This dissertation illustrates the ‘two faces’ of Rwanda’s formal education system in contributing to the creation of a sustainable, positive peace in the post-genocide state. In conveying this argument, it employs the emergent ‘Four Rs Theoretical Framework’ - which is grounded within the foundational Comprehensive Conflict Transformation Model of peacebuilding theory - to undertake a qualitative methodological evaluation of official primary documents and secondary sources.
Through its appraisal of the developments of both the structure and the content of the Rwandan education system since 1994, this paper highlights the mixed record of Rwanda’s formal education system in terms of its contribution to the nation’s wider peacebuilding project. On the one hand, significant progress in all constituent components of the ‘Four Rs’ framework is observable. Policy changes to both its core foundations and its overarching curriculum have promoted elements of redistribution, representation, recognition and reconciliation in Rwanda.
By facilitating the necessary personal, social, cultural and structural transformative processes, therefore, Rwanda’s education system has gone some way in helping to build the infrastructure required for a sustainable, positive peace in the nation. On the other hand, however, this paper also seeks to draw attention to the evidence which suggests that today’s post-genocide schools in Rwanda are in danger of undermining the nation’s initial successes in building peace. The reflection and amplification of inequalities and exclusion throughout the central features of the education system risk constraining and potentially destabilising the nation’s peacebuilding mission.
Contents
1. INTRODUCTION
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
i. Historical Background
ii. The Theory of Peacebuilding
iii. The Relationship between Education and Peacebuilding
iv. Methodology – A Qualitative Application of the ‘Four Rs Theoretical Framework’
3. THE FORM AND STRUCTURE OF RWANDA’S EDUCATION SYSTEM:
i. Redistribution
ii. Recognition
4. THE CONTENT AND CURRICULUM OF RWANDA’S EDUCATION SYSTEM:
i. Reconciliation
ii. Representation
5. CONCLUSION
Research Objectives and Themes
This dissertation examines the role of formal education in fostering sustainable, positive peace in post-genocide Rwanda, evaluating how policy, structure, and curriculum contribute to or hinder national peacebuilding efforts. The central research objective is to provide a balanced appraisal of the "two faces" of the Rwandan education system by analyzing its impact on structural, cultural, and relational peace processes.
- Application of the "Four Rs" framework (Redistribution, Recognition, Reconciliation, Representation).
- Evaluation of education as a tool for peacebuilding vs. potential for exacerbating exclusion.
- Analysis of pedagogical shifts and the impact of the national curriculum on student attitudes.
- Critical investigation of the "hidden costs" and accessibility of the Rwandan school system.
- Assessment of the link between state-led education and the promotion of a singular national identity.
Excerpt from the Book
i. Historical Background
Taking place within the wider context of the armed conflict between the Rwandan government and the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) that was ignited in 1990, the Rwandan genocide involved the mass murder, rape and torture of up to one million Rwandese during 1994. Citizens labelled as ethnic Tutsis were targeted by genocidal Hutu militias, but all parties to the conflict have been proven to have committed numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity (Amnesty International, 2014).
Current explanations of the genocide and intergroup conflict in Rwanda are complex and multicausal. Moving beyond myopic assertions that the Rwandan genocide was driven by nothing more than primordial, tribal atavism, emergent research stresses the significance of proximate causes in directly catalysing the outbreak of the war and genocidal killing, while also recognising that underlying permissive factors were required for the activation of these more immediate proximate causes (Prunier, 1997; Mamdani, 2002). As its starting point, therefore, this paper builds on the increasingly widespread consensus among Rwandese citizens and the academic community that the interplay between longer-term psychocultural conditions and short-term socio-cultural factors fuelled, aggravated and accelerated the conflict (Magnarella, 2005; Hintjens, 1999). The deep-seated categorisation, collectivisation and stigmatisation of ‘ethnic’ groups – who are neither definitionally or anthropologically ethnic, but served as a meaningful identity and social cleavage in Rwanda – emphasised the role of shared and profound ‘we-they’ oppositions, the conceptualisations of enemies and allies, and fundamental dispositions about intergroup relations (Ross, 1993: 15).
Summary of Chapters
1. INTRODUCTION: Outlines the research puzzle and defines core concepts like "formal education" and "sustainable, positive peace" within the Rwandan peacebuilding context.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW: Analyzes peacebuilding theories and existing research on the nexus between education and post-conflict transformation, introducing the "Four Rs" framework.
3. THE FORM AND STRUCTURE OF RWANDA’S EDUCATION SYSTEM: Evaluates how structural reforms, such as "Education for All" and decentralization, have impacted redistribution and recognition within the nation.
4. THE CONTENT AND CURRICULUM OF RWANDA’S EDUCATION SYSTEM: Examines how curricula, including history and social studies, and pedagogical practices shape reconciliation and representation among youth.
5. CONCLUSION: Synthesizes the findings to argue that while Rwanda's education system has contributed significantly to peacebuilding, it also exhibits a "negative face" that risks undermining long-term stability.
Keywords
Rwanda, Peacebuilding, Formal Education, Conflict Transformation, Four Rs, Redistribution, Recognition, Reconciliation, Representation, Post-Genocide, Curriculum, Pedagogical Practices, Social Injustice, Structural Violence, National Identity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this dissertation?
The dissertation focuses on the role of Rwanda's formal education system since 1994 in fostering a sustainable, positive peace and its contribution to the nation's broader peacebuilding project.
What is the core theoretical framework used in this research?
The study employs the "Four Rs Theoretical Framework for Analysing the Contribution of Education to Successful Peacebuilding," which includes Redistribution, Recognition, Reconciliation, and Representation.
What does the term "two faces" mean in the context of the Rwandan education system?
It refers to the mixed record of the education system: on one hand, it has promoted positive transformation and peacebuilding; on the other, it displays structural and curricula weaknesses that risk marginalization and inequality.
Which methodology does the author apply?
The author uses a qualitative methodological approach, involving the evaluation of primary governmental documents and a thorough review of secondary academic sources.
How is "formal education" defined in this study?
It is defined as the overarching form, structure, curriculum, and content of the national education system, institutionalized and planned through public and recognized private organizations.
What are the main thematic pillars of the research?
The research is organized around the four pillars of the "Four Rs" framework, addressing issues of equity, inclusivity, identity, and teaching methodology in Rwandan classrooms.
How does the language policy shift to English affect peacebuilding?
The study suggests that the shift to English may silence students with lower proficiency, potentially reinforcing existing socio-economic inequalities and creating new identity-based divisions.
What role do "hidden costs" play in the education system?
The author identifies "hidden costs"—such as materials and association fees—as significant barriers that create vertical inequality, often excluding poorer families and undermining the "fee-free" policy.
- Citar trabajo
- JBA Wilton (Autor), 2016, Education and Peacebuilding. What role has formal education played in fostering a sustainable, positive peace in post-genocide Rwanda?, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/335937
