平和の苗床を目指すカリブの学校

Caribbean classrooms become seedbeds for conflict resolution.

Caribbean Schools Aiming to Be a Cradle of Peace

Bullying and violence among students have become serious problems in schools across the Caribbean. According to a UNICEF survey, six out of ten students in Jamaica have experienced bullying, and approximately 30 percent of students are reluctant to attend school because of it. Behind this situation lie unequal social structures, hierarchies, and social exclusion inherited from the colonial era. By the time they enter secondary school, many children are already bearing these social burdens.

However, efforts to improve the situation are underway in classrooms. One notable example is the “Peace and Love in Schools (PALS)” initiative, which began in Jamaica in the 1990s. Initially piloted in just a few schools, it eventually expanded to over 250 schools. Through this initiative, teachers learned conflict mediation techniques and taught the “I-message” method—a way of expressing oneself using “I” as the subject rather than blaming the student. Parents are also invited to participate in training sessions, with schools and families working together on these efforts. As a result, student behavior has improved, and incidents of violence have decreased. In Saint Lucia, conflict resolution methods have been directly incorporated into the curriculum. This is an attempt to embed the concepts of dialogue and reconciliation into the very fabric of education, rather than limiting them to short-term events or special classes. Progressive efforts are being made to transform the classroom environment despite existing problems.

Schools are special places. Regardless of their backgrounds, the vast majority of children spend several years in school. Unlike NGO activities, schools do not disappear. Schools continue. Even as politicians and ministers of education change, the bell rings every morning to signal the start of the school day. It is this consistency that makes schools one of the most crucial places for nurturing the seeds of peace. Schools are places where society can reliably engage with children.

What, specifically, is being done? Empathy, communication, and problem-solving can be taught alongside reading and math. Education is designed to facilitate interaction among students, encouraging them to listen, reflect, and deliberate. Students are taught to avoid reflexive violent reactions and instead discuss events that have occurred and how to reconcile relationships. The goal is to create peace-oriented classrooms where conflicts are resolved effectively and turned into learning opportunities.

The children’s learning spreads like ripples into their homes and communities. Young people who have acquired empathy and dialogue skills at school will possess the ability to address problems peacefully in the future—whether in the workplace, at home, or in the political arena. This initiative also involves political challenges. However, if nurtured successfully, the classroom will become a lasting place that produces citizens capable of building peaceful local communities.

More than just a space enclosed by four walls with a blackboard, every morning in Caribbean classrooms, young people who will shape the future of their communities sit waiting for class to begin. The question we must ask is whether we will continue to teach only academics, or whether we will also teach peace.