EDUCATION: THE MEANS TO A PEACEFUL AND SUSTAINABLE FUTURE_ BY VINCENT HOSU, SEWEDO.

Without dedicated action and investment in education for children and youth, the entire generation risks being shaped by violence, displacement and an increasing lack of opportunity. The older generation now believes that peace, stability, prosperity, friendship, happiness and healthy societies are at stake if we don’t educate young people.

By providing the right information, education can change people’s values and behaviors, encouraging them to adopt more sustainable lifestyles. It can also break the cycle of poverty, malnutrition and disease that affects so many worldwide. It is a fact that without education, the world will witness more conflicts and go through replicated cycles of violence in the future. 

Education as a means to a peaceful and sustainable future means including key sustainable development issues into teaching and learning: for example, climate change, disaster risk reduction, biodiversity, poverty reduction, and sustainable consumption. It also requires participatory teaching and learning methods that motivate and empower learners to change their behavior and take action for a peaceful and sustainable future.

Education consequently promotes competencies like, critical thinking, imagining future scenarios and making decisions in a collaborative way. Education is needed to maintain and improve our quality of life and the life of generations to come. Education enables people to develop the knowledge, values and skills needed to participate in decisions about the way we do things individually and collectively, both locally and globally, that will help improve peaceful coexistence and the quality of life now without damaging the planet for the future.

The role of education is to make the future safer and a better place for the present and future generations. Education is not only about the subjects we learn but also understanding what the world needs to function in harmony. Education is the only tool that could bring harmony and world peace. Education produces men with rational thinking in the sustainable development of the planet.

Learning must enhance children’s ability to think at their feet and push them to make wiser decisions when faced with difficult challenges in the world. Therefore, our education system must focus on endearing educational modules to shape the future pillars of our world. The schools must fixate on training the students to face real-world problems and find solutions for them thus paving way for peace in the world.

In the meantime, it is a call on everyone to do their part in raising the visibility of education as a fundamental element of a peaceful and sustainable future. Implementing education for a peaceful and sustainable future is an inter-sector endeavor, which will require high-level government support and political will to make it happen in all types, levels and setting of education and learning.

Changing behaviors now will benefit the rights, health and well-being of future generations to come. It is our shared responsibility to make sure this happens. The only way to have a peaceful and sustainable future is to educate the younger generation.

Education empowers learners of all ages with the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to address the inter-connected global challenges we are facing including, climate change, environmental degradation, loss of biodiversity, poverty and inequality thereby creating a peaceful and sustainable future.

In order to have a peaceful and sustainable future, what do we need? Education is the answer! It is transformative.

© Vincent Hosu, Sewedo.

- Nigeria.