Presented by Dr. N. Ethiraj, Dr. M.G.R. Educational Research Institute, Chennai, India
Organized by The Light Millennium Global, in support of the Observance of the International Day of Education #EducationDay2026
In collaboration with the Coalition for the #CompulsoryPeaceICTsCampaign #7
Aligned with the UNESCO 2026 Dedication Theme: “The Power of Youth in Co-Creating Education”
• Booklet (including brief bios of the speakers)

“Technology in the hands of great teachers is transformative, but it can never replace the warmth of human connection.”

[LMGlobal.Org] Thank you so much and warm greetings to you all. I’m going to talk about the compulsory peace and ICT education from the point of view of research. We know that peace is very important for everyone to be a part of a society or in a part of a country. Whenever we talk about peace, there are two types: negative peace and positive peace. Negative peace is simply the absence of violence or war, but actually, positive peace is the attitudes, institutions, and structures that address root causes like poverty, oppression, and discrimination. The future of positive peace education must focus on these root causes and how to solve the problem to get the real peace in your life.India Compulsory Peace and ICT Education: A Research Perspective

According to Galtung, peace research is the research into the condition for moving closer to the peace or at least not drifting towards violence. We see in schools that around 30 to 40% of students are facing violences in the school level itself. In South Africa, monthly about 15% of learners encounter different kinds of violences. So what to do? School is the fundamental base for everything because it teaches you strength, then attitude.

The very basic thing required is a ‘Care of the Other.’ For example, you have to develop a habit among students to say: ‘Hello, how are you? Having a nice day?’ These are the ‘magic words’ which bring different people inside the vicinity of your care. This is actually done in most schools, but the thing is, it is often kept within the school only. It is not extended outside the school or to people who are not known to them. We have to make them understand that it is very important to use these magic words with everyone.

The second important thing researchers say is ‘Voicing.’ The teacher or the person dealing with children must talk to them and listen to the problems they are telling, whatever the violence may be. Even if it is domestic violence, we have to find out the problem and give a solution or counsel them. Similarly, we have the third one, which is a ‘Banning of Sub-modi Toys’—war toys—which are actually polluting the minds of the children. Sometimes the community plays a very important role in developing the attitude of children, so we have to make them understand what is good or bad.

Engineering should focus on ‘Peace Engineering’ transforming technology from military use to justice.

As far as engineering is concerned, we are teaching technical courses, but we have to make them understand soft skills first to develop teamwork and leadership qualities alongside technical skills. Most countries are funding a lot of money on research and development for military technology because they are expecting a war. But researchers suggest that engineering should focus on ‘Peace Engineering’ transforming technology from military use to justice.

Apart from this, the media—especially social media—must act in a right way, or else it will mislead the younger generation. Misinformation spreads six times faster than facts. We must teach citizens from the school level that when a crime is happening, they must deliberate with the appropriate persons rather than taking the law into their own hands. Technology will never replace great teachers, but technology in the hands of great teachers is transformative. This ICT tool has advantages and disadvantages, but it can never replace the warmth of human connection. The challenge is choosing the right materials from the large quantity available. That is the real challenge for students today.

Thank you so much.

2026 Education Day Tentative Program: Compulsory Peace & ICTs Education Campaign #7

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