Youth, education and the road to peace Lessons for conflict regions and the way forward for Manipur

Bibatsu Salam
When violence erupts, the first casualties are not merely lives and property—they are trust, hope, and the future of an entire generation. Children lose classrooms, families lose livelihoods, and communities lose the confidence to coexist peacefully. Yet history repeatedly demonstrates that sustainable peace cannot be secured solely through military operations, political negotiations, or ceasefire agreements. Lasting peace is ultimately built by educated minds, empowered youth, and resilient communities.
This lesson is particularly relevant for conflict-affected societies across the world, including Manipur, where ethnic violence since May 2023 has deeply fractured social relations. While security measures are indispensable for restoring law and order, they alone cannot rebuild confidence among divided communities. Peace must also be nurtured in schools, colleges, universities, villages, Churches, Tem-ples, civil society organisations, and most importantly, among young people.
The future of peace in Manipur—and indeed in every conflict region—depends largely on whether today's youth become prisoners of inherited divisions or architects of a shared future.
Youth: From Victims of Conflict to Agents of Peace
Young people are often portrayed as either victims of violence or potential participants in armed movements. Such perceptions overlook a far more important reality.
The United Nations Security Council, through Resolution 2250 on Youth, Peace and Security, recognised that young people are indispensable partners in preventing conflict and sustaining peace. Across the world, youth have emerged as community mediators, humanitarian volunteers, innovators, entrepreneurs, educators, and advocates of reconciliation.
The African Union similarly argues that young people should not be viewed merely through the lens of insecurity. Instead, they represent one of society's greatest assets for conflict prevention, social cohesion, and democratic development. Research increasingly demonstrates that when youth are provided with education, employment, leadership opportunities, and meaningful participation in governance, the attraction of violence diminishes significantly.
Peacebuilding therefore requires replacing the narrative of "youth as a problem" with "youth as partners."
Education: The First Institution of Peace
Schools are among the first institutions affected during conflict. Buildings are destroyed, teachers flee, students are displaced, and learning comes to a halt. However, education serves purposes far beyond academic instruction.
Humanitarian research has consistently shown that schools provide physical protection, psychological stability, and social support for children living amid violence. Education protects children from recruitment into armed groups, child labour, trafficking, and exploitation while restoring a sense of normalcy and hope.
More importantly, education shapes how future citizens perceive diversity, democracy, justice, and national identity. A generation educated in mutual respect is less likely to embrace violence than one raised amid fear and prejudice.
Education, therefore, should not be viewed merely as a developmental objective; it is a strategic investment in peace building.
Peace Education: Learning to Live Together
Peace cannot be taught through slogans. It must be cultivated through experience. Peace education equips students with skills that traditional education often overlooks—critical thinking, empathy, dialogue, emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, constitutional values, and respect for diversity.
Rather than asking students to forget their identities, peace education encourages them to appreciate different identities while recognising their common humanity. Students learn to disagree without hatred and to resolve conflicts through dialogue rather than violence.
UNICEF's extensive review of education and peacebuilding identifies three important dimensions of education in conflict settings. The first provides humanitarian protection during emergencies. The second ensures that education itself does not reinforce divisions—a principle known as conflict-sensitive education. The third actively contributes to reconciliation and long-term peacebuilding by transforming relationships and institutions.
This distinction is particularly important because education can either deepen conflict or become its strongest antidote.
Learning from the World
Several countries emerging from violent conflict offer valuable lessons.
Rwanda transformed its education system after the 1994 genocide by promoting National unity, civic education, and reconciliation. Northern Ireland established integrated schools where Catholic and Protestant children study together, gradually reducing sectarian prejudice among younger generations.
Colombia invested heavily in reintegrating conflict-affected youth into schools and vocational institutions following its peace agreement. In South Sudan, youth organisations have organised community dialogues, sports competitions, and cultural exchanges that help bridge ethnic divides.
These examples reveal a common principle: peace agreements may stop wars, but education prevents future wars.
Manipur: A Test of India's Democratic Strength
The conflict in Manipur has caused immense human suffering. Hundreds have lost their lives, thousands have been displaced, educational institutions have remained disrupted, and mutual trust between communities has been severely damaged. Beyond the visible destruction lies an equally serious challenge—the psychological trauma experienced by children and young people.
An entire generation risks growing up with memories shaped more by fear than by friendship.
Educational disruption in Manipur has created unequal learning opportunities, interrupted examinations, and affected the emotional well-being of students. Prolonged displacement has further widened educational disparities between affected communities.
If these challenges remain unaddressed, today's educational disruption may become tomorrow's social instability.
However, Manipur also possesses extraordinary strengths. It has one of the most educated populations in the North-East, a vibrant youth community, internationally recognised athletes, artists, scholars, entrepreneurs, and strong civil society organisations. These assets provide a strong foundation for rebuilding peace.
The Role of Youth in Rebuilding Manipur
Young people must become the centrepiece of reconciliation rather than passive observers.
Youth organisations from all communities can jointly undertake humanitarian activities, environmental campaigns, blood donation drives, sports festivals, entrepreneurship programmes, and cultural exchanges. Shared service creates shared trust.
Universities and colleges should establish Youth Peace Forums where students from different communities engage in structured dialogue, conflict resolution workshops, and collaborative research on peacebuilding.
Digital platforms should also become instruments of peace rather than vehicles for misinformation. Young people must lead campaigns against fake news, hate speech, and inflammatory rumours that often intensify communal tensions.
Equally important is creating employment opportunities. International evidence consistently shows that unemployed and socially excluded youth are more vulnerable to manipulation by extremist narratives. Expanding entrepreneurship, vocational training, start-up incubation, tourism, sports, agriculture, and digital innovation can provide constructive alternatives.
Education for Reconciliation in Manipur
Educational institutions must become spaces where reconciliation begins.
Schools should introduce peace education modules that promote Constitutional values, human rights, empathy, dialogue, and non-violent conflict resolution. History and social science education should encourage critical understanding rather than reinforcing stereotypes.
Teachers require specialised training in trauma-informed education so that they can support students affected by violence.
Exchange programmes between schools from the valley and hill districts should gradually rebuild interpersonal relationships among young people. Cultural festivals, joint sports competitions, music programmes, debate competitions, and community service initiatives can help students rediscover common aspirations beyond ethnic identities.
Universities should also establish Centres for Peace and Conflict Studies to undertake evidence-based research on conflict prevention, mediation, reconciliation, and community resilience.
A Way Forward for Lasting Peace
Peace in Manipur requires a comprehensive approach that extends beyond restoring law and order. The following priorities deserve sustained attention;
First, maintain security while ensuring impartial protection of all communities and strict enforcement of the rule of law.
Second, institutionalise inclusive political dialogue involving representatives of all communities, women's groups, youth organisations, religious leaders, and civil society.
Third, restore educational institutions fully and ensure uninterrupted learning for displaced students through flexible schooling, scholarships, digital education, and psychosocial support.
Fourth, establish state-wide Youth Peace Councils involving students from all communities to promote dialogue, volunteerism, leadership, and conflict prevention.
Fifth, incorporate peace education, constitutional literacy, digital citizenship, and conflict resolution into school and university curricula.
Sixth, expand employment opportunities through skill development, sports, tourism, entrepreneurship, and innovation, thereby reducing frustration and social exclusion among youth.
Seventh, encourage community-based reconciliation through shared development projects involving local institutions, traditional leaders, faith-based organisations, and civil society.
Finally, build a shared narrative of Manipur's future—one that celebrates the state's extraordinary cultural diversity while reaffirming its place within India's democratic and constitutional framework.
Peace Begins with the Next Generation
History teaches that every conflict eventually ends. The real question is not whether violence will stop, but what kind of society emerges afterward.
If today's children inherit fear, mistrust, and prejudice, peace will remain fragile. If they inherit education, empathy, opportunity, and hope, peace becomes sustainable.
For Manipur, rebuilding roads, homes, and public infrastructure is undoubtedly necessary. Yet rebuilding relationships is even more important. That responsibility cannot rest solely with Governments or security forces. It belongs equally to teachers, parents, religious leaders, civil society, universities, and above all, the youth.
Young people possess the imagination to envision a different future and the courage to create it. Education provides the knowledge to guide that journey.
The road to peace in Manipur will not be easy, but it is achievable. When classrooms once again become places where children from different communities learn together, when young people choose dialogue over division, and when education nurtures understanding rather than suspicion, the foundations of lasting peace will finally begin to take shape.
The future of Manipur will not be determined only by political settlements. It will ultimately be written in its classrooms, shaped by its youth, and sustained by a shared commitment to reconciliation, justice, and peaceful coexistence.