The Influence of Training Teachers on the Implementation of Peace Education Programme in Selected Primary Schools at Nakuru County, Kenya

The Influence of Training Teachers on the Implementation of Peace Education Programme in Selected Primary Schools at Nakuru County, Kenya

Naftal Michira Nyang’ara^1* Roselyne nyamoita Nyakoe²

¹School of Education, Laikipia University, P.O. Box 1100-20300, Nyahururu- Kenya

²Department of Psychology, Laikipia University, P.O Box 1100-20300, Nyahururu- Kenya

^*Corresponding Author

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2024.806161

Received: 31 May 2024; Revised: 12 June 2024; Accepted: 17 June 2024; Published: 15 July 2024

ABSTRACT

Peace is a critical component for the development of human beings in the whole world, without peace there can be no development. An atmosphere of no peace is a major cause of physical and economic suffering upon individuals, families, communities, businesses, nations and regions in many countries. In 2007 Kenya experienced incidents of conflicts which led to loss of workforce, learning time and disruption of education services which negatively affected the quality of education across in the county of Nakuru formerly Rift Valley Province. Since then Kenya has put several strategies to promote peace with deep recognition that it is the only vehicle to development, it was on this basis that Kenya introduced peace education programme in the primary schools curriculum since 2008. Peace education sets out to redress this culture of violence and aggression and to inculcate values of peace, the concept of human dignity and human rights with specific reference to economic equity, political participation and ecological balance that could be employed through counseling strategies. This therefore reveals that development of peace education was timely and critical in addressing both short term and long-term societal and national issues that promote conflicts. Peace education is in tandem with the Kenya vision 2030 under the political pillar on security, peace building and conflict management. The purpose of this study therefore was to determine “the influence of training teachers on the implementation of peace education programme in selected Primary schools at Nakuru County, Kenya.  The study was carried out amongst standard 8 pupils and teachers. To achieve this objective, the study adopted descriptive survey design and used probability sampling technique in the selection of the study sample. A study sample made up of 138 pupils and 45 teachers was used for the study. Primary data was collected by use of self administered questionnaires and interview schedules, while secondary data was collected from Nakuru County Education offices and libraries. Data collected was analyzed with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences and Microsoft Excel software. The results of the data analysis were presented in form of tabular summaries. Teacher training, resource availability and curriculum content emerged from the study as highly influential factors in the implementation of peace education programme in the schools. The study also revealed the key challenges hindering successful implementation of peace education programme in primary schools which included: lack of trained teachers on peace education, lack of sufficient time and lack of learning and teaching materials. The teachers and pupils’ suggestions were that the Government facilitate training of teachers on peace education and provide sufficient teaching and learning materials. Following this, the study recommended that, the Government of Kenya puts in place policies and measures that could facilitate training of teachers on peace education provide sufficient teaching and learning materials and strengthen programme supervision. The study gave further recommendation to the Kenya Government which could facilitate more uptake and adoption of peace education from primary schools up to university level as well as the entire society as a very important vehicle to foster development and national cohesion. The findings of this study are quite critical and of significant benefit to the Kenya government, communities, policy makers and the teachers in addressing some of the peace education curriculum initiatives and school best practices which will enhance peace promotion and national cohesion among Kenyan people. The implementation of this programme will enable people re-evaluate their behavior and develop commitment and endeavor to promote national values and peaceful coexistence.

Keywords: Student’s self-efficacy and classroom performance of students.

INTRODUCTION

Peace education was introduced in primary schools after 2007 post election violence in Kenya as a strategy of conflict management and technique for peace building, peace development and sustainability in the society at large. There are some notable challenges posing a hindrance in effective implementation of peace education for promotion of nationalism and sustainable peace. This includes; Lack of trained teachers to handle the teaching of peace education programme, inadequate teaching and learning materials and media of transmission of peace education knowledge, Teachers and student negative attitudes. The Kenya government through the ministry of education introduced peace education to foster justice, reconciliation and national healing following decades of armed conflicts in several parts of the country.

Peace is a major component for the development of human beings in the whole world over, without peace there can be no development (Koffi A.2010).”Without peace, there can be no human, social, economic or cultural development, be it at the individual, community or country level”. Mutambuka D (2009). According to Mutambuka in the absence of conflict, we too often take peace as a given right, he calls upon countries to consider peace instead as a process that must continually be nurtured and sustained in human hearts and minds, even in periods of stability and this can well be done through peace education. The physical suffering and economic damage that lack of peace inflicts upon individuals, families, communities, businesses, nations and regions is immense.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

The theory or philosophy of peace education has been assumed and not articulated. Johan Galtung suggested in 1975 that no theory of peace education existed and that there was clearly an urgent need for such a theory. More recently there have been attempts to establish such a theory. Joachim James Calleja (1991) has suggested that a philosophical basis for peace education might be located in the Kantian notion of duty.

James Page (2007) has suggested that a rationale for peace education might be located in virtue ethics, consequentialist ethics, conservative political ethics, aesthetic ethics and the ethics of care. Peace education is now well recognized within international legal instruments and within critical education literature as an important aspect of education. Despite this, little attention has been given in the critical literature to the philosophical foundations for peace education and the rationale for peace education thus remains substantially an assumed one. This investigation explores some possible ethico-philosophical foundations of peace education.

METHODS

The study was carried out amongst standard 8 pupils and teachers. The target population for this study was 2,000 standard 8 pupils and 500 teachers. A study sample made up of 138 pupils and 45 teachers was used for the study. To achieve this objective, the study adopted descriptive survey design and used probability sampling technique in the selection of the study sample. Primary data was collected by use of self-administered questionnaires and interview schedules, while secondary data was collected from key informants who included Nakuru County Education officers and libraries. Data collected was analyzed with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences and Microsoft Excel software. The results of the data analysis were presented in form of tabular summaries.

RESULTS

The extent in which training of teachers has influenced on the implementation of peace education programme in selected primary schools at Nakuru County. A descriptive analysis in the questionnaire aimed at measuring the influence of training teachers on the implementation of peace education programme in selected primary schools at Nakuru County, Kenya was run. The results are presented in table 1.

Table 1. Extent in which training of teachers has influenced the implementation of peace education programme

The study sought to find out facts about the teaching and learning of peace education in the schools

Table 1: Teaching of peace education in the schools

It was established from the findings that majority of the teachers (62%) indicated that they taught peace education in their schools, while 38% said that it was not taught. The teachers indicated that peace education programme was being implemented. The implication here was that most schools were implementing peace education programme.

The study sought to find out the reasons why peace education was not being taught in some schools and the result is given in Table 2

Table 2: Why peace education was not being taught in some schools

The study showed that majority of the respondents (20%) attributed the failure by some schools in implementing peace education was due to lack of qualified teachers, 11% attributed it to lack of materials for peace education in their schools, and 6.7% were not sure, while 6.7% did not know the answer. This implied that some schools were not implementing peace education programme due to lack of peace education materials such as books and space; hence action by the government to correct this situation was needed.

The study sought to find out from the pupils whether they understood the meaning of “peace education. It was established that 70% of the pupils interviewed indicated that they knew the meaning of “peace education. They 60% also indicated that they had been taught in school. This finding revealed that peace education was being implemented in schools within Nakuru county.

The study sought to find the frequency of teaching peace education and the results were as shown in table 3

Table 3: Frequency of teaching peace education

Majority of the pupils (57.9%) indicated that peace education was taught once per week, 36.8% indicated a frequency of twice per week, while 5.3% indicated thrice per week.  The implication was that peace education was taught in schools frequently and in most schools it had been incorporated in normal school learning process.

 The study sought to find out if the children had any enthusiasm and whether they enjoyed being taught peace education and the results were as shown in Table 4

Table 4: Learner’s enjoyment of learning peace education

Majority (89.5%) of the pupils indicated that they enjoyed learning peace education, while 10.5% said they sometimes enjoyed. This implied that the pupils appreciated the implementation of peace education programme and were willing to cooperate to make it a success.

Table 5 presents analysis of whether there were extra curricula activities for all pupils.

Most teachers (57.8%) indicated that their school offered extra curricula activities for all pupils, 17.8 indicated that their school did not, while 24.4% said that their schools were in the process of offering extra curricula activities for all pupils. This implied that not all schools involved their pupils in extra curricula activities. This was a great weakness and the schools needed to encourage this for it increased interaction and co-existence among pupils.

Table 6 presents responses on the participation of extra-curricular activities

Most of the respondents (68.4%) indicated that they participated in extra curricula activities.  While 31.6% of the respondents indicated that they did not participate in extra curricula activities. This implied that the pupils were involved in activities that promoted interaction and therefore an indicator of peaceful coexistence.

Table 7 presents responses of whether there were any invitations done on peace talks to the schools fro, external resource persons.

The study findings revealed that most of the respondents 57.9% indicated that their school occasionally invited visitors for peace talks, while 36.8% of the respondents indicated that there were no such invitations done, 5.3% of the respondents said they could not remember of any such visits and invitation on peace talks. This implied that the schools had taken steps towards ensuring that the implementation of peace education was successful by inviting experts.

Table 8 presents responses on whether council for pupils existed in the schools.

The analysis in table 8 revealed that (53.5%) indicated that their school had a pupil’s council, while 46.5% of the respondents indicated that their school did not have a pupil’s council. This implied that there was little usage of pupil councils in schools. Pupil’s councils do the role of promotion of peace education and critical values not appreciated by teachers in schools.

Table 9 Presents responses whether peace education has promoted good relations between pupils and teachers.

The findings of the study revealed that 68.4% of the respondents indicated that they enjoyed good relationships with their teachers, 9.6% of the respondents indicated that they did not enjoy their relationship with teachers, while 21.9% of the respondents indicated that they sometimes enjoyed the relationship. This implied that the impact of peace education was already being realized through good relationships between pupils and their teachers.

The study sought to establish about the influence of teacher’s training on the implementation of peace education programme and the results is given in Table 10

Table 10 Influence of teacher’s training on implementation of peace education in selected primary schools at Nakuru County, Kenya

The chi square results showed that most teachers (30) indicated that teacher training was a highly influential factor to peace education. The frequency of 30 is above the 15.0 expected number; hence support this argument. This finding therefore implied that teachers believed that training in peace education was highly influential in the implementation of peace education programme. Their potential and capacity to handle the pupils and communicate effectively on issues affecting peace and solution is greatly influenced by their level of training in peace education. Therefore there was need to train teachers on peace education for effective implementation.

DISCUSSION

Peace is a major component for the development of human beings in the whole world, without peace there can be no development (Koffi A.2006). ”Without peace, there can be no human, social, economic or cultural development, be it at the individual, community or country level”. Mutambuka D (2009). According to Mutambuka in the absence of conflict, peace is often taken as a given right, he calls upon countries to consider peace instead as a process that must continually be nurtured and sustained in human hearts and minds, even in periods of stability and this can well be done through peace education. The physical suffering and economic damage that lack of peace inflicts upon individuals, families, communities, businesses, nations and regions is immense.

Pedagogical approaches of teachers do not promote values relating to peace and non-violence. Barsh and Marlor (2003) argued that “authoritarian instruction is a form of domination, and implicitly legitimizes domination”. Moreover, they contend that being taught about “how ‘they’ think and act, not how ‘I’ think and act … denigrates the students’ own lives and experiences” (2000: 33).

Peace Education tries to identify and understand sources of local and global issues and instill positive sensitivities to these problems, resolve conflicts and to attain justice in a non-violent way of life by universal standards of human rights and equity by appreciating cultural diversity, respect for the earth and for each other. Education is the great engine of personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mineworker can become the head of the mine that the child of farm worker can become the president of a great nation, Nelson Mandela (2004).

Ansu Datta (1984:115-116) notes that at the primary and secondary levels the teacher is a disciplinarian, a parent substitute, a judge, a confidant and above all a mediator of learning who guides children to achieve certification in education. This is an important point in that it concerns the strengthening of values that could promote peaceful coexistence in schools. Bogonko (1992: 171) considers this as the reason why teachers in contemporary society are regarded as the most important socializing agents of the child. The Kamunge Report (GoK 1988:59) sees teachers as the surest media through which schools can foster a sense of nationhood and serve as agents of social and economic change at both the individual and social levels.

In Africa’s most conflicts like those in Angola, Mozambique, Liberia and Sierra Leone, the phenomenon of child soldering has become a menace which needs to be addressed. In Nigeria, youths have always been used as agents of violence and unwholesome practices. Peace education sets out to redress this culture of violence and aggression and to inculcate values of peace, the concept of human dignity and human rights with specific reference to economic equity, political participation and ecological balance that could be employed through counseling strategies (UNESCO, 2000).

In spite of the current educational goals and philosophy which emphasizes on national unity, moral and religious values, social equality and responsible citizenship, peace in Kenya has been very elusive since independence. In recent times Kenya has witnessed escalating cases of violence. This has been manifested itself in forms of recurrent ethnic clashes and political violence culminating in loss of human life, loss of property and displacement among a host of vices. Rift Valley province has been the epicenter, the climax of which was during the 2007 post-election violence. The education sector has also been affected through loss of workforce and disruption of teaching and learning. In response to the above issues the Ministry of Education (MOE) in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Funds (UNICEF,1999) and United Nation High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR, 1997), initiated the Peace Education programme as a strategy aimed at using education system as a platform for fostering national unity and sustainable peace.

Kenya has put several strategies to promote peace with deep recognition that it is the only vehicle to development. Development of peace education is timely and critical in addressing both short term and long-term societal and national issues that promote conflicts. The UNESCO (2000) charter helped to make the invaluable point that wars originate from the Minds of Men (and women); it is in the same Minds that the defenses of peace must be constructed. This therefore, means that deliberate effort must be made to ensure that everyone is educated and enlightened about peace and young persons to be made the vanguards of peace.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This study sought to establish about the influence of teacher’s training on the implementation of peace education programme in selected schools at Nakuru County Kenya. The study established that teacher training had an influence on the implementation of peace education programme in primary schools at Nakuru County, Kenya. The findings showed that teacher training was a highly influential factor to the implementation of peace education. Majority of the teachers (62%) had attended peace education workshops to equip themselves with approaches for teaching peace education. The teachers indicated that the trainings they received enhanced their peace education skills. Their potential and capacity to handle the pupils and communicate effectively on issues affecting peace and solution is greatly influenced by their level of training in peace education.

REFERENCES

1. Ansu Datta (1984:115-116) Education and Society: Sociology of African Education. Hong Kong: Macmillan Publishers.
2. Barsh, R., and C. Marlor. 2003 Driving bison and Blackfoot science. Human Ecology 31(4): 571-593
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9. Kofi Annan, 2010 Globalization will not bring peace or prosperity unless we all share fairly in its benefits.” –World Civilisations: ‘Bridging the World’s Divides’ Lecture
10. Mutambuka, M. (2013) 2009. Iron bioavailability and consumer acceptability of extruded335 common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) flour. PhD Thesis, Iowa State University, Iowa.
11. Nelson M Mandela, 2007, the importance of Education
12. UNESCO (2000). The Dakar Framework for Action – Education for All: Meeting our Collective Commitments. Adopted by the World Education Forum, Dakar, Senegal, 26-28 April 2000. UNESCO: France; p. 28
13. UNHCR (1997). Review of UNHCR’s Refugee Education Activities. Geneva: UNHCR (Inspection and Evaluation Service).
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AUTHOR

Naftal Michira Nyang’ara is a senior lecturer at Laikipia University, Kenya, in the School of Education, Department of Psychology and Educational Foundations. He holds a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya, 2000, a Master of Education Degree (Guidance & Counseling) from Egerton University, Njoro, Kenya, 2005, and a PhD in Education (Education Psychology) from Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya, 2012. Besides teaching Dr. Nyang’ara serves as a Director for TVET, Career placement, Alumni and External Linkages at Laikipia University, a senior consultant on several themes, he is a President and Chair – Kenya Federation of UNESCO Clubs Centers & Associations –KEFUCA and a Member of the Committee of Experts – Social and Health Sciences (SHS) for the Kenya National Commission for UNESCO (KNATCOM-UNESCO), an international certified mediator. He served in various capacities to the United Nations in his area of specialization. He is a change manager with remarkable results. He has proven experience in team working networking and management of national and international programs and projects. He has proven ability of working constructively in multi-disciplinary teams across many cultures around the world. He blends his work experience in the area of teaching, coordination and research with the most vulnerable groups and communities in Africa with international and national exposure to effectively perform his work and deliver results in a timely manner.