Proposing a Program Model to Promote a Unified Multi-Sectarian Community in Lebanon

النوع : Mémoire

As a part of most conflict-prone country’s rehabilitative efforts, educational programs and curricula falling under the umbrella of “peace education” are implemented. These programs aim to foster a cohesive, unified society that is accepting of all its parts. The premise of peace education lies in the idea that hope for a peaceful future is best extracted from young people, as the prejudices of their society are not yet deeply imbedded in their psyches. Yet in Lebanon, a country with a chronic division of society, facilitated by its complex geopolitical situation, and a history of inter-sectarian conflict, there is a conspicuous absence of such a comprehensive peace education program. Only small-scale, limited peace education initiatives exist; not nearly sufficient in scope to cater to the immense need of our community. A comprehensive peace education program model designed for Lebanon’s specific complexities will be proposed in this thesis. To establish the extent of the need for peace education and to gauge the attitudes of educators towards such a program, The AEASEQ (Attitudes of Educators Towards Anti Sectarian Education) questionnaire was distributed to 50 teachers and principals from schools all over Lebanon. The questionnaire found:  Deeply embedded suspicions of other sectarian groups among educators  A lack of awareness of peace education among educators  A high level of willingness on the part of educators to implement a peace education program, and an expectation of success for this program Proposing a Program 6 The educators also gave their recommendations on what the program should look like, and what it should focus on. They recommended that a Lebanese peace education program should work on three fronts: 1. Building social ties between sectarian groups 2. Eradicating misconceptions about other religions 3. Teaching tolerance. Based on the responses of the educators interviewed, materials were selected from a range of peace education programs from around the world, and were compiled into a preliminary program model.