There is a lot that we can learn from each other by simply knowing what has been done, what worked well, and what didn’t work so well. Consider these questions when sharing your experiences in this forum topic:
- Does the military (state or non-state militaries) visit schools, colleges, universities, or other educational institutions? What activities they carry out? Do they exert an influence in other ways (eg by providing resources, bursaries/scholarships, promoting a military ethos in education)
- Have you done anything to challenge the presence of military in your educational system? What has been successful? What have been the challenges?
- How have you involved – or how could you involve - the wider community (such as students, teachers, parents and grandparents) in this struggle,? Who are your potential allies, and what are the best ways to form these alliances?
Share your experiences, thoughts, ideas and questions by adding a comment below or replying to existing comments!
For help on how to participate in this conversation, please check out these online instructions.
There is no influence of military in Nepal in education system. The state military runs its own school in very few numbers. The education system there also is similar to the public schools; means no military education.
In the history, some non state militant groups specifically the Communists have ignored the government education system completely and tried to introduce their own. But by the time, that effort is ended.
The Kenyan reality is almost similar to Nepoal's as shared by Subhash. Education and Defence are worlds apart and there is a bit of history in the Kenyan case. There has been a common belief that Military and Police were actually areas that were preserved for failures in education, those who couldn't get the grades to take them to the University. This was the genesis of the disconnect between education and military. However, because of the high levels of unemployment, young people are slowly embracing the idea of joining military but on voluntary basis. The process am sorry to say, is very corrupt and thus hinder genuine "applicants" In real sense it is buying a job which costs a lot of money. Military and police have lately attracted professionals like lawyers, IT experts among others and increasingly the face is changing and the old notion that this was a preserve of people who are poor in education is slowly changing.
In Kenya, there are schools run by the military and the police and interestingly they are among the best schools in the country. They were originally meant to admit sons and daughters police and army officers but somehow other kids find their way into these good schools. They run the same syllabus with other schools and write the same exams.
thanks for the comments but here in our country people feel prestige to admit their children in army schools and cadet colleges
In the UK, at least 900,000 young people (mostly age 9-19) encounter the Armed Forces in the education system each year. The Armed Forces - especially the Army - visit schools to: give presentations, hold career stalls, run sports and adventure activities, oversee the Combined Cadet Forces, do sessions with teachers, and lots more (the also provide curriculum resources, and bursaries for prospective officer students in the final two years [non-compulsory] of secondary education). The latest initiative is the Department for Education's 'Military ethos and skills' programme, which includes fast-tracked teacher training for ex-military personnel, and 'alternative provision' for 'disengaged or at risk of becoming disengaged' pupils - such as full-time military-style activities (in military uniforms). The military also has a significant influence in universities: from bursaries (committing students to serving for a minimum of three years after graduation), to University Service Units (the university version of the cadet forces), and the privileging of military research and teaching.
ForcesWatch aim to stimulate public debate on the presence of the military in education. The main things we are concerned by are that the outcomes of these initiatives (recruitment + 'to influence future opinion formers') are not in the best interests of the children, and that there is not an equal balance of information (although the 1996 Education Act states that there must be whenever children encounter a political issue). We have conducted research on the number and type of school visits by the Armed Forces, held public meetings/discussions in several cities, written blog pieces, and tried to engage teachers' unions. We have had some success – some people are already very concerned and are raising these concerns with others in their local communities, and The Woodcraft Folk have started their own 'Military out of schools' campaign – but it has been difficult to engage parents and teachers, partly because they are so busy, and partly because many of them haven't considered the problems with the military's activities. In the next few months we will be publishing articles on our most recent research – including a report on the situation in universities. We will try new ways of engaging teachers and parents – any suggestions are welcome – and we will also be giving children a voice through a documentary we are making with young film-makers on what teenagers in the UK think about the military's engagement with them.
Thanks for sharing this, Owen. I'm intrigued by ForcesWatch attempts to engage teachers union. What an interesting (and powerful) ally. What challenges did you face? Why didn't it work?
Have others, reading this conversation, tried to engage teachers unions? What was your experience?
Thanks!
- Kristin Antin, New Tactics Online Community Builder
Youth Organization United Through Hope (Youth Can) is proposing a project proposal to conduct training sessions with the teachers on peace education. The project’s immediate objective is to build the capacity of selected teacher training institutions to teach concepts of good governance, human rights, gender and youth development & empowerment, and the positive role of media in promoting good governance, democracy and human rights and issues pertaining to women and youth. In the longer term the objective is to produce a core of teachers capable of teaching these values to high school students in conflict areas, contributing to critical thinking and analysis of key issues of concern to their communities, thus providing an important counterweight to extremist ideologies.
Youth Can will select 4 teacher-training institutes in the target area, working with around 200 teacher-trainees in total. Youth Can will oversee the project and recruit local experts/resource persons to write thematic discussion papers and conduct the training seminars. We anticipate organizing four one day seminars in each selected teacher-training institute –– where themes will be presented and discussed, led by Youth Can staff/consultants. Briefing papers will be researched and written in advance of the seminars by experts, one each on the themes of 1) good governance; 2) human rights; 3) gender and youth development; and 4) role of media in promoting these key issues. An orientation workshop will be held for experts/consultant trainers prior to the advent of activities in the selected institutes.
Hi Kristin.
I think the main challenge was just getting hold of them. Teachers are so overworked that many have little time or energy to engage with the debate.
Then there's also the strong general support for - pride in - the Armed Forces in this country: many people wouldn't see their involvement in education as a problem, perhaps because they haven't encountered concerns such as the lack of opposing views on conflict resolution, and the difficulties that young recruits face (risk of death or serious injury, strict terms of service, etc).
However, the National Union of Teachers did vote in 2008 to support those who oppose military recruitment in schools.
Over the next few months we will probably try to re-engage with teachers unions, partly as they have made statements questioning the government's 'Troops to Teachers' scheme, which I mentioned above, more details of which were announced recently (the NUT General-Secretary said 'The Government needs to recognise that good behaviour management in the classroom is a very different matter from military discipline', and the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders said that 'a military ethos belongs to the military. Schools need a learning ethos.') One thing that might work is starting by approaching teachers that we know: friends, family, or those of our acquaintances.
Thanks, Owen. I found this BBC article about the National Union of Teachers in the UK and their rejection of military propoganda in schools (from 2008). Sounds like at that time, they were very engaged and motivated. I wonder why they are not so engaged anymore.
Anyway, engaging teachers unions is a really interesting idea. It would be great to hear about any other countries in which teachers are mobilized against military recruitment in schools. Or - what other creative allies are groups engaging in their efforts to oppose recruitment in schools?
- Kristin Antin, New Tactics Online Community Builder
in germany we are slowly building up contacts to teachers unions. theoretically, most union leaders agree with us (not most of the union members, unfortunately). practically, we offer common trainings in peace education now.
Militarism signifies a range of values, prestige, actions, and thoughts associated with armies and wars yet transcending true military purposes. Militarism may permeate all society and become dominant overall industry and arts. In present days, military is dominate over political and civil life, and hence it is posing a threat to representative structures and subordinate civil society to military values. Qualities or values such as hierarchy, obedience, competition and force are exaggerated and revered under militaristic conditions. Militarism encompasses ideological and cultural components. The culture of militarism is perpetuated by war toys, video games, movies and everyday products that celebrate the military and violence. For instance, in educational settings, a subtle strand of militarism finds expression not only in the study of warfare but also in the school system’s hierarchal structure and competitive environment where students struggle against others for grades and rewards. Militarism is located in our society due to the strategic location of Pakistan as owing principally to the country’s inclination to equate national greatness with military prowess.
As for as my own experience is concerned in the Open Minds Pakistan project so I came to the conclusion that Peace education aims to reverse the adverse effects of militarism in many ways; Peace education can stimulate resolution skills and international relations. Education is an alternative to the rising tide of militarism. It is the only paths which could lead to the ending of war and the abolition of hatred and violence. Education has a key role to promote disarmament with the active participation of people and not just governments. We can use advertisement and awareness campaign as a tactic to promote peace education at both different levels- formal and informal education, training of teaching personnel, the working out of appropriate teaching material and lobbying for the revision of existing textbooks particularly history and geography.
The military has a huge presence in the Chicago Public Schools through their Department of Defense sponsored Middle School Cadet Corps (ages 12-13) and Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC ages 14-18). The community as so far been unsuccessful in stopping the continued expansion of these programs. Chicago has the largest number of JROTC programs and public military schools in the United States.
The military is in the public schools indoctrinating young potential leaders during a very impressionable age. The culture of the military is therefore propagated largely through impoverished and working class youth who upon finishing high school and being unable to secure employment or resources to go to college, see the military as a viable alternative due to the training and encouragement received in JROTC as well as attractive lure of the GI Bill (government funded higher education after successfully completing a tour in the military).
With the rough data available, it is approximated that 50% of students who participate in these programs end up joining the military.
I very much recognise our situation reading your post. I would not say it's a huge presence what the militars have here but they are always waiting for an school invitation to come and talk to our public schools. Due to our high rate of unemployment many parents see the army as a very good future job for their kids.
I wouldn't say that a very high amount of our students join the army but after listening to the official who comes to talk to the students they get a bright and positive image of what an army can be. They avoid talking about wars and casualties. They speak to them about the posibility of piloting a Tiger Helicopter. As if beeing a solidier would be a permanent well paid game.
Chicago is the most militarize district in the country. We have more than 32 JROTC programs. We have encounter several problems to in trying to challenge Chicago Public Schools(CPS) to terminate or to limit the number of JROTC and Cadet Program (whatever their new name is).
I think one of the biggest problems we have here and in many other places is transparency. We usually dont have a lot of access to information because the school district are reluctant to put it own their websites or when you request it they dont want to give it to you or they say they dont have it.
What we have use here is the state law on open meetings and information. We have been able to obtain data that we then usually against CPS to limit recruiters or to terminate JROTC instructors but what we really want to do is to terminate the programs. We know that a lot of the schools do not meet the enrollment requirements that are mandated by the federal goverment (100 students or 10% of the student population). At least one school has closed. And they have terminated more than 12 JROTC instructors for not meeting educational requirements.
Now, another problem we encountering in term of access to information is the privatization of the public school system, charter school. Charter schools in Chicago dont have to comply with the same laws that govern public schools. Now we have to summit more than one FOIA request and hope that charters school which most of the time dont have FOIA officer respond to our request but they can use some laws and say they dont have to comply.
We also have use the equal access decision to have the same access to schools as recruiter have. CPS adopted a policy to give peace recruiters the same access to schools. This policy also includes language that limits military recruiters from having free access to schools like they used to have in the past.
Thanks for sharing this, Jesus! I am really interested to learn more about how you and others were able to get the Chicago Public Schools to adopt a policy to give peace recruiters the same access to schools. I'm sure that wasn't easy - it would be helpful to know about the steps you took to make that happen. I think that kind of tactic could be useful to activists in other countries and contexts.
Once peace recruiters have access to the schools - what does that look like? Do they attend job fairs and other events that military recruiters would be expected to be at?
Thanks!
- Kristin Antin, New Tactics Online Community Builder
[The community as so far been unsuccessful in stopping the continued expansion of these programs.]
Thanks for sharing this information on the situation in Chicago, Ken. Can you say more about what the communities there are tried to do to stop the expansion of these ROTC programs? It's always helpful to know what has been tried but hasn't quite worked as expected. Thanks!
- Kristin Antin, New Tactics Online Community Builder
In Spain quite often soldiers visit secondary school the year before they finish compulsary education to offer the students jobs at the army, as we have a profesional one. They launch wonderful campaigns on tv and newspapers making the youngters believe than there is no other place better and more exciting to work as it is the army.
We, in my antimilitrist group, have published some documents trying to orientate teachers on Peace Education. The idea is to make clear that armies/violence are not the best way to solve confficts among countries/people.
Right at the end ot the term I have been working with my students about the way we want our taxes to be used. We have read about weapons factories and profitiering from the arms trade.
Apart from our antimilitarist blog we have created a group in Facebook especialised in documentation for teachers to counterrest the army's offer.
The conversation on combating militarism is an opportunity for me both as a teacher and peace activist and practitioner to share my experiences about the militarism at District Swat, Pakistan, and the approaches adopted to combat the culture of militarism, violence, and conflict.
District Swat, known as paradise on earth or Switzerland of the Pakistan passed a tense time, after the U.S-led invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001 and Pakistan being an alley on war on terror and government’s siege of the Red Mosque in Islamabad in July 2007. The Taliban ended the government’s authority in the region. Suicide bombing became a common battlefield tactics. To stoke fear in the valley, schools, colleges and bridges were demolished and bombed. Political workers were assassinated, journalists were tortured, local male and female artist were brutally killed and girls were forbidden from going to school. To inculcate both fear in the general public and to motivate the youth tactics were imported from connections with radical militants in Chechnya and Afghanistan appeared in District Swat by 2007 and 2008, including videotaped beheadings, sniper attacks, suicide attacks and vehicle bombs and suicide attacks.
In some aspect, the situation- supplemented by the motivational speeches through the clandestine F.M radio stations led to the militarization in the society, promoting both self-styled resistance leaders and galvanizing the role of the Mullah or Islamic teachers. Manpower was made up of madrassa (religious schools) educated youth and men from poor and lower class backgrounds.
The region and the country known for terrorism, extremism, violence, and extremist propaganda that foster discord and negative impression. The positive aspect of Islam as a peaceful religion were/are being overshadowed by violent extremist. Therefore there is certainly a dilemma for the public today to answer the questions and concerns in relation to the prevalence of militarization and terrorism in Pakistan and allegation of the same on the religion-Islam.
Therefore, there was an indispensable need of implementing activities and projects to create awareness of the problems of terrorism and engender public debate on the subject and combating the militarization at district swat.
Sports was used as an effective tool and strong unifying factor in the process of conflict transformation, peace building and development, restoration of interaction and communication and emotional and social rehabilitation of traumatized community through the US funded project “ Sports for Peace” . The Youth sports teams were equipped with sport goods and establishing a network of them.
The project achieved the following objectives;
Sport for peace project was a useful and valuable tool for building resilience. It provided a safe, structured and friendly environment for people to begin to share their emotions through verbal and non-verbal communication. The emphasis was on building social cohesion and to encourage community member to interact and communicate with each other. Sport activities allow brief period of relaxation, focus attention away from the experience of the loss and provide an opportunity to reinforce educational and safety messages .Revival of Sports activities provide a forum to learn skills such as discipline, confidence and leadership and it teaches core principles such as tolerance, co-operation and respect. Sport teaches the values of effort and how to manage victory as well as defeat.
Sports for peace project establish a sense of structure and “normalcy” in Youth’s lives, which is particularly important for youth affected by armed conflict and displacement. The project harness the power of sport and play to teach important life skills and values that can contribute toward building vibrant and peaceful communities. The project helps youth cultivate an ability to resolve conflicts peacefully through increased self-esteem and confidence in their own abilities, as well as motivation and courage to be positive agents of change.
Education and information have an essential role, it is the only paths which can lead to the ending of war, militarization and the abolition of hatred and violence. Open Minds Pakistan was a project run by IWPR, an NGO based in London It aims to provide training in journalism to young people aged 10-19 years in Pakistani schools and religious schools (madrassa), and give them opportunities to discuss, debate and publish reports on current affairs. It was intended that through this projects, vulnerable groups of adolescents (aged 10-15 and 16-19) in target schools would demonstrate an improved competence in articulating moderate views on issues known to counter radicalization such as governance, rule of law, human rights, security and conflict and development issues. With eighteen months execution period, the project is designed to attract young people away from radicalism and views that support violence, by giving them:
The project funded by the British Government. The project, being managed by me at district Swat, worked in about 45 schools all over Pakistan, but mostly in NWFP and the districts around Karachi.
Centre for Victim of torture, New Tactics project funded for the translated version of “NEW TACTICS IN HUMAN RIGHTS, A RESOURCE FOR PRACTITIONERS” in national language, Urdu with an aim to educate the human rights practitioners about their inherent human rights; enabling them to minimize human right abuses; and promote culture of human rights so than they live in dignity and security and eradicate violence and sow the seeds of the peace. Five hundred copies of the translated version of the work book has been disseminated in the targeted areas among Human Rights activists & defenders, institutions and civil society organizations through six orientation workshops in the targeted district and via dissemination of the translated version through postal services . The project was designed to achieve the following objectives;
Militarism signifies a range of values, prestige, actions, and thoughts associated with armies and wars yet transcending true military purposes. Militarism may permeate all society and become dominant overall industry and arts. In present days, military is dominate over political and civil life, and hence it is posing a threat to representative structures and subordinate civil society to military values. Qualities or values such as hierarchy, obedience, competition and force are exaggerated and revered under militaristic conditions. Militarism encompasses ideological and cultural components. The culture of militarism is perpetuated by war toys, video games, movies and everyday products that celebrate the military and violence. For instance, in educational settings, a subtle strand of militarism finds expression not only in the study of warfare but also in the school system’s hierarchal structure and competitive environment where students struggle against others for grades and rewards. Militarism is located in our society due to the strategic location of Pakistan as owing principally to the country’s inclination to equate national greatness with military prowess.
]As for as my own experience is concerned in the Open Minds Pakistan project so I came to the conclusion that Peace education aims to reverse the adverse effects of militarism in many ways; Peace education can stimulate resolution skills and international relations. Education is an alternative to the rising tide of militarism. It is the only paths which could lead to the ending of war and the abolition of hatred and violence. Education has a key role to promote disarmament with the active participation of people and not just governments. We can use advertisement and awareness campaign as a tactic to promote peace education at both different levels- formal and informal education, training of teaching personnel, the working out of appropriate teaching material and lobbying for the revision of existing textbooks particularly history and geography.
Youth Organization United Through Hope (Youth Can) is proposing a project proposal to conduct training sessions with the teachers on peace education. The project’s immediate objective is to build the capacity of selected teacher training institutions to teach concepts of good governance, human rights, gender and youth development & empowerment, and the positive role of media in promoting good governance, democracy and human rights and issues pertaining to women and youth. In the longer term the objective is to produce a core of teachers capable of teaching these values to high school students in conflict areas, contributing to critical thinking and analysis of key issues of concern to their communities, thus providing an important counterweight to extremist ideologies.
Youth Can will select 4 teacher-training institutes in the target area, working with around 200 teacher-trainees in total. Youth Can will oversee the project and recruit local experts/resource persons to write thematic discussion papers and conduct the training seminars. We anticipate organizing four one day seminars in each selected teacher-training institute –– where themes will be presented and discussed, led by Youth Can staff/consultants. Briefing papers will be researched and written in advance of the seminars by experts, one each on the themes of 1) good governance; 2) human rights; 3) gender and youth development; and 4) role of media in promoting these key issues. An orientation workshop will be held for experts/consultant trainers prior to the advent of activities in the selected institutes.
Pakistan is a post-colonial nation-state. Since 1947 this large Muslim nation has not been able to introduce a liberal democratic model of civic education in its schools that could have promoted democratic values, tolerance, gender equality and civic participation skills. Several factors are responsible for impeding the progress in civic education: a garrison culture, the Cold War exigencies, religious extremism, and feudalism.
First, Pakistan is a garrison state in that since its independence in 1947, it has been pre-occupied with national security (Jalal, 1991). Hence the main objective of civic education curriculum in schools has been the preparation of a warrior citizen (Binder, 1963). A warrior citizen or Mujahid is a person who is willing and prepared to participate in war or jihad against the infidels. To this end the social studies textbooks glorified the past Muslim warriors including Saladin Ayubi, an Arab warrior who fought the Crusaders in Jerusalem, Tipu Sultan who fought the British imperialists in India, and contemporary Pakistani military heroes who died in three wars against India.
Moreover, because for most of its history the military ruled the country, the dominant social class in Pakistan has been the military (Cohen, 1984). The military is considered a privileged class and, therefore, military values of conformity, regimentation, and masculinity are underscored in society in general and in the educational institutions in particular. Both official and hidden school curricula encourage a conformist and martial disposition in school children. Free speech, dissent, and critical thinking are strongly discouraged.
The Cold War Exigencies
The garrison character of the state was further nurtured and strengthened during the four decades (1950-1990) of the Cold War. During the Cold War most of the world was under the hegemony of two ideological superpowers: the United States and the Soviet Union. In the early 1950s, at the onset of the Cold War, the United States and Pakistan formed a geo-strategic alliance. The United States needed the support of Pakistan in its global war against the growing influence of communism in the South and Central Asian region. During this period, ironically, the United States showed little interest in promoting Jeffersonian democracy in Pakistan. Instead, very conveniently, the American government nurtured and strengthened military dictatorship; it provided technology to the military for silencing dissent in the country (Jalal, 1991). However, the Pakistani public empathized with the socialist, revolutionary and independence movements in Africa, Asia, and Latin America; they also wanted a socialist economic system in Pakistan (Ali, 1970; 1983). This dichotomy created a deep distrust between the people of Pakistan and their military rulers. In brief, since the authoritarian regimes in Pakistan were not interested in promoting liberal democratic values, they saw little utility in introducing a liberal democratic model of civic education curriculum in schools.
Islamic Extremism
The third factor responsible for impeding the preparation of a democratic citizenry in schools has been the rising extremist religious ideologies and groups. Over the decades religious extremists planted the seeds of intolerance in Pakistani society, bureaucracy, the military and educational institutions
During the period of the 1980s, when General Zia-ul-Haq, a military ruler, led Pakistan, Muslim extremists received the state patronage (Khan, 1983). Being an orthodox Muslim himself, Zia-ul-Haq introduced several draconian ordinances providing a pretext to religious extremists to harass and kill members of the heterodox groups. In educational institutions, especially schools, religious extremists harassed teachers, students and administrators. They also purged rational and independent thinking. Teachers, who were interested in democracy, individual freedom and secular ideas, received threats from religious extremists. Competing religious extremist groups became militants, accumulated deadly weapons, organized their parallel armies, and engaged in violence. They created an environment of fear, hostility, and intimidation in schools, colleges, and universities.
No one dared to challenge their authority because they had the support of the military government. They received money and other resources from the military regime of General Zia-ul-Haq. Ironically, the religious extremist groups had their own agenda for civic education: they wanted an Islamic model of civic education. But the guiding principles of the Islamic model of civic education were exclusivist advocating intolerance against the adherents of different faiths
After the Militarisation of Youth conference in Germany last year, the following website was set up.
http://schoolsagainstwar.blogspot.co.uk/
It is specifically for those working with schools or young people to counter militarisation. It could definately do with some more input!
I am really interested to hear more about the experience of challenging miflitarism in the schools of Chicago and also if research has been done on what the experience of young people within these environments is.
In the UK, the Department for Education are promoting various 'military skills and ethos' programmes within schools. One of these involves establishing more Cadet forces in state schools (similar to JROTC). Another is encouraging the creation of military academies and free schools, in the same way the Chicago has military academies. In the UK, academies and free schools are a recent development within state schooling, which opens them up to business and other influences and takes them out of control of the local authority - like charter schools in the US I guess.
The first free school run by ex-forces personnel has just been given the funding to open from September 2014. Like all of the programmes under the 'military skills and ethos' headings, the school relies on unquestioned assumptions about 'military values' to sell the product: "We are still committed to creating a school that will combine all the best features of a traditional grammar school or an independent school with the military virtues of Courage, Discipline, Respect for Others, Integrity, Loyalty, and Selfless Commitment." http://phoenixfreeschool.org.uk/
The Troops to Teachers programme is another that the UK has imported from the US.
All of the programmes are at an early stage in the UK so it is an important time to be challenging them and ideas on this from your experience in the US is really interesting for us.
Is there much research on what the experience of young people within militarised schooling has been?
How was the equal access policy brought about? Although the situation is slightly different in the UK as the military are not seen to be recruiters (although that is what they are ultimately doing of course), it would be great to have a real example of how equal access for peace educators is written into policy.
The Bond Between the Israel's Military and the Ministry of Education
New Profile continually questions the excessive influence of the military on Israeli society and advocates demilitarization, for example through changing educational materials. In our charter we state, “We refuse to go on raising our children to see enlistment as a supreme and overriding value. We want a fundamentally changed education system, for a truly democratic civic education, teaching the practice of peace and conflict resolution, rather than training children to enlist and accept warfare.”
We initiated the “Think Before Enlisting” campaign, by way of a response to a campaign waged by “The Forum for an Equal Share of the Burden”, (referring to the onus of compulsory military service): “ A Real Israeli Doesn’t Dodge the Draft”.
Corresponding to this, the Israeli Air Force, in coordination with the Ministry of Education, sent 800 of its officers to high schools across the country under the pretense of teaching the young people about the history of Israel. We perceived this program as another joint ruthless attempt to instill military values amongst Israeli youth and to increase their motivation to enlist.
Today we continue our counter campaign, conveying New Profile’s opposition to the presence of any military personnel on high school campuses. It is our aim to generate and stimulate a new public discourse; we encourage critical thinking that questions the effects of militarism on society. Moreover designed to encourage public debate, our campaign also reflects our claim that the Israeli military is far from being, as it presents itself, an “army of the people” and actually offers a worrying mirror image of a divided, unequal, sexist and racist society. The result of our activities is that many Israelis now know about New Profile, contact us, and engage in dialogue.
Another aspect of the campaign was to gain recognition for our activities and provide young people contemplating the question of military service with alternative information. Our campaign, as it turned out, was the prelude to some serious and disconcerting attempts to delegitimize New Profile, silence us, and close us down as a nonprofit organization
We identify four worrying actions relating to the Ministry of Education in particular, are worthy noting as they directly affected our work.
1) The already existing military presence in schools evolved into a more defined program sanctioned by the ministry and labeled: “An officer for every minor”. This then justified the steadily increasing presence of army personnel on campuses and their involvement in school curricula and events.
2) The Ministry of Education hold conferences and invites invited school principals to hear a lectures by military personnel on the importance of the draft.
3) Former Minister of Education and member of the Likud Party, Gideon Sa’ar, activated a new budget for the educational system in 2009. One criterion for schools to receive additional funding now depends on the percentage of graduates who enlist in the military, in particular combat units.
4) A few years ago the highly respected Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) organized a series of panels to be held in several high schools dedicated to human rights and civic freedoms, including the freedom of expression. New Profile was invited to participate in the panels. Immediately after the first panel, the Minister sent a direct order to schools throughout the country, barring New Profile from taking further part in any such future events. Since then we are no longer allowed to enter public schools
These moves are symptomatic of the intense processes of militarization that are increasingly constricting the space for free civil debate. Part of a declared government policy to stem a growing non-conscription movement, such educational policies dangerously aim to ensure future conscripts’ uncritical, blind obedience - the same type of blind and uncritical obedience, needless to say, that produces military actions such as witnessed in Gaza in December-January 2009 and again in the Israeli army's brutal and unlawful attack of a Turkish ship in international waters in June 2010.
Please feel free to learn more about New Profile at www.newprofile.org/english or to write me directly.
Ruth Hiller
Hi all,
Today is the International Day of Action for Military-Research for Military-Free Education and Research that WRI are coordinating - very relevant to this thread! Here's our statement: http://www.wri-irg.org/node/21949
Some of the actions that are happening which I'd like to highlight are:
the use of street theatre (Israel)
public meetings, some of which will involve trade unions, and others university students (Germany and the DRC)
the holding of placards with simple anti-military involvement in education statements (Nigeria and the USA)
the dissemination of information (on the militarisation of education and research) and resources (of how to challenge this) online (Catalonia, Chile, and Sweden)
discussions of the alternatives (India)
Awesome! Please tell us how it goes.
It would be great to learn about what others are doing in their communities in relation to this day!
Kristin Antin, New Tactics Online Community Builder
In Egypt, the military establishment has militarist schools for children, but they are for the public. They are indifferent from public schools except that children in them must succeed in a military upbringing subject in high school, to be given their certificate.
Some places in Egypt, mostly at the end of the African continent to the beginning of the Asian continent (Egypt extends to Sinai which is in Asia), there are only militarist schools.
In all public universities, students also must finish a militarist upbringing subject, in the vacation of the academic year. If you didn't succeed in the subject, you won't be given your certificate.
For the case of schools, we had a conscientious objector who insisted on refusing to take the subject of the military upbringing in schools and was promoting anti-militarism with other students in school. At first the school wouldn't want to give him his certificate unless he was recruited for 2 weeks in summer (he was still not 18 years old!), but the school gave him his certificate finally after we made his case known.
There is another case in university for someone, who objected the slanders by the militarists who lectured them, who incited them to make a fight with other students who mistakenly thought they were from the military coming to chant pro-military rule slogans because of the mandatory uniform enforced on students while taking the military upbringing subject. People were injured at that day and the militarist claimed that he had no authority over that! Finally, the student made a strike against the next day's queue and didn't wear the uniform, he went alone, then he was followed by others, then the militarist gave them a day off the next day. Nothing happened to him, although he would have been prevented from receiving his university certificate.