Teachers as agents of sustainable peace, social cohesion and development: theory, practice & evidence

Abstract

This paper presents a ‘peace with social justice’ framework for analysing the role of teachers as agents of sustainable peace, social cohesion and development and applies this to research evidence from Pakistan, Uganda, Myanmar and South Africa. The paper challenges the overly human capital driven logics of much teacher policy reform agendas and highlights the need and importance for a more holistic approach to teacher governance and management that recognises teachers’ multiple potential to contribute to both societal peace and development. This work is part of ‘Engaging teachers in peacebuilding in postconflict contexts: evaluating education interventions in Rwanda and South Africa’ project supported by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the UK Department for International Development