Searching for peace and nonviolence in the national curriculum of Ghana

Abstract This article analyzes the Ghanaian national curriculum through the lens of the Peace Education Curricular Analysis (PECA) framework, assessing the integration of three core peace education elements: recognition of violence, nonviolent conflict transformation, and positive peace. The four key findings are as follows. First, while the curriculum recognizes structural, cultural, and direct violence, the dynamics of violence in Ghana have been insufficiently contextualized, which risks the proliferation of inequities. Second, nonviolent conflict transformation focuses more on expected outcomes than on the means to attain them. Third, the emphasis on international conflict resolution overlooks local conflict complexities. Fourth, a deeper contextual and cultural understanding and an incorporation of the positive peace elements are needed. This article proposes that a path toward sustainable peace in Ghana requires a comprehensive approach to develop and implement peace education that centers on local epistemologies, histories, and conflict ontologies; otherwise, changes will remain superficial and holistic transformation will be lacking.