The case for a National assessment of peace and education competencies in Philippine higher education

KEY POINTS
1. Peace education is crucial in sustaining peace as it properly equips individuals, communities, and institutions with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes in preventing, reducing, and recovering from all forms of violence, whether it be in direct, structural, cultural, or ecological form.
2. Institutionalizing peace education in the Philippines has come a long way. Key policies from different National Government Agencies (i.e. OPAPRU, DepEd, CHED, NCIP, etc.) provide institutional anchors for Peace Education to flourish and develop overtime. These institutionalization efforts are also augmented by the academe through developing specialized academic courses, embedding peace education into their respective curricula as well as in their research and extension services.
3. Higher education institutions still face structural and operational challenges in strengthening their capacities and innovation in peace education. Despite policies and efforts in integrating peace education in the Philippine higher education system, a standardized national framework for assessing and developing peace education competencies among college students and educators has yet to be developed. Hence, there is a need for a systematic assessment of peace education competencies within higher education institutions as a basis for the creation of a national competency baseline.