The Necessity of Peace Education in Schools

Peace Education: Restoring the Balance in an Era of ConflictExecutive SummaryThis briefing document analyzes the necessity and urgency of peace education within the contemporary school system. Drawing from the insights of Anne Tabak, a history and humanities teacher at the International School of The Hague, the analysis highlights a critical imbalance in current curricula: war is often presented as an unavoidable norm and the primary engine of human development.The document outlines the shift from the robust peace movements of the 1980s to the "evaporated" state of peace studies following the Cold War. It advocates for a pedagogical shift toward "positive peace"—a concept involving social justice, inclusivity, and non-violent conflict resolution—rather than the mere absence of direct conflict. Key takeaways include the importance of "multiperspectivity" in history, the recovery of historical peace figures like Bertha von Suttner, and the need for "moral courage" among educators to provide students with alternatives to a fatalistic, war-centric worldview.