Abstract:
The effects of violent conflict on education are enormous, and provision of quality education
cannot be realised if teachers are not adequately trained to teach in conflict-prone areas. This
reality prompted the study to investigate strategies to empower teachers in conflict transformation
and peacebuilding. Guided by the Conflict Transformation Theory which proposes to identify the
root causes of a conflict, and the use of creativity to transform the causes based on relationships
and sub-systems that surround the conflict over time, a cross-sectional mixed methods study was
conducted in Mt. Elgon region, Kenya. The study found that: for teachers to participate in conflict
transformation there was a need for training in peace education and implementation of Life Skills
Curriculum through various methods including distance education. Since then the government
has developed education sector policy on peace education which provides for policy and
curriculum initiatives, collaboration and partnerships to address challenges in peacebuilding and
violent extremism. Initiatives to train teachers and education officers in peace education and
implementation of the Life Skills Curriculum have been instituted.
However, despite the efforts, peace education is not effectively taught in many schools due to
inadequate teacher training. Equally, life skills education, one of the main subjects to promote
peace education, is not effectively implemented. To mitigate this, the government has made
several efforts to identify best practices to promote peace education and implement life skills,
among them, teacher training on how to enhance peace education through mainstreaming and
implementation of Life Skills Curriculum. There is need for further investigation on the current
gaps in peace education in the wake of the curriculum review to Competency Based Curriculum
in Kenya.
