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H.M.Training College, Muvattupuzha, Ernakulam, District, Kerala. PEACE EDUCATION : A PROCESS FOR MAINTAINING PEACE IN RESOLUTION OF CONFLICTS Dr. Jayasree P.G.* H.M.Training College, Muvattupuzha, Ernakulam, District, Kerala.

We are living in an era of unprecedented violence in the forms of terrorism, war, crimes, injustice, oppression and exploitation amidst a seemingly outward development enjoyed by a few. The majority of mankind lives in stark poverty, struggling for bare survival. There is so much disorder and confusion in the society man has built for himself. So the need of the hour is to develop the young generation with peace consciousness and the importance of conflict resolution.

Peace Education (PE) has an antecedent in the history of Indian Education. Indian culture has been committed to peace and non-violence. Gandhiji, the father of our nation, was one of the greatest proponents of a culture of peace and non-violence. By following the Gandhian Principles of peace and non-violence India contributed much to world peace.

Peace is a state of harmony, the absence of hostility and it is generally agreed that a culture of peace is an essential precondition for the development of human beings both as individuals and as a collectivity.

CONFLICT AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION In a multi-racial, multi-religious, multi-cultural country like India there is always a challenge on ethnic, communal or cultural issues creating conflicts. Economic deprivation and social subjugation are the basic causes of conflicts in human society. Various forms of social injustices prevailing in the society are constant source of discontent giving rise to conflicts.

Conflicts can be defined as the existence of non-compatibility or disagreements between two actors (individuals, groups, organizations or nations) in their interaction over the issues of interests, values, beliefs, emotions, goals, space, positions, scarce resources, etc.

Conflict is classified into destructive and constructive conflicts on the basis of the conflict process. Destructive conflicts tend to escalate a cyclic conflict and violence and may develop conflict helix. Conflicts can be transformed into productive, if it is dealt in a cooperative rather than in a competitive way.

Conflict Resolution and Peace Studies (CRPS) has emerged as one of the newer disciplines in Social sciences. Conflict resolution is a range of methods for alleviating or eliminating sources of conflict. Processes of conflict resolution generally include negotiation, mediation and diplomacy. Conflict Resolution Education (CRE) increases awareness of violence and appropriate reactions to it by teachers, school children, and parents.

Ways of Dealing Conflicts The methods of dealing conflicts are given below : Avoidance There are three forms of avoidance. Withdrawal One party may simply remove itself from the withdrawal field. The second form of avoidance is both the parties may remove themselves though this is less likely, as once party begins to remove itself, there is little incentive for the others to move.

Conquest The third form is conquest. Conquest is the extreme form of avoidance in which one party removes forcibly others, temporarily or permanently with coercion, which may be organized successfully.

Procedural Resolution of Conflict In the procedural way of dealing conflict, the parties have to stay together and cooperate with each other directly or indirectly to find a solution. The major approaches in the procedural methods are: Negotiation and bargaining Adjudication Mediation Arbitration Hybrid Procedures in which both mediation and arbitration components are utilized fully.

ROLE OF ACADEMIC INPUTS IN CONFLICT RESOLUTION Academics, Educationists, freelancers and kindred souls have a seminal role to play in the conflict prone era of our time. Academics play a key role in the conflict resolution training programmes. "Conflict resolution training helps individuals and groups to manage or resolve conflict situations within or between groups. Some of the skills include: negotiation/ mediation, dialogue skills, third party presence techniques, and non-violent intervention" (Coover, 1985). Some of the training methods are as follows: role play, brain storming, simulation game, situation analysis, strategy game, quick decision making, flow chart etc.

ROLE OF EDUCATION A culture of peace should be introduced through education at all levels starting from preliminary level. It has to be impressed in their mind form early childhood that it is peace and not violence that helps human civilisation to survive and progress. Some aspects of spiritualism in appropriate form should be included in the curriculum which may induce some magnanimity in the character. Proper humanistic education taking care of developing scientific skill, accumulation to knowledge and promoting humane faculties will create a society where conflicts may be resolved amicably with justice.

Thank You