Authors:

SHEHZADHUSSEIN ANSARI

Abstract:

The increasing issue of radicalization among youths has made schools as centrally important in the development of peace and values based learning. Research increasingly emphasizes that teachers’ attitudes towards peace pedagogy and moral education significantly shape the socio-emotional environment of students (e.g., Sharma, 2019; Singh & Kaur, 2021). It is based on this discourse that the given paper investigates the views of teachers regards to peace and value-based education as the means of preventing radicalization in Indian schools. A total 597 teachers, who responded randomly out of 815 participants in Viramgam and Detroj Talukas of Ahmedabad district, participated in the research. The gathered information was through structured, self-designed questionnaire and analyzed using mean, standard deviation and Percentage. Results include a high degree of positive inclination amongst most of the teachers to implement peace education as part of the school curriculum. Educationists emphasized that the values of empathy, tolerance, respecting diversity and dialogue help to decrease extremist tendencies among the adolescents. These insights resonate with prior studies that underline the transformative role of teachers as facilitators of social cohesion and intercultural understanding (Kumar, 2020; Mishra & Thomas, 2022).The study also identifies challenges, including inadequate training in peace pedagogy, rigid curricular frameworks and socio-cultural barriers, which often constrain implementation. Such challenges mirror findings from international research highlighting systemic limitations in mainstreaming value-based education (Johnson & Evans, 2018; Ahmed, 2021). The study concludes that empowering teachers through continuous professional development, embedding peace and value education within the framework of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and fostering school-community partnerships are essential strategies for preventing adolescent radicalization. The study will also contribute to the existing literature as it places teachers as active participants of peace building at a school level, as they are not just anchors of both knowledge transmission but also active agents of peace.

Keywords:

Peace Education, Value-Based Education, Teacher Attitudes, Adolescent Radicalization, Preventive Pedagogy, National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, Inclusive Schooling, Social Cohesion

Vol & Issue:

VOL.17, ISSUE No.4, December 2025