1. Education for peace in Colombia: from well-being in education to a real social change?
Key words: education for peace, inclusive education, violence, well-being, participation
Within the theme 3 (“School climate and communal life”) of the conference on “Well-being in education", my paper seeks to examine the challenge that Colombian society faces in a post-conflict era regarding education for peace. My proposal is based on my work experience as an adviser to the vice-ministry of higher education in Colombia between 2012 and 2014, and seeks to analyze the extent to which the political intentions exposed by the Presidential Decree 1038 of 2015 (indicating that educational institutions must create a chair of peace) are sufficient to understand the dimension of what it means to learn to live in peace after 60 years of war.
Methodologically speaking, this paper is based on an inductive reasoning that arises from the seminars held on the subject with educational communities of higher education institutions in Colombia between 2012 and The different observations made by the actors allowed us to analyze from their own experience the central elements that are important to consider when it comes to talking about education for peace in Colombia. It is not only about presenting a firsthand public policy educational experience including its pros and cons, but also about examining the challenges that the Colombian educational system faces in the construction of well-being and peace. The scope of this peace cannot be limited to negotiations in Havana, but must extend to a change of mentality that involves active participation of the community and a public policy that supports such participation. Today a vast majority of schools do not feel entirely responsible for these processes and believe, wrongly, that these depend solely on agreements between the government and the FARC.
Throughout this presentation, the paper seeks to answer two main questions, the study of which could lay the foundations for a cutting-edge contribution on how to reflect once education policy for peace in Colombia. The questions are as follows:
Who should be educated for peace? Traditionally, education for peace was thought as a complementary curricular option, and at the most as a not so dominant side topic across subjects taught in the classroom. The practices of peace education are not only to promote social harmony within schools and the educational community: rather, they are a holistic project of social action. That is, a transformative project that goes beyond the classroom and develops as part of a policy designed for citizenship.
To what extent is education for peace in Colombia a real challenge to build well-being in education and lasting peace and what are its characteristics? Education for peace requires a change of mentality and a preparation for the changes in society taking into account specific contexts. In this case this requires a clear understanding of Colombian society as a whole before dealing with changes in a country where several generations are used to live in the midst of an armed conflict. It also means valuing and fostering diversity in this society (understanding and protecting its particularities) as well as promoting respect for difference.
To answer these two questions, and after a brief theoretical presentation of what it means to educate for peace, following a definition of positive peace (I), I will focus on what will be defined as the central aspects of peace education in the Colombian context (II). These aspects will allow me to discuss the challenges facing the Colombian educational system to implement a real social change (III).
Juan Felipe Carrillo Gáfaro
Paris, October 2nd 2017

2. Education for peace Peace culture
Transformative educational practice whose objective is the promotion of a culture of peace
A set of values, attitudes, behaviors and ways of life that reject violence and allow reflection and action on the transformation of conflicts
Peace culture

3. I. Two central aspects of education for peace in Colombia II
I. Two central aspects of education for peace in Colombia II. Challenges and limits towards a real social change

4. Two central aspects of education for peace in Colombia
Firstly – Learn to handle and transform conflicts
Promote actions at different levels, which lead to an adequate (nonviolent) transformation of conflicts
Be aware of the importance of disagreement

5. Two central aspects of education for peace in Colombia
Secondly – Consolidate coherent and stable citizenship competencies
Cognitive, emotional and communicative capacities and abilities that guide the citizenship action.
Citizenship action   respect of others, sense of responsibility towards norms and the common good

6. Schrittgeschwindigkeit
Two central aspects of education for peace in Colombia
Secondly – Consolidate coherent and stable citizen competencies
“The Citizenship competencies are the grouping of cognitive, emotional and communicative abilities, knowledge and attitudes that together enable each citizen to act in a constructive manner in a democratic society. Citizenship competencies allow for citizens to respect and defend human rights, to contribute actively to a peaceful living, to participate responsibly and constructively in the democratic processes and to respect and value plurality and differences. Citizens accomplish all this not only in their immediate surroundings (family, friends, school) but also in the community, the country and the international level as well” Organisation of American States, working paper.
Schrittgeschwindigkeit

7. I. Two central aspects of education for peace in Colombia II
I. Two central aspects of education for peace in Colombia II. Challenges and limits towards a real social change

8. Challenges and limits: looking for a real social change
Transcend the educational sphere (a shared responsibility)
To say stop! to every kind of violence (particularly against women) and promote diversity
Recompose the “papaya” and the “malicia indígena” logic
Estadísticas inquietantes: cada 13 minutos, casos (intrafamiliar), denuncias de violencia sexual (60% niñas entre 5 y 10 años)
Thiers-Vidal: reducir la asimetría de poder entre hombres y mujeres
Alexsandro Palombo

9. Challenges and limits towards a real social change
Corruption’s iceberg
A weak education system unable to take the lead (at all levels)
Lack of continuity at policy level
Pawel Kuczinsky

10. Building education for peace in Colombia means… (conclusion)
… to be ready to change mentality (no matter how difficult the context could be)
… to be ready to promote the change
… to be ready to understand that life is above all

11. Thank you!
Juan Felipe Carrillo Gáfaro