The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) said Monday that government’s peace education program in the conflict-affected area of Castilla, Sorsogon province has paid off especially to school children where teachers inculcate the value of peace to ensure a brighter future for their young pupils as law-abiding citizens.

OPAPP said the project, which was earlier launched at the San Isidro Elementary School in Barangay Castilla, is aimed to train teachers and administrators on how to mainstream peace perspectives into the basic education curriculum as well as into school policies, processes and relationships to make them conflict-sensitive and peace promoting.

Teachers, at the same time, are also trained how to reach out to the families of students and other members of the community for a holistic approach to build a culture of peace.

San Isidro Elementary School has been selected as one of the pilot areas in the country where peace education is taught which is an initiative of the Bicol Consortium on Peace Education and Development (BCPED) in partnership with the Department of Education in Region V.

The OPPAP said that barely five months after the implementation of the project, the teachers noticed remarkable changes in the behavior of their pupils, who now refrain from saying bad and hurting words to fellow students.

They also keep their composure and avoided retaliating when provoked by their classmates. The phrase “peace be with you” has also become the popular saying heard around the campus.

School principal Teddy Jañola cited the importance of training the pupils the importance of a lasting peace.