Ei-iE

On the occasion of International Day of Peace, on 21 September, the SNTE, an affiliate of Education International (EI) in Mexico, launched a permanent campaign under the heading “Arm yourself with valour for a culture of peace!” (¡Ármate de valor por una cultura de paz!), to promote peace and non-violence in schools across the country.

The initiative encourages education communities to create environments that foster democratic and inclusive relationships, as well as peace. It seeks to promote harmonious coexistence and effective communication, facilitating collective actions that lead to concrete commitments for peace.

With this, the SNTE is building on a broader political commitment to holistic education for the construction of more just, democratic and sustainable societies. The focus of this commitment is to strengthen the social fabric and raise awareness about a range of crucial issues such as peace, care for the environment, drug use and violence.

During the campaign launch event, the general secretary of the SNTE, Alfonso Cepeda Salas, called for a united effort to make education communities an example of peaceful coexistence, and for white flags to be placed in the more than 250,000 public schools across the country, to symbolise a safe space for learning and growing up without violence.

EI applauds this important initiative from the SNTE, and its comprehensive approach, which resonates strongly with its declaration that “Schools should be safe sanctuaries”. The declaration expresses the collective demand of education workers and their unions around the world for the international community to ensure that education is protected in situations of conflict and is able to fulfil its potential as a force for peace in the world.

Click here for more details about the SNTE campaign to foster a culture of peace.