(Reposted from: Nyasa Times. August 6, 2021)
By Watipaso Mzungu
The Minister of Civic Education and National Unity Timothy Pagonachi Mtambo has asked developers of primary and secondary schools’ curricula to further explore applying Peace Education at primary and secondary levels.
Mtambo said the introduction of Peace Education in primary and secondary schools could help in circumventing conflicts that arise out of land ownership wrangles, chieftaincy succession disputes, religious differences and various forms of political propaganda.
The minister was speaking in Blantyre on Thursday when he opened the United Nations Malawi (UN Malawi)/academia collaboration workshop.
The UN Malawi/Academia Collaboration marks the beginning of a strategic and operational relationship between the UN Malawi and Malawi’s best and brightest intellectuals.
Mtambo admitted that Malawi faces an uphill battle in circumventing conflicts that have, at times, escalated into violence that has threatened the peace that Malawi has enjoyed since independence.
He said it is against this background that the Malawi Government, with support from the UN Malawi, started the process of establishing an institutional framework that would ensure that tensions are handled before they escalate into violence.
“This process has been ongoing since 2012 such that a Bill to establish the framework is now ready for tabling in Parliament. At the centre of all this work of establishing a national institutional framework for peace building is the need to build community capacities to resolve conflicts in a collaborative manner,” said Mtambo.
He hailed the UN Malawi as an ardent ally to the government in building national capacities for sustainable peace in Malawi.
He also disclosed that academia has played a leading role in informing state legislation, policy and public discourse.
“The strategic partnership between the UN Malawi and the academia is, therefore, not only beneficial to those present here today, but it is, above all, for the benefit to our mother Malawi.
“The Tonse Alliance government has openly and actively prioritized the promotion of peaceful coexistence and national unity among the Malawian people,” emphasized Mtambo.
UN Malawi Resident Representative Maria Jose Torres Macho pledged her organization’s commitment to supporting national efforts to promote peace and tranquillity in Malawi.
Macho emphasized that peace and unity are crucial in the pursuit for social and economic transformation.
