Keynote Speech of Hon. Deng Deng Yai at the Education World Forum, London, UK
Keynote Speech of Hon. Deng D. Yai at the Ministerial Exchange C – How does Education contribute to peace and security?
The Education World Forum 2018, London, United Kingdom, Tuesday 23rd January 2018
Your Excellencies,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
January 24, 2018 (SSB) — I am very delighted to speak here at the Education World Forum 2018. I thank all those who sponsored the Forum. I also thank the Forum for the invitation and the opportunity.
How does education contribute to peace and security? This is an important question and this the Ministerial Exchange is a golden opportunity to provide answers. And we have good news and bad news!
The bad news is we have witnessed too many wars, conflict and acts of violence. We have lost too many human lives too often and in too many different parts of the world. We have destroyed our Planet and caused climate change and climate change is destroying too many lives and livelihoods. We have become, to borrow the words of HRH Prince Charles, “architects of our own destruction”. It is a great human tragedy. That’s really bad news!
The good news is we have got the power- that is education! President Nelson Mandela, said and I quote: “Education is the most powerful weapon that you can use to transform the world.” Education is a powerful weapon indeed; it has changed the world and it can continue to change the world in many interesting and profound ways. We can use education to end this human tragedy, which is unfolding before our eyes.
How does education contribute to peace and security?
In South Sudan, we adopted a wholistic approach that reforms the whole education system. We introduced the following reforms:
- We enshrined the right to education together with other rights in the National Constitution. This made Education an entitlement of every citizen. The challenge we are facing is how to ensure that all learners, including over 1.8 million out of school children and youth, are in school and learning.
- We included provisions in the General Education Act, 2012, to promote peace, nation-building, social integration and cohesion and national unity through education.
- We have included Peace Education, Environmental Education, Gender Equity and Inclusion, disaster risk management and resource allocation in our National Education Policy and Strategic Plan to prevent causing injustice, disaffection and conflicts in the country. Also, we used Education Management Information System for planning and equitable allocation of resources as well as for monitoring and evaluation.
- We reformed our National Curriculum to:
- Strike the right balance between knowledge, skills, values and attitudes; we also focused on 4 strategic aims: Develop (1) good citizens; (2) successful lifelong learners; (3) creative and productive adults;(4) Environmentally responsible members of our society.
- Integrate Peace education, human rights education and civic education into Social Studies in Primary.
- Introduce a new compulsory subject called Citizenship in Secondary Schools with the aim to produce global citizens, who can embrace and celebrate diversity, promote the universal values and stop our fellow human beings from waging wars against each other.
- Introduce the National Languages to be taught from ECD to Primary 8 as subjects as well as media of instruction in ECD and in Primary 1 to 3; the teaching and learning of National Languages is intended to promote a cultural renaissance.
- Include Environmental Education as a cross-cutting subject and we are establishing School Environment Clubs in all schools with the support of Concern Worldwide this year to raise environmental awareness; to protect and sustain the environment in schools and local communities.
- Include Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) subjects; short TVET programmes are being provided by NGOs in conflict-affected communities and are addressing the issue of youth unemployment, poverty, violent conflicts, and they are contributing to creating a better future for youth.
- We developed peace Education learning resources for schools and have started establishing School Peace Clubs to turn schools into Zones of Peace. The experience of School Peace Clubs, with their co-Curricula activities such as poetry, drama, singing and dancing, is generally positive and it has demonstrated that education can promote peace and security especially in countries affected by war.
- We integrated SDG 4 into our National General Education Policy, 2017-2027 and The General Education Strategic Plan, 2017-2022. We need to support each other to achieve SDG 4 and, through it, contribute to attainment of the rest of the SDGs. Attaining the SDGs will promote peace and security!
- We established a national Thematic Working Group on peace education to promote peace education throughout the country.
- Our President, H.E. Salva Kiir Mayardit, launched the National Dialogue Initiative to raise awareness of issues at local, State and national levels and encourage our citizens to build a consensus on the way forward.
- We joined the regional Peace Education network in Africa supported by the Association for Development of Education in Africa (ADEA). We have been working with African countries affected by conflicts.
- South Sudan delegations have been attending the World Alliance Of Religions Peace (WARP) Summit, organized by HWPL, International Women’s Peace Group, and International Youth Peace Group in Seoul, Republic of Korea. This Peace Summit is an innovative way of promoting peace and security.
In conclusion, Humanity is counting on us. Our mission is difficult but it is by no means a mission impossible. So, let us promote education and, through it, peace and security throughout the world. Let us double our efforts to change our world. And let us pray that God will do the rest.
Thank you!
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