“A culture of peace will be achieved when citizens of the world understand global problems, have the skills to resolve conflicts and struggle for justice non-violently, live by international standards of human rights and equity, appreciate cultural diversity, and respect the Earth and each other. Such learning can only be achieved with systematic education for peace.” -Hague Appeal for Peace Global Campaign for Peace Education

Peace is just another word from the English language that means absence of war or violence. But, is that all that the word means? No, there’s much more to this simple five-lettered word. The word involves one of the most precious things that a man desires, that if once lost is lost for ever – the human life. And with that comes the basic rights of mankind – the right to safeguard one’s life. Over the last decades the world has become less peaceful. The number of interstate conflicts, political instabilities, terrorist activities, number of people displaced from their homeland and death tolls are on a rise. The world is heading towards disaster.

Sadly, schools and colleges are one of the first things to be attacked during conflicts, war or attacks to ensure that the future generation misses out on education, which is vital for one’s personal as well as nation’s success. According to one of the reports published by Vision of Humanity on 15th of July 2013, “almost 50 million children and young people living in conflict areas are out of school”. The same report also suggests that the attack on education is increasing. In countries like Mali, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Syria, Pakistan and many others millions of children are left with no option to attend schools. As a result of this their future is being jeopardized. At a time when boys and girls in other peaceful countries are studying, taking advantage of the education system and building a safe future for themselves, these children are left to support their families at such a tender age forcing them into child labour or towards violent activities.

The warmongers are already aware of the crucial role that education plays in the development of a nation and in maintaining peace. Education ensures development, peace and harmony whereas the lack of it propagates psycho-fanatic society, limiting the economic opportunities and giving rise to the non-peaceful elements of the society like extremism, fanaticism, rigidity and terrorism. It is important to understand that no society or nation can achieve economic and political excellence when its citizens are engaged in fighting among themselves for whatever reason. India is a classic example of this. Despite having the human as well as the natural resources India is nowhere towards development. The development that is advertised about is lopsided and highly skewed. According to Vision of Humanity’s Global Peace Index, India ranks at 143, shy of just a few ranks from being one of the least peaceful countries of the world. Similarly, countries like Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sudan, Somalia, North Korea, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo and Russia are considered to be the least peaceful countries of the world. Quite unsurprisingly these countries rank on top in the index of the countries that have suffered maximum impact of terrorism. With the continuation of war, apart from the loss of human lives and properties the children are losing their basic right to education and thus a right to have a better future.

Establishing peace is a complex process. It involves prevalence of justice, mutual respect for others, an understanding of the culture and the religion of others, humanity, tolerance and acceptance of differences. Knowledge would help people see beyond the prejudices and lay the foundation for the unity necessary for maintaining peace. It is also important to understand that education here does not merely mean going to school and learning about Chemistry, Geography and Mathematics. There needs to be more to it. We need to understand what lies beyond the superficial and attempt to impart the young minds with the ability to work together, appreciate co-existence, develop non-violent conflict resolution skills, respect for human dignity, religious tolerance and understanding of the world.

Malala Yousafzai, the youngest Nobel Peace Prize nominee and the schoolgirl who was shot in the head by Taliban gunmen in Pakistan is a staunch supporter of education and believes that it can help bring peace. She is the perfect role model for our next generation. If we want the next generation of our society to be peace-loving citizens like her, it is important that the seeds of peaceful co-existence are sown at the grassroots level. Schools are the best place to begin with a peaceful and tolerant environment. Such schools would be a wonderful place for the young ones to learn to respect others, understand different cultures, ethnicity, religions and beliefs. The more people come to know about each other the more boundaries can be broken, the more communication can take place and the more we can come closer to establishing a peaceful environment.