HWPL, an international peace organization, held an online ‘School Leaders Forum’ on June 6 with education experts from Southern Africa to establish a culture of peace within schools. This forum was organized to provide a platform for field experts to gather and derive sustainable action plans.
First, event participants watched a past presentation video of Uzair Rossier, a student from Bonteheuwel High School in Cape Town, an area where violence and shootings are frequent. In the video, Rossier shared his experience of losing a friend to a past shooting and said, “Through HWPL peace education, I realized the value of myself and others, and my perspective on my surroundings has changed. I hope that through a culture of peace within the school, violence and drugs will disappear,” garnering significant empathy from the participants.
Next, a case study on establishing a culture of peace at Morifi Community High School was introduced. This presentation drew attention by presenting an excellent precedent: moving away from a fragmented approach that relies on a few teachers, the positive changes in students become more certain when all school members share and regularly practice peace education.
The case presentation by Fazlin Kola, the Vice Principal of Zinniaville Secondary School, showed how the school took its first steps with a peace club. She expressed her determination stating that, “The biggest change since the introduction of peace education is the strong bond between teachers and students. As teachers have come to deeply understand students’ family environments, difficulties, and interests, student guidance and problem-solving within the school have become much easier. Furthermore, students’ enthusiasm for participation and their confidence have noticeably increased, and it is greatly contributing to the prevention of bullying and school violence. Based on these positive changes, we will expand participation so that more teachers can join us in the future.”
HWPL presented ‘principal leadership’ and ‘consistent messages from teachers’ as the key elements for creating a culture of peace in schools. The organization announced that it will continue to provide multifaceted support through the ‘Principal-led PET (Peace Education Training)’ course, which helps independent educational operations, and an upcoming ‘Advanced Programme’ in July. An HWPL official stated, “In the second half of the year, we will continue to host regular exchange platforms to share the actual growth stories of each school.”