Peace Initiative Programmes by Student Welfare Departments and Their Effectiveness in Managing Student Conflicts in Kenyan Public Universities (original) (raw)
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International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Invention
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The study assessed strategies for effective Management of conflicts in public secondary schools and averting school unrest amongst students as perceived by principals, school board of management and students in Kenya. A total of 26 school principals, 104 Board of Management members, 183 teachers and 370 students participated in the study. Random and purposive sampling techniques were used to obtain the sample for the study. Data collection was done using self-made questionnaire which had been validated by experts and subjected to a pilot study and an overall Cronbach‟s alpha reliability coefficient of 0.876 was obtained. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze data. The findings of the study revealed that collaboration conflict management strategy was rated the best strategy of solving and averting conflicts in secondary schools in Kenya. Schools which employed this strategy had not experienced any unrest for the last 10 years and revealed progressive academic performance. The m...
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International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Research, 2018
Peace education is aimed at teaching individuals the information, attitudes, values, and behavioural competencies needed to resolve conflicts without violence and to build and maintain mutually beneficial, harmonious relationships. There are many approaches to peace education, many of which are based on ideology, practical experience, and good intentions. What is lacking is peace education programmes based on theories validated by research that can be operationalized into practical procedures. In CCSPC, Peace Education has been seen through development and environmental studies that are offered as common courses in Universities and also civic education carried out by civil societies. However, these activities do not reflect a comprehensive peace education that can generate a culture of peace. This paper explored the effectiveness of peace education programmes put in place by Graduate College as a sustainable management tool for peace. The study employed three interrelated theories which underlie effective peace education: social interdependence theory which deals with the nature of cooperation and competition; constructive controversy theory which deals with political discourse and creative problem solving, and integrative negotiations theory which deals with mutually beneficial agreements. The research has validated these theories, and each was operationalized into practical procedures. The management objective was to explore a range of educational programmes put in place to enhance peace. Specific objectives included: To find out the strategies the schools have adopted to conduct peace education and how successful the implementation has been; to find out teachers perception on the necessity of peace education and to establish the effects of peace education on students and the civil society by extension. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design and was based in Cotabato City State Polytechnic College, Cotabato City. The target population of this study comprised the MA and PhD students, the teachers and the Program Heads of Studies in each college were purposively sampled for the interview. These Program Heads were selected on the basis of their experience as teachers in charge of academic and other programmes in their respective schools and therefore were conversant with strategies employed by schools to initiate the peace programmes. Data collected was arranged in themes and sub-themes that helped in attaining the research objectives. The researcher thereafter conducted content, theoretical reflection analysis.
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Challenges in Implementing Peace Clubs in Public Secondary Schools within Kisumu County, Kenya
Background: The execution of Peace Clubs in schools has come up with new components of optimistic connections amongst students through the stages for the act of another culture of non-violence, peacefulness and discourse. It has developed their comprehension and practice for shared compassion as a condition for achieving their shared objectives, particularly where such objectives conflict thus figuring out how to participate in just basic leadership and imaginative critical thinking, empowering them to oversee rising level of clashes productively. Learners who have joined Peace Clubs in their schools have turned out to be progressively receptive to participate in differing discussions and furthermore look for methods for settling clashing interests that amplify joint advantages. However, it was notable that not all schools have embraced the creation of Peace Clubs. Its on this basis that this study sought to establish challenges in implementing Peace Clubs in public secondary schools. Materials and Methods: The study used a theoretical framework informed by contingency theory. The study applied descriptive survey research design with a target population of 91,834 comprising of BOM, school sponsors, school principals, teachers and students giving a sample size of 584 respondents. The response rate was 96.23%. The researcher used interviews, focus group discussion and questionnaires for primary data collection while reviewed publications and reports provided secondary data. Content validity and split half method were applied. Data was coded and analyzed and the results presented through pie charts and frequency distribution tables. Results: The study found out that students" attendance in peace programmes, school culture, funding of peace programmes, time allocation for peace programmes, religious background of students, training teachers in Peace Building, availability of instructional materials and academic qualification of peace instructors challenge the implementation of Peace Clubs in schools. Students" attendance in peace programmes, school culture, funding of peace programmes, time allocation for peace programmes, religious background of students, training teachers in Peace Building, availability of instructional materials and academic qualification of peace instructors are the main challenges to the implementation of Peace Clubs in schools.
Conflict Management as a Tool for Restoring Discipline in Kenyan Public Secondary Schools
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Conflict is a part and parcel of human organization all over the world. Therefore, potential for conflict exists because people have different needs, values, views and goals. In schools, internal conflicts occur because sometimes administrators, teachers and students have different perceptions and attitudes towards certain issues. The study examines how conflict management is used as a tool for restoring discipline in Kenyan secondary schools and it is guided by human needs theory. The study employed mixed methods approach which embraced both quantitative and qualitative methods to collect data from secondary students, headteachers and teacher counselors. This study has concluded that failure to train headteachers and teacher counselors on conflict resolution; management skills and a lack of clear communication among all the stakeholders constitute some of the causes of conflict in secondary schools. The study has recommended that conflict management and peace keeping skills should ...
School Violence as a Cause of Non-Peaceful Coexistence in Public Secondary Schools in Nairobi, Kenya
Open Journal of Social Sciences
Public secondary schools in Kenya have in the recent past experienced several unrests, a situation that has threatened the fabric that holds them together. For quite some time, there have been reported cases of arson attacks and other forms of school violence in public secondary schools in Kenya. The incidences of violence have resulted into injuries, loss of property and sometimes loss of lives. In spite of the tough measures meted out on the students who are found to be involved in such acts, not much has been achieved. Using data collected from a sample of 341 public secondary school students and 88 teachers drawn from a survey of 22 public secondary schools in Nairobi County, the paper has identified various forms, causes and perpetrators of violence in public secondary schools in Kenya. The paper has argued that the earlier the perpetrators, forms and causes of violence are identified and mitigated through acquisition of knowledge and skills on peace education, the more likely the risks will be eliminated to enable the learners to embrace peace values and peaceful coexistence in the community. The study found out that school violence occurs in the form of verbal abuses, physical fights, bullying, and arson attacks. It also emerged that violence occurred during meals, social events and on the way going home from school and that the main perpetrators included classmates, prefects and even teachers. Key contributing factors to school violence were competition for resources, political differences, sexual discrimination and non-tolerance to cultural diversity. The paper concluded that the more effectively the peace values are inculcated into students in public secondary schools, the better well behaved the students are likely to become; hence no or limited school unrests will be experienced.
This research dealt with explication of concerns and challenges of peace-building and conflict management in Ethiopian Higher Education with the purpose to delineate policy options. Naturalistic method of qualitative research approach was used where policy documents, proclamations of higher education and experiential reflections were data sources. Criterion sampling technique was used to identify documents whereas purposive sampling was used to identify key informant interviewees for the study. Core issues of the study were the role of the university as a hosting unit in peace-building, participation of key stakeholders, and the role of the university leadership in working with the proximate community. Accordingly, Ethiopian Higher Education Proclamation, recent report of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Education Sector Development Program V, and research works related to conflict in higher education were analyzed thematically. Moreover, experiences across six universities in Ethiopia were surveyed and reflected on. The findings of the study revealed that, while policy documents and proclamations dealt with gross development in knowledge, skills and competencies, little space was given to policy and practices of peace-building. Conflict-handling mechanisms were also temporary and reactive than proactive. While experiences were diverse as well as sources of conflicts across universities, there were no options reflected to bring experiences to vertices such that, a unanimous means of curbing conflicts and developing a peaceful teachinglearning atmosphere could see due success. Overall, practices of peace literacy, inclusive diversity and social cohesion were not developed in a way to capitalize on conflict prevention, conflict management and promoting peace culture.