PUSKAPA Equips Indonesian Schools to Foster Peace and Address Violence
To advance the implementation of Ministerial Regulation 46/2023 on violence prevention and handling in schools, the Centre on Child Protection and Wellbeing (PUSKAPA), supported by GPE KIX, conducted capacity-building activities in February 2025 with six schools across Aceh, Banten, and Maluku.
The project engaged 127 teachers, parents, and school leaders in interactive training sessions delivered by PUSKAPA researchers and PUSKAPA’s local facilitators. Participants explored how gender norms and social expectations shape experiences of violence, learned to view peace education as a whole-school effort led by adults, and reflected on ways to embed these perspectives into their school regulatory framework.
PUSKAPA found that participants were familiar with the term “gender equality.” However, their understanding did not fully extend to the concept of equal rights and opportunities between men and women. Through the sessions, they began to recognise that gender issues are also shaped by the social expectations imposed on men and women. Several participants across the three regions further noted that religious and social norms remain the biggest challenge in implementing gender equality in their surroundings.
Participants were less familiar with the concept of “peace education.” They associated it only with the absence of conflict among students. After the session, however, they came to understand that creating a peaceful environment begins with adults. Adults need sufficient knowledge and skills to manage and resolve conflicts, not only between students but also among themselves. A systemic effort is also required to ensure that all adults working in schools share common perspectives and attitudes about the value of peace. This can be achieved, for example, by embedding peace principles into a school’s vision and mission, and by adopting regulations and procedures to prevent violence.
PUSKAPA ended the training with follow-up initiatives that schools would pursue to create a safe and peaceful environment.
