifically the all instrumental value) and intrinsic value of an object may be regarded as the whole value of the object. The whole value of the object is for the maximization of happiness. Therefore, the difference between the intrinsic and extrinsic values evaporates. The understanding of Madhyasth Darshan brings to the fore satisfaction of both physical and mental needs simultaneously and on continuous basis. Equality of satisfaction of both the needs is clarified. This points towards futility of satisfaction of only physical needs at the cost of mental needs. Thus understanding the happiness and not the pleasure as the basic need of every human being (universal human need) will give rise to ultimate peace and harmony in the human society.

Happiness the Ultimate Goal During the ancient period Plato propounded that the human soul consists of three parts: The reason, the will and the desire. A man is happy when all three parts of the soul are in balance. Plato has thought about how to build a good society. During medieval period Augustine said that the ultimate goal of all human endeavor lies in the happiness. And during modern period Nozick devised contemporary thought experiment that has direct relevance to the philosophy of happiness. It is the experience machine thought experiment that was created by the American philosopher Robert Nozick in Anarchy, State, Utopia. The thought experiment gives you the option to enter a machine that would give you the maximum amount of unending hedonistic pleasure for the rest of your life. But since most people would prefer not to take this kind of deal if offered shows that hedonistic pleasure is not the ultimate goal of human life, and that happiness or “the good life” therefore requires 224

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more than maximisation of pleasure. Richard Layard also says that the goal should be the greatest happiness of all. The philosophy of happiness of Bhutan rests on four pillars: a healthy environment, a good economy, a democratic government and the anchoring in a positive religion / culture.

Happiness through Enhancement of Own Value (Co-existentialism) If radio has some value for me then do I also have some value for radio? If water has value for me then do I also have some value for water? Similarly are human beings valuable to each other? Water has same value, quenching thirst, to all human beings irrespective of culture. Human beings have same value for water, to maintain its ability of quenching thirst. It is a must also for our own survival. Maintaining quality of water out of fear of decimation of human race is much negative as compared to maintaining the quality of water because of being intelligent and understanding (samajhdaar) human being. Similarly not fighting with other human being out of fear of reprisal is negative as compared to not fighting for contributing towards overall well being of humanity. When I do these positives then I showing my worth (value) as human being. When I understand my value in this manner then all my actions are good to other human beings and good to the nature which in turn results in my well being. This is reversal of ‘live and let live (jiyo aur jine do)’ philosophy to ‘let live and live (jine do aur jiyo).’ Happiness is the quality or state of being happy. It is state of mind. It occurs when one derives satisfaction. As human thoughts never stop the satisfaction needed is on continuous basis and in all directions of thoughts. Thoughts can take any direction. To visualize the number of directions thoughts can take we should imagine ourselves sitting at the centre of the Sun. Then the thoughts can take any direction in which light rays are emanating. To remain satisfied on continuous basis is the purpose of the life. It is very different than that has been stated in the scriptures of all the religions. It beauty is that it can be examined by every individual human being. There is no disagreement on this point in western as well as oriental philosophies. One doesn’t find discrepancy also in various ages i.e. ancient (Socrates, Plato), medieval and modern. Only difference is in whether it can be achieved and how to achieve it? The main difference lies in whether to believe in the existence of soul as different entity than body. Soul could not be defined by its believers. Advent of science appealed to rationality and logic of human beings. Human body seemed logical while human souls seemed illogical. Everybody’s language including non-believers of soul will have words like ‘my body’. It means that they believe in separate entity than body which possesses the body. Equality of all has been enshrined in almost all constitutions of the world. Certainly it is not on the height, weight or colour of the bodies of individuals. At the same time all sciences dealing with humans have been using the terminologies like human dignity, happiness, tension, mood, respect, pride etc. We are aware that these are not physical words. Every human being can examine when his/her self-respect is hurt. If a guest who is hungry and is eating very fast, at that time the host makes a comment that ‘eat as much as you can because you might 225

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never have eaten so delicious and rich food even in your father’s life time’. By hearing this comment the guest will stop eating. A fight may ensue. Thus a human being may reject a situation where she was consuming a physical chemical material (food) badly needed by body in most satisfying manner. This signifies the simultaneous presence of physical and mental needs. Everyone can examine this. We just saw a situation where both physical and mental needs competed with each other. One need may take precedence for human being while the other need may take precedence for other. This takes us to a situation where physical need of an individual is fully satisfied. Mental need continues to exist. The need of dignity, pride, self-respect etc never ceases to exist. The need of food arises again once the food consumed is digested by the body to satisfy its physical-chemical needs. Thus physical-chemical needs are intermittent in its nature while the mental need is continuous. Various properties of these two distinct needs are described in table II below. Understanding Needs Physical-chemical

Combination

Mental

Food (hunger, thirst)

Entertainments (reading, watching movies, TV, picnicking)

Dignity

Shelter (sleep)

Games

Happiness

Clothes (includes all body attachments)

Pleasure

Satisfaction

Sex

Joy Self-respect Self-esteem Pride Decorum Worthiness Goodness Nobility Acceptability Majesty Distinction Fulfillment Cheerfulness Contentment Gladness 226

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These two kind of needs are distinct but have different properties. Parameter

Physical-Chemical Needs

Mental Needs

1.

Quantity

Limited

Unlimited

2.

Time-continuum

Periodical

Continuous

3.

Nature

Physical-chemical

Non-physical-chemical

4.

Perception through senses

Perceptible

Non-perceptible

5.

Accumulation (inside body)

Not possible

Not possible

6.

Accumulation (outside body) Possible

Not-possible

7.

Need of accumulation

For satisfaction of need in the future

Accumulation not possible

8.

Purchase ability

Yes

Not purchasable

9.

Satisfaction through money

Mostly

Minimally, through sense of security of satisfaction of physical needs

10.

Value

A must

A must

11.

Price

Depends on supply (as per present economic laws)

Priceless, not available in the market

12.

Derivation of satisfaction

Only till the need is satisfied

Eternal

13.

Abhorrence

After satisfaction of need

Never

Understanding physical needs Quantity wise limited requirement Physical needs are for the body of human beings. The size of the human body is limited hence the physical need of human body is limited. Leaving aside a few human families we find that human beings have accumulated more physical things than are needed by their families. Thus the physical-chemical materials available in the nature are in abundance and are more than sufficient to satisfy the physical needs of the human being on the planet earth. Such abundance mentality will ease the tension of the people and by thinking this way people can behave in win-win manner. 227

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Time required for production and consumption is limited The physical and sensual needs are required by the body. They are a must. But their requirements are only for limited quantity at a time which can be satisfied within limited period of time. The need of thirst or hunger can be satisfied by consuming limited quantity of water or food. The time required for such consumption will require certain amount of time. The human body and human will is such that growing, earning or accumulating such quantity of water or food requires much lesser time. The total time required both for earning and consuming is less than what a human being has. Most human beings are left with surplus time when physical needs cease to operate while mental need is in operation. Some people have said that an empty mind is devil’s workshop. People have surplus time and if the humanity believes in devil’s workshop paradigm then it is in trouble. For constructive use of surplus time also we need to understand human being in better manner.

Accumulation within body not possible Food and water which are consumed by taking it inside the body cannot be accumulated within the body. It can be taken in only in certain quantity. Consumption beyond this certain quantity is also not possible. Also, after some time it has to come out of the body.

Abhorrence after need satisfaction When hungry person will like to eat a lot of certain food item. But after consuming quantity enough for satisfaction of need the same person may request for its removal.

Interconnectedness also through consumed materials Everything consumed by all living being comes out after some time. It becomes part of the common environment and is recycled. We are very well aware of the water cycle. Thus sweat or urine of one human being becomes water vapour that in turn becomes cloud. The cloud rains and water goes to rivers, tubewells and wells. Other human beings drink the water. Thus water consumed by one human being today will be consumed by another human being after some time (days/months/years). The two human beings may belong to any caste, class, creed, region, colour or religion. Thus it is not only father’s blood running in the veins of a person but water in the blood may have history of running in the blood of bitterest of her enemies. It also signifies that human behavior has nothing to do with the genetic code of the body. Genetic code will influence the body structure, colour of the skin, height etc but not the behavior. Behavior is learnt from the environment during childhood which can be modified by learning through new experiences.

Confusion between the two kinds of needs lead to increased size and quantity of physical items Need of food is limited for one meal is understood by every human being. This understanding 228

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is mainly because its consumption involves injecting the food inside the intestine of the body. The volume of intestine being limited any individual can consume limited food. In the food also more costly and fashionable items are added by status conscious people. These food items need not necessarily by more healthy and nutritious. People are more confused when it comes to physical needs like clothes, beds, houses etc. In these mental needs (of dignity, self-respect, pride, status) are mixed up too much. Such mixing results in more number of clothes, beds and houses. Sizes of houses and facilities in them increase even if they are not needed by the body. This kind of mixing up of physical needs with mental needs results in creation of physical facilities which are more than needed for the body. This confusion gives rise to wants. This is the basic difference between needs and wants. Then as Mahatma Gandhi has said, “The planet earth has enough to satisfy everybody’s need but not even one individual’s wants”. Present day economic theory also goofs up here when it says human needs are unlimited while the resources available are limited. Actually that is not the case. This has lead to scarcity paradigm in the humanity giving rise to tension in the society and wars among the countries for natural resources.

Power of money In our present day economy we can buy the physical things when available in the market. If the supply is less then price of the item increases. Thus the power of money reduces. If the required item is not available in the market then the money looses all its powers. Nobody can survive by consuming the money directly. Also, if big amount of money starts chasing the same item then also power of money reduces. The value of physical items remains the same whatever may be its price. In this sense money has no value. But convertibility of one item to other physical item through money gives it a lot of power. House can be converted into food through money when required. Thus house becomes means of future security. The confusion between the two kinds of needs has lead to feeling of insecurity in the society. This insecurity has developed tendency of accumulation and hoarding in the people.

Need of accumulation Physical needs are required on intermittent basis till body survives. This leads to accumulation of physical materials for securing future needs satisfaction. But the kind of accumulation presently in the vogue in the society is because of the confusion between the two kinds of needs. This can be seen in the behaviours of prosperous (highly rich) people like Warren Buffet, Bill Gates and Tata who spend their earning for public good.

Recognizing and Understanding Mental Needs Mental needs are present in all human beings. This can be examined by everyone within themselves. Unlike physical need its need is present on continuous basis and in undefined quantity. So far humanity has not given consideration about the quantity of non-physicalchemical existence. It being non-physical-chemical existence it cannot be satisfied through physical-chemical existence. Money itself being physical-chemical substance it can buy 229

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only physical-chemical substance. Thus mental needs cannot be bought with money. Nevertheless it is indispensible, valuable and priceless. Human beings are never tired of having it even if it is received in unlimited quantity. Another very important property of mental need is that any discontinuity in it can destroy the life of human being. Highest of dignitaries can lose all of it within seconds even if she commits one mistake that is abhorred by the people. Today’s humanity understands the consequences of non-satisfaction of physical needs. It leads to theft, beggary etc. When non-satisfaction of physical needs combines with nonsatisfaction of mental needs then large scale civil wars etc erupts. When physical needs are satisfied but mental needs are not-satisfied then broadly two kinds of behaviours are possible. One, when the person is educated enough to engage oneself with self and with the society. This education cannot be defined by the certificates and degrees of today’s education as the present day education is devoid of such content. Two, when person does not understand such engagement. In such situation they move in negative direction. Non recognition of mental need and its nature has resulted in poorer understanding of humanity. Human being will behave in random manner. No two human beings will behave in the same manner given a particular situation. Once we understand that human being takes all her decision for maximization of happiness then understanding human being easy. Human being cannot live the principle of maximization of happiness. This is universal human principle. Recognition of this universal principle will lead to many paradigm shifts.

Satisfaction of Mental Need Human being should feel satisfied which ever direction his/her thoughts go. Thus the thought of satisfaction is not limited to satiation of physical needs. This is supported by Robert Nozick’s contemporary thought experiment that hedonistic pleasure is not the ultimate goal of human life, and that happiness or “the good life” therefore requires more than maximisation of pleasure. The thought extends to the thoughts of other human beings and other living beings. With enhanced consciousness it will encompass the non-living beings also. Thoughts go to various events involving other living beings. If we met someone and had very good friendly discussion with him/her then we would feel satisfied whenever the thought of that meeting comes to mind. Similarly if we had heated discussions or altercation during that meeting then the thought of the same meeting will not be pleasurable. If we met a dog on the way and the dog came close and remained with us after some patting then it will be happy memory. But if the dog tried to come closer and we hit it with a stone and the dog ran away crying would not be happy memory. In these encounters no exchange of physical materials took place but mental need is affected. Thus the thought of human beings; e.g. family members, close relatives, work colleagues and immediate society coming to mind should give thought of happiness. At the enhanced consciousness level the thought of larger society, country, universal human society and all the humans on earth will also give happy thoughts. Presently humanity is not 230

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in such happy state. Similarly the thought of material, plant and animal world should also give happy thoughts. Presently we read news about extinction of plants and animal species. We also read about soil erosion and depletion and global warming. Such situation does not give happy thoughts. When we do not get happy thoughts then we think of doing something in that direction because we always endeavour to maximize our happiness. Thus we will feel happy if we can contribute by any way towards world peace and sustainable environment. Satisfaction comes when in our thoughts we find that we have contributed positively in all these. This emphasizes the need of relationships not only with other human beings but also with material world, plant world and animal world. This gives rise to need of sustainable environment. Sustainability of environment is required for fulfilling mental needs also while obviously it is required for fulfilling physical needs. Peace in all the relationships is needed for happy living. The present day society understands the need of peace only in term of physical need that nobody should harm, injure or kill us.

Simultaneity of Both Kinds of Needs Physical needs occur intermittently and mental needs operate continuously. There is not a single moment when none of the needs are operational. Physical needs also operate very frequently like water may be required 5 to 10 times every day and food may be required thrice every day. Thus none of the two kinds of needs can be ignored.

Separation of the Two Kinds of Needs – The Cause of Real Sorrow The two kinds of philosophies in vogue are materialistic and idealistic. Both have tried to ignore one of the needs. Materialism operates in manner such as to ignore the mental needs while idealism (spiritualism) tries to ignore the physical needs. Idealism almost rejected the physical needs. Rejection of sensual needs worked against marriage, families and reproduction. Thus it headed towards individualism. It advocated the reduction of physical needs. Frugal living was made virtue. Some people equaled it with inability to satisfy physical needs as virtue. This thought made the people inactive and the society became passive. However, the advantages of such rejection of material benefit could not be seen during the life time of the people. Thus to justify their thinking they had to invent the concept of sin, virtue, hell, haven and even liberation from the cycle of birth and death. Fruits of good work were to be obtained only after the death. With some deeper understanding we can find that the results of good or bad work are seen almost immediately. We see many killers of rage surrendering to police. It is because they are themselves able to see the mistakes committed by them. Take the example of an enraged father hitting his son. Later he realizes the folly of hitting. Understanding of mental needs brings hell and haven to the present during the living time of the human being. Sin and virtues are also seen by themselves in terms of happy memory or sad memory. By recognizing mental needs we are freed of the abstract other world. This thinking also gives satisfaction as we are not under pressure to decipher the concepts of hell and haven. 231

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Similarly, materialism has also brought a lot of misery to the humanity by ignoring the mental needs. Poor are not happy because they cannot satisfy their physical needs. Rich people are opulent. They have satisfied all their material (physical) needs but are not happy because their need of accumulating wealth is yet unsatisfied. Also, the need to accumulate and earn profit makes us exploit the environment and fellow human beings. Thus materialism also leads us to individualism. Both the earlier isms are working against the development of universal human society. They are giving rise to unnecessary tension in the human society. The present society has to understand these lacunae of both the isms. It is high time we recognize the simultaneity of both the needs and reorient our education system accordingly. Unlike other animals human beings need to satisfy both the needs. This difference between the human beings and other animals need to be noted. This also implies that the behaviourist learning theories developed by Pavlov and B F Skinner by experimenting with the animals are not applicable to human beings in-Toto. Therefore, the constructivist approach is correct learning model for the human beings.

Prosperity and Richness different Concepts Prosperity is distinct concept than richness. Prosperity takes into account thought level satiety while richness is more acquisition of material wealth. When a family starts thinking that they possess more than their physical requirement then they are prosperous. Concept of richness doesn’t care about thought level satisfaction therefore, their need to acquire does not end. With the need to acquire, being alive, human being never reaches level of prosperity and they remain poor at thought level.

Developing the Content and Methodology of Education Content The planet earth, our solar system, galaxies and all creations lie within space. This can be examined by every human being. Through this ability everyone can also realize that all units (meaning that can be counted) are placed in space. Every unit is soaked, submerged and surrounded by the space. Space is all pervading. It exists without the unit and it is within and around the unit also. Though it may not be constructed through senses it is constructed through ability to think rationally. The space doesn’t change, meaning there are no physicalchemical changes in the space. It is eternal. Physical-chemical changes take place in units. Human being is able to perceive these changes. The occurrence of perceptible change is defined as kriya (action) in Madhyasth Darshan. Completion of kriya does not mean that change has ceased to occur. The change continues and a new kriya occurs. Human being can understand this and it is not illusory. Also, only units can change. They may cease to be constructed by senses of human beings at times when a matter changes to energy form (as per Einstein’s E=mc2). But they are not lost. After another physical-chemical change it may come within the range of construction through senses. Thus units and space co-exist and 232

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units exist within the space. They both are realities. Only thing is that one is amenable to physical-chemical changes and the other not. Some prominent philosophies call units as material reality and space as Absolute Reality. Other names of Absolute Reality (space) are Brahmn, Divine and God in other philosophies and belief systems. When Madhyasth Darshan is understood the confusion of two kinds of realities evaporates. By this understanding, the belief of independent existence with individual desires and ambitions being the sole reality of worldly life is wrong. Madhyasth Darshan asserts that this also can be examined by everyone. From the first paragraph it is clear that my existence may be unique but I am not independent as I am in the space. I am one of the units in the space and cannot be separated from it. I do not have option of being separated from space nor the space has ‘power’ to throw me out of the space. Thus the space (Brahmn, God, Divine or Absolute Reality) is not Almighty. It is not purpose of human life also as asserted by idealism. Then we are back to the two basic questions that have haunted the human being from the beginning i.e. ‘Why to live?’ and ‘How to live?’ This can be examined by everyone. The physical and non-physical worlds operate simultaneously. They are not separate and cannot be separated. It is principle of co-existence that operates. Considering the evolution theory; material world, plant world and animal world preceded the human beings. No clash is seen among the three worlds. But it is seen among the human beings. Other three worlds are seen complementing each other. Human being will be on this planet earth as long as all the four worlds complement (purak) each other. Thus the human beings’ role is to contribute to that complementarity (purakta). It is within the reach of every human being to understand this. As per the Madhyasth Darshan evidence (pramaan) of understanding (samajh) is seen in character (aacharan) of human being. When a critical number of people become samajhdaar the world will be full of joy for human beings and enriching for other three worlds. We are on the verge of reaching that level as this Darshan has become available to humanity. Also, it is everybody’s felt need. The need of the hour is that education (which is aiming at universalisation) need to align itself with the interpretation of science and evolution theory in the manner done in Madhyasth Darshan. I live for my satisfaction (samadhan) that occurs with prosperity (samriddhi) in family, fearlessness (abhay) in undivided universal human society and co-existence (sah-astitva) with natural world beyond human beings. Satisfaction occurs both at physical and mental level. At physical (body) level it requires food, shelter, clothes, sex, sleep etc which are satisfied through physical-chemical materials (units) available in the existence. When thoughts (vichar) are satisfied mental satisfaction occurs. Clearly thoughts are non-physical-chemical and therefore they cannot be satisfied through physical-chemical consumption or acquisitions. The present day ambition is defined in terms of material acquisitions, which has no limits while the physical needs of human beings occur intermittently and require limited quantity for its satisfaction. Such definition of ambition deprives one of mental satisfaction while the need is continuous and unlimited. This is the main confusion of the present day world. 233

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Methodology For teaching of human science, the methodology and evaluation of present day education needs to go a sea change. All teaching will go in the form of ‘proposals’. There will not be any standard statement or principle that students have to memorize. This also provides that all scriptures and all great (or otherwise) human beings of the past will remain outside the classroom. The teacher (facilitator) will keep putting the proposals and students will analyze them on three criteria: 1.

Whether the proposition is applicable to me?

2.

Whether the proposition is applicable to my neighbor?

3.

Whether the proposition is applicable to the whole humanity?

If the student finds all these correct then she will accept it. Otherwise she will express her opinion. Other students will also express their opinion. Teacher will guide them through the discussion. The proposition will either be accepted during the class or it will enter the thought process of the students. The thought process will continue till they are able to resolve it. But the proposition will not be accepted just because it has been said by the teacher or by some great personality of the past or because it is written is some scriptures. Nothing will be accepted without knowing and all that are known will be accepted. Acceptance means bringing it in ones behavior (character). If an understanding is not translated into behavior then it is not accepted howsoever emphatic the person may be its advocate.

Evaluation When the understanding of the content becomes part of the character of a student then only she has understood it otherwise not. The method of evaluation shall be self-evaluation and self-declaration. A human being only can live her life therefore, she only can evaluate herself. Others can at best give opinion about other’s living. Opinion has meaning only to the extent that it gives more data to the individual for evaluating oneself.

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Value Education and Systemic Challenges Pawan Kumar Gupta Mussoorie [email protected]

When we opened our little school in a remote village in TehriGarhwal district of Himalyas, at the request of young “educated” villagers, we were told by the elders in the village that “padhalikhakartum log hamarebachchokobarbaadkarrahe ho”; “padhlikhkar we n gharkerahtehain n ghat k”’; “ganvkapadhashaharmein fit hotahai, shaharkavideshmein”; ‘naukreekijadpathar par’; ‘honasikhao, dikhananahi”, etc. etc. It was great learning for us, painful and uncomfortable – to fathom and understand the meaning of what they were saying we had to unlearn many things and re-examine our assumptions, which we were not even aware of, leave alone examine them. These elders encouraged us to fundamentally change our approach to education leading to many experiments, some of them successful. There was a lot of wisdom in what they said. Today the situation in the village has not changed, the attitude of the “educated” has not improved but that genre of elders have become almost extinct. Now the new ‘educated’ parents want an “English medium school” with all the frills and ruse that go with such schools. Having changed our approach at the behest of the parents then, we are once again back to square one and the new generation of parents want us to revert back to our old ways. When we examine this development in the society we find that modern education and the systems which are the foundations of this modernity have tremendous ability to make the exploited, the victim, become an accomplice and supporter of the very system which exploits them. Obviously, peace, harmony, values and exploitation cannot go together. Therefore unless we examine and address the present day challenges which come in the way of establishing right values, ethics, aesthetics, harmony and peace in the human being, we may feel good, get on with a feeling of having done our bit but things will not really change on a large scale. In the Indiantraditions a lot has been said about interconnectedness between things and phenomena. Hence while the rest of the life - in almost all spheres, within individual homes and outside– keeps moving in a direction, contrary to the basis of harmony, peace and values, we cannot simply “teach” these values without addressing the challenges posed by the systems which govern our lives and compel us to behave in a manner often contrary to ethical behavior. 235

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The mind can be conditioned, can be trained to think in a certain manner, which our present day education is doing very efficiently, where false assumptions are imbibed without examination; where we think we know while actually believing. Moreover everyday experience of an individual, being in alignment with these assumptions; the assumptions seldom get challenged. They seem to work!The trend is such in almost all spheres. Apart from individual homes only a new kind of a-politically political, politics and paradigmatically different education can effectively challenge these assumptions. So any education on values, ethics etc. which at the same time submits to the trends that prevail in the outside world, more often than not, sound like sermons - unrealistic and impractical, even when they are not that. I would like to discuss here some of these challenges which the present day education and everyday life, the way it is governed, poses and which need to be addressed alongside the sincere efforts which different groups may be making in the direction of establishing value based education. The foremost challenge is the modern tendency to understand and address issues by fragmenting and reducing reality to smaller components. Even the effort to “teach” values without addressing the assumptions that govern the various aspects of our lives stems from this deeper issue. The reductionist approach is certainly useful but not if we lose sight of the whole or ignore other parts which run contrary to what we are trying to do under value education. We cannot afford to ignore them. It needs to be seriously examined if it is possible for an ordinary person to lead a value based life when he is increasingly being made more and more dependent, even for things necessary for his survival, like food and water leave alone other wants. The wells have disappeared, the rivers and lakes have become polluted and now we are told that water in the taps, if it is available, is not fit for consumption. The only option given to remain healthy is to buy water. Only the market gives the choice (?) of buying the same product packaged in different bottles. Those of us, teaching value education, should we ignore and not discuss why the wells and lakes are disappearing, why are rivers becoming more polluted, why are we forced to become more dependent on the system. What are the reasons behind these tendencies? How are our desires being shaped? Are we really free? These issues connected with value educationand we need to simultaneously address them while teaching value education. Distinction needs to be made clear between truth, which is eternal and fact. Therefore in a world where happiness, satisfaction, which are eternal values have gotten confused with material comfort and material satisfaction only, unless this distinction is made clear the experiences of the students which keep differing from what is taught under “value education”, an ordinary person is unable to cope. Everyday experience of the students is that power, money and status, however dubiously acquired, gets respected – this being a fact. The experience of the student in the outside world teaches him to go in a direction contrary to what he learns in value education classes. He wants to make it, wants recognition, acknowledgement. So we need to teach not only about truth but how and why truth may differ with facts and work out his priorities. 236

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Education has come to mean, and is largely preparing people not to be self reliant but to, enable one to enter into the job market. To wean away people from self reliance,displace them and push them into the job market; this is termed as development. He is prepared not for entrepreneurship but for employment, to serve the corporates and the system. Getting a job is not self reliance. The job market often requires behaving and doing things contrary to value based living. Competitiveness and aggression are almost essential pre-requisites in the corporate world. We only have to see the examples of students coming out of our IIMs to understand how these traits are eulogized. It is equally true of other institutes as well. Self reliance can exist without competition and aggressiveness but modern day large corporate and large systems necessarily require these traits. Therefore we need to examine the contradictions between the demands raised by the corporates and the system on a person coming out of an institute teaching values and values that he would like to live by. Can the two co-exist and let us not give examples by drawing from exceptions. It must be added here that we have mastered the art of hypocrisy and if we ignore to look at the contradictions in the face, we will be turning the students into hypocrites or make them schizophrenic and/ or compel them to be immune to the society and the country by being self centered and narrow minded. We will keep condemning the West for its individualism but we will be doing the same in a different manner. One of the essential outcomes of any education process must be to give self-confidence to the students. But in our country only the illiterate seem to have real confidence. They remain unaffected by the other. The educated on the other hand can only derive his confidence through comparison with the other, a training that he gets early on from his school days.He is constantly getting impressed/ influenced (as against inspired) by the other and trying to do the same to others. The educated has lost his sahajta (being at ease with himself and others). After all, he has no basis to evaluate himself; he is trained during the education process to accept the basis of evaluation as prescribed by other(s) – market/ system – from time to time. We need to discuss why it is necessary to be careful while using adjectives which are based on assumptions – are we aware of them? The bases or imposed values keep changing and so he finds he cannot relax or rest (dirty words now; that is being a loser), he is always chasing – no one knows what exactly. Education does not teach him value, which is unchanging, which IS and is eternal.And when it does, the systemwithin which the institute operates or is forced to function is based on different values where the market and the larger system dominate. These contradictions are often ignored and not addressed. But they need to be addressed openly amongst those who are sincerely trying to bring about a change, and even with students, although we may not have answer about what to do, at the moment. But acknowledgment of contradictions is required if we have to find solutions. Ignorance may be bliss but it is dangerous. Another important issue we face while teaching value education is the tendency to think in polarities – in either/ or fashion. Before teaching values we need to de-condition the mind and free it from certain habits. This habit of the average modern educated person to see 237

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things in polarities needs to be challenged. Most often things are not opposite, but are different. White is not opposite of black, it is a different colour. But that is how we are teaching. And we do not stop at that, we go on to teach the opposite of mother is father, or opposite of boy is a girl – look at the grammar book of any junior class in any language in our country. This tendency to start looking at the world in terms of opposites starts very early and then we talk of diversity. And we do not see the contradiction. So it is natural that only one way of lifestyle and behavior represents progress, development and all the rest with all their diversities is assumed to be backward. This habit of thinking in polarities impedes listening and understanding. We need to teach “how” to think before anything else. Categories were made for a purpose – to help us understand. They are to be used and forgotten. They are means, provisional in nature, not real, neither are they the end. Yet we often get caught in them, as if they were not the means but an end in themselves. The practice of teaching different subjects, which are ultimately man-made categories, in different periods in quick succession, trains the mind to focus more on the subject rather the object of study – to gain knowledge, to understand the way things are. This supports the tendency to look at things in a fragmented manner. Very often in the mind of the student and many times even with the teacher “value education” like “moral studies” in the past, also becomes a subject like any other rather than the objective. Hence we need to make the student understand what categories are, what subjects are, what value is, before teaching “value education”. In fact value needs to be weaved into subject teaching. Teaching it separately as a subject has its dangers and we need to be aware of them. Another impact of treating categories as real is the increasing importance of specialization and specialists/ experts. Educated people are losing faith in themselves, in their wisdom and relying more and more on the opinions of the so called experts, who are trained not to see the entire picture.Experts may be needed but they have their place; they need not be over evaluated. The only person who had the listening of a large section of people and also challenged this trend effectively was Mahatma Gandhi. While addressing a seminar at Muir College Economic Society, Allahabad Mahatma Gandhi on “is economic progress real progress” exhorted the economists for having a narrow view of life and boldly took the debate outside the folds of economics and thus made it more inclusive, the way life is. Today we lack such voices. We are taught to cower before the specialist, even if he does not make common sense. Knowledge is giving way to information just like wisdom is giving way to intelligence and wit. This is one of the ways, system takes control of our lives and we become accomplices in the process. The educated is taught to look outwards, the appearance, the manifested only, in other words the gatiand not on the being, the sthiti. So impressing the other, arrogance, putting the other down by a barrage of information, use of words which are actually hollow – are all traits that a student learns very quickly because he sees, they work. We need only look at what we are doing in the name of general knowledge (actually information) and how over evaluated our quiz shows are. Our own evaluation system and the manner in which institutes, 238

Teacher Education

Lead Papers

Peace & Harmony

by and large, respond to authority and power go a long way in teaching the student inadvertently but effectively. We acknowledge the gap between kathni (what is being said) and karni (what is done) but it more often than not is used to put down an individual. It has much larger implications and needs to be seen as such, at the institutional level as well. We also need to address the issue of language, a means of expression, while talking about value education. In our country, because of our recent history, one of the most important issues is that of language. We cannot afford to ignore the violence and exploitation perpetuated by English in this country. Learning a language is not the issue, the issue is of exploitation, domination, the psychological impact and the manner in which our educated are fast losing command over any language, even our own. The student is putting all his energies in learning this language at the cost of gaining knowledge. We are infusing our students with deep inferiority in the name of confidence by forcing him to participate in this race. The myth is becoming stronger by the day that to know English is synonymous with being knowledgeable or educated. And in our country an extremely small percentage even among those who claim to know English, can effectively express their deep and complex thoughtsand feelings in English. In the effort to know English students are ignoring their own languages as well, the result is we are producing a large force of dumb people unable to effectively express themselves fully. And unless we can give expression to our innermost thoughts and feelings how can we hope to evolve. We can keep on talking, giving and listening to sermons but they will remain at the surface. This is the reason instead of talking from our hearts, something original; we keep quoting from western sources more than actually required, to show our knowledge. Most of our serious seminars somehow take place in this foreign language and therefore we often end up talking superficially and those from the west from where this language has come and their ideas naturally dominate. In the process originality suffers. We have not yet made serious effort to be able to simultaneously translate between major Indian languages. Unless the core is addressed, which remains dormant because of this inability to connect with the language spoken or listened to, a real change cannot be expected on a large scale. We can be good technicians and/ or good and obedient citizens and good employees but not masters of our lives, if we cannot freely and easily give expression to what is within us. This is one of the pre-requisites of original thinking. If we are trying to teach values we cannot afford to ignore the issue of language. Values may be universal but each society has its peculiar issues which need to be addressed. Also lack of ability to express well encourages the individual to focus on the outward, the doing part (the gati) and ignore/ give less importance to the being (sthiti) part. Value Education is all about focusing on the being – the doing emanating from being. So value education has to work towards raising the competencies of students in self expression. Modern education, highly influenced by modern science, has somehow given the impression, perhaps inadvertently, that the most important question in the realm of knowledge is to know the answer to ‘why’ and ‘how’. But the most important question to know is to know the answer to ‘what’. The answer to what is wholesome, integrating all; it includes logical understanding but goes beyond. It goes beyond specialized knowledge. There can be multiple 239

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answers to ‘why’ and ‘how’ depending on the circumstances. ‘What’ is inclusive while ‘why’ and ‘how’ are exclusive. Philosophy or better still darshan has been turned into a subject whereas the base of all subjects ought to be philosophy.The answer to what requires not only logical thinking but deep observation, listening and contemplation. It requires time and patience. There is hardly any space for these in modern education. Even value education more often than not is being taught either in a sermonizing tone or in a logical manner which temporarily appeals to the mind but does not become an experience. Observation and contemplation require time, slowing down but the world around, the way it has become and the way we are bent upon making it, is hurling away at great speed. Those who are slow are called ‘backward’. We are busy ‘catching up’. We are always in a hurry, there is no time for casual but serious conversation, to sit and observe the beauty around, if we can still see nature in the concrete jungles we are busy creating. I find the educated have stopped reading good literature, poetry or even have the urge to see some classical dance or listen to classical music, all of this requires slowing down and being at ease with oneself. Mahatma Gandhi was busy, doing many things simultaneously but he always found time for his prayers and his walks. Even during the hectic discussions with Irwin he would walk to the viceregal house (RashtrapatiBhawan) everyday from Daryaganj. He took the car only one day when it was raining. This gave him time to be with himself. There is a need to see the connection between speed and value based living. In the process we are fast losing any sense of aesthetics and simplicity. Technology which surrounds us and governs us in almost every sphere of life propels us to move fast. Technology is not neutral but value loaded for an ordinary person. Value education must look into these issues as well and also see the connectionbetween value education and developing a sense of aesthetics. AnandCoomarswamy once said that in India it was difficult to find any object in either a rich man’s home or a poor person’s home, which was not functional and also beautiful at the same time. At that time people were also leading a far more value based life. We need to see the connection between the two. And once again we need to address the challenges the student faces in everyday life and make him understand the power of systems and how they impact our lives. Value education must go hand in hand with the urge to change things not just at the individual level but also at the macro level. Mahatma Gandhi in “Hind Swaraj” has deeply analysed the power of the system – he has taken five major systems of modern world (education, health, technology, the judicial system and governance system). We need to discuss these with students who are being taught value education. Let us beware of individualism in the name of value education. Let us not ignore contradiction of modern life but address them even if we do not have any solutions at the moment.

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