Life Skills and Values Education as a Pathway to Peacebuilding in Schools: Evidence from Zanzibar and Global Practice

• In Event: Building Peace in Primary Schools: Life Skills, Stakeholder Engagement, and AI-Supported Education Across Global Contexts

Proposal

Authors:
1. Zamzam Juma Hamad, Program Admin Assistant – ALiVE Project, Milele Zanzibar Foundation, zjuma@mzfn.org
2. June Omune, Director of Projects, Milele Zanzibar Foundation, jomune@mzfn.org
Abstract
In today’s divided world, schools serve as both mirrors of societal tensions and potential incubators of peace. This paper examines how Life Skills and Values (LSV) education equips students to manage conflict constructively, enhance inclusion, and build resilience. Positioned within the broader field of comparative and international education, the study explores how embedding LSV in curricula and school culture contributes to peacebuilding outcomes.
The research draws on global evidence—including social-emotional learning (SEL) interventions, anti-bullying programs, and restorative justice practices—as well as localized insights from Zanzibar. International studies have shown that SEL strengthens students’ ability to regulate emotions, build empathy, and improve academic outcomes (UNICEF, 2022). Similarly, large-scale comparative assessments highlight that collaborative problem-solving is an essential 21st-century competency linked to both equity and achievement (OECD, 2020). UNESCO’s (2023) global monitoring further emphasizes the urgency of integrating values-based education to promote peaceful and sustainable societies.
In Zanzibar, local programs provide evidence of how global frameworks translate into practice. The ALiVE assessment has documented how life skills such as problem-solving and critical thinking are measurable and can be integrated into national curricula (ALiVE, 2022). Peace Clubs supported by ALiVE have contributed to reducing classroom disputes by up to 60%, while peer mediation initiatives successfully resolve over 90% of conflicts (Milele Zanzibar Foundation [MZF], 2022). A ten-week parental engagement pilot reinforced these skills at home, demonstrating that multi-level approaches—linking students, teachers, and families—strengthen sustainability (MZF, 2022). Furthermore, collaboration between civil society and the Zanzibar Examinations Council has institutionalized LSV within curricula and assessment frameworks, ensuring system-wide uptake (Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, Zanzibar, 2022).
Methodologically, this study applies a qualitative synthesis of secondary data triangulated with program-level monitoring and evaluation results, emphasizing applied research for education systems in low- and middle-income contexts. Findings highlight that LSV interventions reduce harmful behaviors by 20–23%, improve classroom relationships, and enhance academic performance through SEL (UNICEF, 2022; UNESCO, 2023).
Theoretically, this paper situates LSV within peace education and values-based learning, emphasizing that problem-solving, empathy, and collaboration are foundational for inclusive societies. Empirically, it provides evidence that whole-school approaches to LSV integration—through teacher training, peer mediation, and parental engagement—are essential to achieving measurable reductions in violence and improvements in socio-emotional well-being.
The contribution of this study lies in connecting global frameworks to localized practice, showing how LSV not only enhances learning outcomes but also contributes to the broader peace and inclusion agenda. It argues that LSV offers scalable, low-cost strategies that can be adapted across diverse contexts, particularly in fragile and conflict-affected settings. By doing so, the study bridges scholarship on SEL and peace education with applied programmatic evidence from East Africa.
Ultimately, this paper demonstrates that investing in LSV education is both a pedagogical and peacebuilding imperative. Schools that embed life skills and values into their teaching, policies, and community engagement prepare students not just to succeed academically but to thrive as empathetic, collaborative citizens in increasingly complex and divided societies.
Keywords: Life Skills and Values (LSV), Peace Education, Social-Emotional Learning (SEL), Problem-Solving, Zanzibar, Comparative Education

Authors

• Zamzam Juma Hamad, Milele Zanzibar Foundation

• Eshe Haji Ramadhan, Milelele Zanzibar Foundation