ABSTRACT
Education and national security are vital to promoting national development. A nation develops in relation to its achievements in education. The successful achievement of educational goals is also vital to national peace and the fulfilment of a nation’s obligations to its citizens. In the contemporary world, attention has focused on children’s rights to education as an instrument for launching nations into sustainable human advancement. Education is a vital investment for human and economic development and is influenced by its environment. National insecurity and war disrupt educational programmes and the achievement of educational goals. This happens when educational infrastructure is destroyed and when students and teachers are displaced by war. In addition, students and teachers might be kidnapped from their schools and forced to join either of the groups in conflict, while parents may not feel that educational institutions are safe places for their children. Situations of conflict might also silence the voices that are critical to knowledge construction and socio-political discourses that engage creative minds required for national development. War also affects budgetary allocations to social services such as education when cuts are made to support military spending. This chapter examines the effects of war on the right to education and advocates the implementation of peace education as a means to national cohesion and development.
