Peace Education in Cambodia : Focusing on Peace Education in Elementary School

Abstract

This paper aims to examine Social Studies textbooks of Cambodia in terms of the theories of peace education. To achieve this goal, this study, using the conceptual framework for analysis, attempt to analyze 4-6 grades social studies textbooks in elementary school. One of the most pressing concerns in Cambodia today could be considered the pursuit of security. Therefore social studies textbooks can be said to be hard-working in passive peace. Unlike the general concept of passive peace, the non-peaceful factors in Cambodia are the insecurity associated with the mines and bombings of the Khmer Rouge regime era, the current traffic and security issues. Thus, the insecurity associated with the mines and bombings of the Khmer Rouge regime era, the current traffic and security issues in textbooks is emphasized as educational objectives and contents. Also, in the first-sixth grade social textbooks, this problem is discussed through an independent chapter, and a way to avoid it is presented. What is regrettable here is that focusing on passive avoidance from non-peaceful factors, students are not able to explore and practice active measures to solve them. The textbook discusses passive peace as avoidance from non-peaceful factors, but textbook does not deal with the nature of violence, types of violence as a structural violence, and a peaceful solution to the real problem. In this regard, worth noting revealed through the analysis of textbooks is that their orientation is placed on social maintenance rather than social change. In relation to the problem of participation, social textbooks focus on contributing to social maintenance rather than active participation in social change. It emphasizes being a good student and a good citizen who can contribute to social development. The main features of the teaching-learning methodology that appear in the teacher’s guidebook is that question or discussion theme does not attach much important to analyzing, critical thinking, and interpreting etc. In the part of the results of the expected learning, guidebooks provide learning result by rote memorization or learning by repetitive conditioning.