ASIA/PHILIPPINES - Muslim and Christian school teachers from all over Mindanao agree that peace begins at school, where children must be educated to reciprocal esteem and respect

Davao (Fides Service) - Peace in the large southern Philippines island of Mindanao where there are several groups of armed Muslim separatists begins at school where children must be educated to tolerance, dialogue, reciprocal esteem and respect between the local Christians and Muslims, mostly ethnic Lumads. This was affirmed by more than 300 school teachers and animators of Christian and Muslim communities who gathered for a three day meeting at Davao from 23 al 25 February to reflect on the theme “A peaceful, strong and modern Mindanao: crossing the frontiers of diversity through responsible education”.
Representatives of Education Departments of six regions, headmasters of state and private schools, teachers from Muslim Madrase schools of Islam, reflected on the main challenges facing schools, staff and pupils and discussed teaching methods and contents of school curriculum used in Mindanao’s 25 provinces and 27 towns.
At the end of their reflect the participants formulated concrete proposals to implement their findings including: quality education; access to education for all; education to peace and reconciliation which means integrating in school curricula education to peace, tolerance and dialogue.
The participants also identified “converging methods” to solve problems and needs of the different ethnic, cultural and religious groups and the agreed that the field of education can make a valid contribution towards restoring peace in Mindanao.
With regard to “quality education”, the Oblate Missionaries of Mary Immaculate who run Notre Dame Catholic University Cotabato recently started refresher courses for more than 1,000 elementary and secondary school teachers mostly Muslims coming from the provinces Maguindanao, Cotabato, Sultan Kundarat and Lanao del Sur. The courses, sponsored partly by the Japanese government, consist of formation in teaching methods and contents emphasising the important role of teachers to educate children and families to peace and reconciliation.
(PA) (Agenzia Fides 25/2/2004 lines 34 word 369)