(International) Mudansa- In April and May, the international peace organization Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL) hosted the “The 3rd National Union HWPL Peace Teacher Training” and graduation ceremonies in various countries across Africa and Asia.
The HWPL Peace Education Department has established a curriculum of 12 lessons aimed at educating global educators to become peace citizens and peace education experts, embodying love-based values such as gratitude, consideration, sacrifice, forgiveness, and respect. This peace teacher training course was conducted in English over five sessions, held weekly on Saturdays from 7:30 PM, from April 19, 2024, to May 18, 2024.
The training, held via online Zoom meetings, was attended by 72 educators interested in peace education from various countries in Africa and Asia, including Cameroon, Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Laos, Japan, Burundi, and Rwanda. From the African regions currently experiencing conflicts, there were 29 participants from Cameroon and 21 from Burkina Faso. Additionally, educators from Rwanda and Burundi, who had previously received training, participated again to further deepen their understanding of peace education.
HWPL Peace Education is an education that fosters citizens of peace with the value and spirit of peace. HWPL proposed peace education as a way to leave a beautiful world of peace as a legacy for the future generations and is implementing the “Peace Educator Training Program” worldwide, targeting educators, to equip them with the knowledge of 12 curricula regarding the meaning, values, and qualifications of peace, enabling them to teach these concepts to students.
The 12-lesson curriculum is divided into two parts. In Part 1, through lessons 1 to 4, participants learn about the process of people of various races, religions, cultures, nationalities, ideologies, and appearances coming together to form orderly and harmonious relationships, as well as the true meaning and value of peace. In Part 2, through lessons 5 to 12, they learn specific ways to live harmoniously with all people and communities around the world, beyond just family and neighbors.
Benyella Godwin TAFOANG, the Principal of Government Bilingual High School Atiela in Cameroon, said that “I will begin this talk by thanking HWPL staffs for introducing HWPL and Peace Education to me. As a teacher and school administrator in a conflict stricken Northwest region of Cameroon, I was very overwhelmed learning about the existence of peace education and thus very motivated to build my capacity in peace building.
The peak of it all was lesson 3 which I believe is the most impactful of all the lessons. Here we learnt that Greed is the cause of all human conflicts. If greed is the seed of conflicts, then love is the seed of peace. Let’s all strike to plant the seed of peace, let love lead. This is the watch word and attitude that will bring about world peace.”
Government Bilingual High School Atiela plans to implement peace education for newly appointed staff members through the MOU signed as part of the recent exchange with HWPL. This will broaden their experiences, enabling educators to grow as guides for world peace.
Through this National Union Peace Teacher training, participants united in their commitment to fostering peace-minded citizens and spreading a culture of peace among the public. The HWPL Peace Education Department plans to continue conducting Peace Teacher training and will pursue further MOUs.
WHPL