Promoting Peace through Education: Comparative Insights from Finland and India

Abstract

With an emphasis on peace education, this paper examines the differences between the educational systems of Finland and India. “Peace education” aids students in acquiring the attitudes, values, abilities, and information necessary to coexist peacefully with others and themselves. People become more self-aware and empathetic through peace education, which aids in conflict resolution through cooperation, harmony, and understanding. There are numerous ways to teach it, including activity-based learning, cooperative learning, sports, games, storytelling, think-pair-share, and more. Unfortunately, there is little evidence of peace education in India’s educational system at the school or higher levels. It can be incorporated into a number of already existing disciplines. Finland, on the other hand, subtly integrates the concepts of peace education by emphasising human rights, equity, and social-emotional development. However, there are a number of issues that India faces, such as sociopolitical tension, inadequate infrastructure and resources, large class sizes, unequal student-teacher ratios, and a lack of teacher training in this specific field. While NEP 20202 and NCF 2023 discuss this aspect, peace education is evidently absent. In order to improve and become a symbol of peace, we can either adopt Finland’s method of teaching.