Education for peace in Kenya: indigenous peace traditions and the Millennium Development Goals
The paper argues that whilst Kenya is committed to achieving the UN MDGs by 2015, the focus on competition and the passing of exams within the education system gives little emphasis to the enculturation of values that promote peace, a key ingredient in realising the MDGs.
The study shows that most teachers find that indigenous culture promotes values that may not be available in school curricula. The study also revealed that there are activities that teachers use to engage pupils in promoting peace. When asked what motivated them to include aspects of indigenous peace traditions in their classrooms, some of the responses included: they are effective in promoting behaviour change; the weight the stories and proverbs carry is lacking in the available curriculum; and parents have failed to infuse these traditions in their young ones.
Teachers also identified some of the obstacles they encountered in their effort to incorporate indigenous traditions during classroom learning. These include: children’s upbringing is incompatible; lack of time; children are not conversant with indigenous traditions; school rules do not allow it; and the community’s attitude is negative.
The paper concludes that despite good will and sincere efforts on the part of many teachers, there are structural and curricular obstacles that need to be addressed.
