Implementing Peace Education in School

It has been known that Indonesia has thousand islands which have many various customs. In fact, Indonesia is without doubt an epicenter of cultural diversity. It can be cited that the number of languages that are spoken in the different islands of the region is approximately 700 languages (Fox, 2004). In addition, there are 5 major religions that are embedded to their social structure such as traditions, moral, beliefs, and values. That is what we called multiculturalism, which it spread out widely to regions. What multiculturalism in our country denotes is a society in which there exist several cultures. That culturally diverse is also caused by separated regions and population movements such as inter group mixing contribute to its homogeneity. Those issues can be influenced on having such a peace culture to school. Seeing the dynamics of Indonesia composed of societies with a wide range of cultural diversities and some socio-cultural issues grasp the importance or the role played by education. Their vast different culture is presumably possible to contribute both an intensive interaction and some problems aim to conflict among students. We are facing many problems in the field of education such as criminality at schools, decreasing ethics between students to their teachers or the older people, have no responsibility along with tolerance, included some policies issued by the National Education Bureau to maintain life moral and values among students.

Growing life moral and values to students needs a leadership from parents, social community, and teachers. This is not only can be run at families and social community but also can be at school. Taken from what the aim of the national education is, providing student competency in order to be a faithful and pious to the God, good character, good health, learned, skillful, creative, autonomous, and be a good democratic as well as responsible citizen, the school plays an important role in generating students with good moral and values which aim to omit such a conflict. Having less subjects designed to that nationality purpose, school has a right to develop what we call local subject, this peace education may take apart.

Providing peace culture in school can not be separated having peace education, a subject matter that derives to be learned by student in acting morals and values. They duplicate on how their teachers react, if teachers act good, children will be do similarly. What we see today, it seems that a learning process only points in the term of cognitive aspect instead of affective and psychomotor. That the affective mode could be form into subjects matter in schools. It is not only be learned by students but also be given good character acted by teachers. Peace education is the process of promoting knowledge, skills, attitudes and values needed to bring about behavior changes that will enable children, youth and adults to prevent conflict and violence, both overt and structural; to resolve conflict peacefully; and to create the conditions conducive to peace, whether at an intrapersonal, interpersonal, inter-group, national or international level (UNICEF, 2007). Peace education is therefore both a philosophy and skill that prepares people, young and old, to negotiate on behalf of them and the world in a peaceful manner. It seeks to transform conflict using non-violent tools and bases itself in the values of compassion, interconnectedness, justice, and harmony.

Related to its subject, a peace culture forming education system into school is defined as a problem solving which allows student to keep peace and link an integrated thing respectively. Promoting peace education becomes an effort to build the awareness among ethnic groups in one space. School could begin to take steps toward the creation of a peace learning environment. However, the main issue is not simply a creation of peace to be put into one form but rather problems that have been engaged by the reasons. There are some difficulties and challenges facing its implementation. We must find many new strategies solving those facts. Therefore, through education or schooling policies throughout country could endeavor suitable ways to make the peace culture become a part of the student lives. It will be a great value to encounter some policies concerning to omit conflict found in every school in Indonesia.

Peace education in this country has not yet been developed by designing in the educational system. Some issues and problems will be put forward to understand the reasons.