Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education

Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education
Founded1998 [1]
FounderYohanan Manor [2]
FocusAreas of conflict
Area served
School Textbook Analysis
MethodDeveloped by IMPACT-SE using international criteria for curriculum analysis
Key people
Helene Bornstein [2] Marcus Sheff[2] Arik Agassi [2]
Websitewww.impact-se.org

The Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-SE), formerly known as the Center for Monitoring the Impact of Peace (CMIP), is an Israeli non-profit organization that monitors the content of school textbooks,[3] specifically how they educate in relation to religion, societies, cultures, democratic values and the 'Other'.[4] It examines school curricula worldwide, to determine whether the material conforms to international standards as derived from UNESCO declarations and resolutions, advocating for change when necessary. The organization believes that education should be utilized to encourage tolerance, pluralism and democracy, and promote peaceful means of solving conflicts.[3]

The current CEO of the organization is Marcus Sheff, a former Israeli-British journalist and media executive, and a current Major in reserves in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesperson Unit.[5]

Scope and impact

IMPACT report, 2000

The organization analyzes textbooks, teachers' guides and curricula from across the world. Examples include in-depth reports on Egypt,[6] Turkey,[7] North America,[8] Israel,[9] Palestinian Authority,[10] Syria[11] and Iran.[12] These reports have examined a range of issues including attitudes towards peace, tolerance, democracy and minorities.

The impact of these reports has included the European Parliament's decision to freeze[13] elements of Palestinian Authority funding until curricula are brought into line with international standards. The same report by the organization led to questions being raised publicly over similar funding from governments in Switzerland,[14] Germany[15] and UK.[16] In Israel,[17] the organization's reporting generated media analysis of failures in the publicly funded ultra-Orthodox Jewish educational system. The organization was also invited to help create a curriculum for Syrian children seeking refuge in Greece.[18]  

Methodology

The organization applies methodological standards to its reporting, which are based on UNESCO and UN declarations and resolutions. This is a condensed version of the standards for peace and tolerance in school education:

  1. RESPECT: The curriculum should promote tolerance, understanding and respect toward the "Other," his or her culture, achievements, values and way of life.
  2. INDIVIDUAL OTHER: The curriculum should foster personal attachment toward the Other as an individual, his or her desire to be familiar, loved and appreciated.
  3. NO HATE: The curriculum should be free of wording, imagery and ideologies likely to create prejudices, misconceptions, stereotypes, misunderstandings, mistrust, racial hatred, religious bigotry and national hatred, as well as any other form of hatred or contempt for other groups or peoples.
  4. PEACEMAKING: The curriculum should develop capabilities for non-violent conflict resolution and promote peace.
  5. UNBIASED INFORMATION: Educational materials (textbooks, workbooks, teachers’ guides, maps, illustrations, aids) should be up-to-date, accurate, complete, balanced and unprejudiced, and use equal standards to promote mutual knowledge and understanding between different peoples.
  6. GENDER:The curriculum should foster equality and mutual respect between women and men. It should refrain from stereotyped gender roles.
  7. SOUND PROSPERITY and COOPERATION: The curriculum should educate for sound and sustainable economic conduct and preservation of the environment for future generations. It should encourage regional and local cooperation to that effect

Publications

Publications by the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education include:

Media

Reports in the media which include the work of the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education include:

  • Der Bund (Switzerland), UNO-Schulbücher verherrlichen Terroristen (January 2019)[14]
  • Jerusalem Post (Israel), "European Parliament Committee Votes to Freeze €15m to PA Over Inciting Textbooks" (September 2018)[13]
  • Sunday Times (UK), Britain gives £20m for schools glorifying martyrs and jihad (April 2018)[28]
  • La Libre (Belgium), "Quand des manuels scolaires palestiniens promeuvent le martyre: la Belgique impliquée" (November 2017)[29]
  • Newsweek, "Why are Palestinian kids being taught to hate?" (March 2017)[30]
  • Hurriyet (Turkey), "Another dangerous ideological touch to education" (January 2017)[31]

See also

References

  1. ^ IMPACT-se. "History". IMPACT-se. Archived from the original on 5 December 2008. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d IMPACT-se. "Staff". IMPACT-se. Archived from the original on 21 November 2008. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  3. ^ a b "IMPACT-se – Institute for monitoring peace and cultural tolerance in school education". IMPACT-se. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  4. ^ IMPACT-se. "About". impact-se.org. Archived from the original on 21 November 2008. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  5. ^ CNN visits Israeli Kibbutz attacked by Hamas on October 7 | CNN. 2023-10-24. Retrieved 2024-11-02 – via www.cnn.com.
  6. ^ IMPACT-se. "Egypt". IMPACT-se. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  7. ^ a b IMPACT-se. "Turkey". IMPACT-se. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  8. ^ IMPACT-se. "North America". IMPACT-se. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  9. ^ IMPACT-se. "Israel". IMPACT-se. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  10. ^ a b Pardo, Eldad J. (September 2018). "The New Palestinian Curriculum 2018–19 Update—Grades 1–12" (PDF). IMPACT-se.
  11. ^ a b IMPACT-se (July 2018). "Syria". IMPACT-se. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  12. ^ "Iran". IMPACT-se. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  13. ^ a b "European Parliament committee votes to freeze €15M to PA over inciting textbooks". 27 September 2018.
  14. ^ a b "UNO-Schulbücher verherrlichen Terroristen" [UN schoolbooks are glorifying terrorists]. Der Bund (in German). 5 January 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  15. ^ "Outrage over taxpayer money funding Palestinian school book praising Munich Olympic terrorists". Jerusalem Post.[dead link‍]
  16. ^ Harpin, Lee (December 18, 2019). "LFI blasts review into textbooks". The Jewish Chronicle.
  17. ^ "החילונים "ריקניים", הרפורמים "רשעים": מה לומדים הילדים החרדים". Ynet. 28 June 2017.
  18. ^ "Jerusalem-Based Watchdog, Israeli School Partner to Develop 'Peace' Curriculum for Refugee Kids in Greece". Algemeiner. 27 August 2018.
  19. ^ Pardo, Eldad J., ed. (2016). "Iranian Education: The Continuous Revolution" (PDF). IMPACT-se.
  20. ^ Pardo, Eldad J., ed. (15 March 2016). "Between Sharia and Democracy: Islamic Education in North America" (PDF). IMPACT-se.
  21. ^ Manor, Yohanan (2015). "Inculcating Islamist Ideals in Egypt" (PDF). IMPACT-se.
  22. ^ "Israel".
  23. ^ "Reports on Egyptian Textbooks". impact-se.org. Archived from the original on 13 April 2009. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  24. ^ "Reports on Iranian Textbooks". impact-se.org. Archived from the original on 21 November 2008. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  25. ^ "Reports on Israeli Textbooks". impact-se.org. Archived from the original on 13 August 2009. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  26. ^ Reports on Palestinian Authority Textbooks Archived 2023-11-09 at the Wayback Machine
  27. ^ "Reports on Saudi Arabian Textbooks". impact-se.org. Archived from the original on 21 November 2008. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  28. ^ "Britain gives £20m for schools glorifying martyrs and jihad". The Times.
  29. ^ Libre.be, La. "Quand des manuels scolaires palestiniens promeuvent le martyre: la Belgique impliquée". www.lalibre.be. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  30. ^ "Elliott Abrams: Why are Palestinian children being taught to hate?". Newsweek. 3 May 2017. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  31. ^ "Another dangerous ideological touch to education". Hürriyet Daily News. 25 January 2017. Retrieved 21 January 2019.