Workshop for teachers on peace education

Swarna Rajagopalan, founding trustee of The Prajnya Trust, said the workshop will introduce peace education and the NCF recommendations, while facilitating an introspective exploration of what teachers can bring into the classroom, their communication practices, among others. 

Peace education, she said, shouldn’t be a separate lesson but integrated into all subjects. “What we are trying to do is give teachers simple ways to change daily class practice. For example, in Arithmetic, the people in your Math problems should not be Ramu and Shamu, butRamu and Mary or Ramu and Abdul. Peace education should be integrated into History, Geography, Science and extra-curricular activities,” she said. 

The workshop would also focus on dealing with personal bias. “For example, calling out boys more than girls – is a classic case. The teachers should be able to explain the news and have a conversation about it, making a child think,” explained Rajagopalan. 

The training programme will be conducted by Priyadarshini Rajagopalan, a peace educator, and Chintan Girish Modi a peace educator, who works with children and teachers. Modi said, “This training is meant to empower teachers as they look for ways to support their students through difficult conversations about prejudice, discrimination and violence that are becoming commonplace in our society.”