The Role of Teachers and their Perspectives on the Implementation of Peace Education in Rwandan Primary Schools

Considering the ongoing need for post-genocide reconciliation and the lack of information available on the current status of peace education in Rwanda, this dissertation aims to identify the main peace education frameworks currently existing in Rwandan primary schools, to analyze their effectiveness, and to assess teachers’ attitudes towards them. This is all examined through the perspectives of teachers, who, despite experiencing the same psychological consequences of the genocide, have been charged with the social responsibility of building a peaceful future through Rwanda’s youth –a responsibility which they may be unwilling or unprepared to fulfill. This study recognizes the importance of teachers’ attitudes in the effective implementation of peace education at the grass-roots level, and it is hoped that teachers’ proximity to students and familiarity with the curriculum might provide valuable insight into the current status and potential effectiveness of peace education in rural Rwanda.