Abstract submitted for ICSSR Supported National Seminar on "Value Crisis- The Global Concern & A Challenge for

Education on February 22-23, 2013 organised by Sri Sai College of Education, Badhani, Pathankot, Punjab. Sub Theme: World Peace- A Distant Dream

Education for Social Cohesion: A Meaningful Move towards World Peace

Dr.J.N.Baliya* Sunita Kaul** Anu Radha Sharma*** Abstract The overall aim of education for peace is to develop a cohesive society with least conflicts. Social cohesion is an important foundation for a nation-states existence and development and it cannot be created without education. The authors emphasize the psychological aspects of educations potential contribution, focusing on the need to strengthen students self-knowledge and self-esteem and paying special attention to the emotional aspects involved in educational processes. Based on the shared conviction that education for emotional health is a necessary condition for achieving greater social cohesion through education, this contribution considers other sociological, ethical and educational factors which are equally necessary for achieving this objective framework will produce not reactions, but merely adjustments to resolve once again the technical problem of adaptation. The present paper looks into appropriate strategies and practices for curriculum transaction leading to meaningful social cohesion as a correct path for world peace. The authors have given emphasis of designing and organizing some multicultural pedagogical practices at different levels of education for strengthening and enhancing the harmony among different sections of the society. The paper is also supported with some research findings of case studies as quality initiatives promoting social cohesiveness among different sections of society. The authors recommend the proper use of collaborative learning strategies with students at varied levels for different disciplines and areas of study.
*Asstt. Professor, Department of Educational Studies,Central University of Jammu, Jammu.(J&K) Email : jnbaliya2000@yahoo.co.in **Vice-Principal, Shivalik College of Education, Udhhapur (J&K). E mail : sunitasuneel@gmail.com *** Department of School Education, J&K State. E mail : anu.sharma125@gmail.com

Keywords: World Peace, Education, Social Cohesion.

The World Peace Flame is a symbol of peace, unity, freedom and celebration. We believe in the essential freedom of the human spirit to create peace at any time under any circumstances a view endorsed by the millions of people who have lit The World Peace Flame as a symbol of this dream. We aim to inspire people everywhere that the individual plays a crucial role in creating peace at every level. World Peace Academy, Peace is indispensable for a prosperous coexistence among and within nations. However, peace is not simply given, but has to be worked for continuously. Peace does not mean only the absence of war, but also excludes every form of oppression and demands observing the Human Rights. Peace requires the rule of law, democracy and a high degree of justice. It is an ongoing task to highlight all these connections. According to former U.S. President George G Bush The march of democracy will lead to world peace. Peace is not merely the absence of war and hatred but also the presence of co-operation, compassion and worldwide justice. The term Peace According to Oyebamiji (2001), is a stage of quiet, calm, repose, public tranquility, freedom from war and concord of ideas among different people. It is a condition in which there is no war between two or more groups or nations. According to the World Peace Newsletter, The greatest thing in life is internal peace, external peace and global peace! Peace is the key ingredient to happiness, peace within means peace without. Learn peace-teach peace! Be the change you wish to see in the world. Peace starts from within! A change in perception leads to a changes in behaviour, which leads to a change in the world. According to UNESCO (1981), education should include critical analysis of the historical and contemporary factors of an economic and political nature underlying the contradictions and tensions between countries together with the study of ways of overcoming these contradictions, which are the real impediments to understanding true international co-operation and the development of world peace. Ajala (2003), stated that education includes all the values, attitudes and forms of behaviour, way of life, respect for life, reflection of violence, commitment to principle of freedom, justice, solidarity, tolerance among people and between groups and individual. Hick (1988) explained that the objective of education can be grouped into three namely; acquisition of skills, knowledge about issues and development of attitudes.

Ajala (2003) defined peace education as the type of education that impacts in learners all norms, values and attitudes that could bring about a conductive environment for human living. In 21st century, it is honestly very disappointing to see how widespread hate for peoples religion, caste, colour and status still exists in this world and with the latest hate material like blasphemous movies and cartoons continuing to pop up in the most advanced of nations, peaceful living remains to be a distant dream. Countries like Pakistan are already on the edge as they counter terrorism with a strategic partnership at times, but the Americans continue to disregard the problems riddled nation and blame them to be the epicentre of all world issues. With over 30,000 soldiers have given up their lives in a war that has been forced upon us due to regional existence, Pakistan is one of the few countries that is actually giving up it all to secure world peace, but people the Western world continue to deny that. These factors which resist the world peace can be over come if some of the activities can be done at an accurate time immediate cessation of violence, gradual evaporation of terrorist activity, growing friendliness between the nations, spontaneous growth in economic activity and international trade and commerce and at national level there will be a reduction in antisocial behaviour. Peace is a gradual and wonderful event that occurs because compassionate people are inspired to help others discover the joy of peace! Helping others also has the direct effect of increasing out personal peace and well-being, but this is merely one of the many bonuses that come from sharing our kindness with our fellow human beings. So, the best way to promote peace is through education. Therefore, education is the best instrument to remove out the above factors that retain as away from the world peace. The understanding of the concept of peace has changed throughout history, and so has its role and importance in the educational system from the very beginnings of the institutionalized socialization of children. When discussing the evolution of peace education, however, there have been a few important points in history that defined its aims and actions. The end of World War I (19141918) brought powerful support for the need for international cooperation and understanding and helped instil a desire to include these ideas in educational systems. The League of Nations and a number of nongovernmental organizations worked together on these ideas, especially through the International Institute of Intellectual Cooperation, an organization that was the predecessor of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

(UNESCO). World War II (19391945) ended with millions of victims and the frightening use of atomic weapons against Japan, at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In 1946 UNESCO was founded as an umbrella institution of the United Nations, and it was charged with planning, developing, and implementing general changes in education according to the international politics of peace and security. The statute of this organization reinforced the principle of the role of education in the development of peace, and a framework was created for including and applying the principles of peace in the general world education systems. The cold war division of the world after World War II and the strategy of the balance of fear between the so-called West and East blocs redirected the peace efforts. The peace movement began concentrating on stopping the threat of nuclear war, halting the arms race, and encouraging disarmament. Somewhat parallel to this, the issues of environmental protection and development found their place in peace education programs. The contemporary socio political environment (particularly the events in eastern Europe since the early 1990s, the fear of terrorism, and the increasing gap between developed and undeveloped countries) has created new challenges for the understanding of peace and for the development of the underlying principles of responsibility and security. The psychologist Gordon Allport formulated his well-known contact hypothesis in 1954, this theoretical framework became the most applicable principle for programs whose main goal is to change the relationships between groups in conflict. According to Allport's theory, for the intergroup contact to be successful and accomplish positive changes in attitudes and behaviour, it must fulfill four basic conditions: the contact groups must be of equal status, the contact must be personal and manifold, the groups must depend on each other working for a super ordinate goal, and there must be institutional support for the equality norm. The numerous research projects that tried to verify. Some of the studies given by different researchers are as under: The word Education is like a diamond which appears to be of different colour when seen from different angles. It is as basic to civilization, to social service, as reproduction and nutrition are essential to biological evolution. It means both the acquisition of knowledge and experience as well as development of skills, habits and attitudes which help a person to lead a full and worth while life in this world. Although the meaning, functions and aims of education are so closely interwoven that one can be taken for another, yet a thin line of demarcation can be drawn.

There is much overlapping, but all work together. The function of Education is to discipline feelings, to control emotions, to sublimate motivations and to develop religious sentiments. John Dewey asserts that the function of education is to help the growing of the helpless young animal into a happy, moral and efficient human being. A person would be happy, moral and efficient if he understands the fundamental truth of life and practices of higher values of life. In order to achieve it, the education has to perform the several functions as general functions, functions towards society and towards nation. Functions like Progressive development of innate powers, All round development of personality, preparation for adult life, social reform etc. are general functions of education, functions like education as a social process, school as a society in miniature, social conservation etc. are functions forwards society where as functions like Training for leadership, Emotional Integration, National Integration, Maintaining Communal interests and Tradition, Development of national language, National Discipline, Understanding Human nature, To prepare good citizens etc. are some functions of education towards Nation which ultimately aims for the development of a Cohesive society with least conflicts. Students can play an important role in the development society by utilizing education to improve social cohesion in a class as a group by using several methods as Use of effective communication minimizing disruption in a class. Teachers behavior needs to be impartial and handling of problems should be psychological. Free discussions should be occasionally arranged for the group to improve the class room emotional climate. Counseling technique should be used to disturbed pupils in the class to improve the emotional climate of the class. It means all social interaction within group members towards collectiveness. Collectiveness means the collective decision making about various social issues such as marriage, birth celebration, community issues, dowry harassment and participation in social activeness cultural, economical individual interest. There is always interaction among members of group that binds them together. Social Cohesion has some main features as Motivation base, Organization and Interdependency.

"Social cohesion is the capacity of a society to ensure the well-being of all its members, minimizing disparities and avoiding marginalization." Motivational base signifies that members of group must share some common aim or objectives so that their activities may be Gold oriented. Organization means a group must have well organized structure of its composition, having rules, regulations and a set of norms which bind the individual members. Whereas, interdependency means members of group are woven into web. They are influenced by each others action and reaction. Social cohesion is a multi-dimensional concept and various definitions can be found in the literature. They include: Social cohesion is a process of building shared values and communities of interpretation, reducing disparities in wealth and income, and generally enabling people to have a sense that they are engaged in a common enterprise, facing shared challenges, and that they are members of the same community. Social cohesion is a state of affairs in which a group of people (delineated by a geographical region, like a country) demonstrates an aptitude for collaboration that produces a climate for change that, in the longer run, benefits all. A cohesive community is one where: 1. There is a common vision and a sense of belonging for all communities; 2. The diversity of peoples different backgrounds and circumstances are appreciated and positively valued; 3. Those from different backgrounds have similar life opportunities; and 4. Strong and positive relationships are being developed between people from different backgrounds in the workplace, in schools and within neighbourhoods. As a cumulative societal concept, social cohesion is the set of positive externalities accruing from social capital, in addition to the sum of factors

promoting equity in the distribution of opportunities among individuals. Social cohesion may be defined as the dialectical relationship between and is an important foundation for a nation-states existence and development and it cannot be created without education. The authors emphasize the psychological aspects of educations potential contribution, focusing on the need to strengthen students self-knowledge and self-esteem and paying special attention to the emotional aspects involved in educational processes. Based on the shared conviction that education for emotional health is a necessary condition for achieving greater social cohesion through education, this contribution considers other sociological, ethical and educational factors which are equally necessary for achieving this objective framework will produce not reactions, but merely adjustments to resolve once again the technical problem of adaptation. The present paper looks into appropriate strategies and practices for curriculum transaction leading to meaningful social cohesion as a correct path for world peace. The authors have given emphasis of designing and organizing some multicultural pedagogical practices at different levels of education for strengthening and enhancing the harmony among different sections of the society.

References
Ajala, E.M. (2003). The influence of peace education on labour management. ALLPORT, GORDON. 1979. The Nature of Prejudice, unabridged 25th edition. Reading, MA: Perseus Books. ASPESLAGH, ROBERT. 1996. "Educating for a Peace Culture." In Three Decades of Peace Education around the World: An Anthology, ed. Robin J. Burns and Robert Aspeslagh. New York: Garland. BURNS, ROBIN J., and ASPESLAGH, ROBERT, eds. 1996. Three Decades of Peace Education around the World: An Anthology. New York: Garland. Hick, D. (1988). Understanding the field in education for peace: Issues, principles and practices in the classroom. London and NY: Routledge. Oyebamiji, M.A. (2001) Peace education as a process of preparing youth for nation. UNESCO (1981), Domination or Sharing? UNESCO, Dams. World Bank (2010), India Global Poverty Estimates http://info.worldbank.org/ etools/liberary/166856/ UCMP/ Documents/India% 27s-Urban-poverty.pdf World Peace Newsletter 2201 E. Willow St. #D-104 Signal Hill, CA 90755 Fax: 562-498-2275, e-mail: worldpeacenewsletter@gmail.com htt BURNS, ROBIN J., and ASPESLAGH, ROBERT, eds. 1996. Three Decades of Peace Education around the World: An Anthology. New York: Garland. p://www.worldpeacenewsletter.com