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World
Education Forum
Dakar, Senegal 26-28 April 2000 |
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| Education
in situations of emergency and crisis |
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Issues
Paper
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| Strategy
Session II.5 |
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Original
: English
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 1.
The World Conference on Education for All (Jomtien, 1990) set
challenging targets for the 1990s in order to make swift progress
towards providing basic education for all (EFA). The Declaration
and the Framework for Action approved by the Conference made
only limited reference to education in emergency situations,
but conflicts and natural disasters have proved a major barrier
to the achievement of EFA. Disasters such as floods, hurricanes
and earthquakes have taken a heavy toll of human life and also
of educational opportunity, especially when they have struck
densely populated areas. Wars and civil strife have left whole
nations or large areas of countries in poverty and insecurity,
and robbed children, adolescents and adults of any chance to
study. |
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2. A special study commissioned as part of the EFA 2000 Assessment
found that displaced population groups and communities affected
by emergency situations often make great efforts to restore
some access to schooling for their children. In refugee situations,
they usually succeed, since host country governments and humanitarian
agencies are conscious of their concerns and endeavour to provide
the necessary resources. Most refugee camps and settlements
have schools, though in some locations they lack textbooks,
and teachers often need special training and supervision. Populations
displaced within their own country or otherwise suffering from
chronic insecurity are less able to access educational services
for their children. In such situations, a generation of children
may miss out on basic schooling. In post-conflict situations,
the reconstruction of education systems is often slow, affecting
access to all levels of education, including secondary and tertiary
education, which are crucial for developing the skilled workforce
needed for post-crisis renewal and national development. |
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3. Wider aspects of the EFA agenda, such as early childhood
development and basic education for adults, have received some
attention from organisations, notably NGOs, working for conflict-affected
populations. Pre-school initiatives, literacy classes for youth
and adults (especially women), and vocational training have
been initiated by humanitarian organisations when funds were
available. There have been some notable initiatives to provide
education and training for children and adults disabled in conflict
or later by land mines, and also innovative programmes to educate
child soldiers and ex-combatants |
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4. The study examined some of the new directions in education
policy for emergency and post-emergency situations. The 1989
Convention on the Rights of the Child has led to a stronger
awareness and emphasis on the child's right to education. This
has coincided with the realisation that rapid educational response
helps meet the psycho-social needs of displaced children and
communities, leading to the idea that in emergency situations,
educational and recreational supplies should reach affected
communities very quickly, within weeks, rather than many months
later. When populations are displaced across national borders,
special attention to the curriculum may be needed. The concept
of "education for repatriation" has gained currency, and there
is an ongoing exploration of ways to ensure the recognition
of studies undertaken by refugees while in exile. |
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5. In line with the Jomtien and Beijing emphases on the education
of girls and women, recent interventions in emergency situations
have sought to sensitise educators and parents to the importance
of girls' education. In some cases, incentives have been provided
to help girls attend school, with good results when a multifaceted
strategy adapted to local concerns and culture is adopted. While
some aspects of such a strategy are cost-free, such as fixing
school hours that are convenient for girls, other aspects may
require additional funding, for example, to provide sanitary
materials and school clothing for older girls, or to provide
nurseries and pre-schools to free older girls from child care
duties so they can attend school. |
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6. The wide variation in the quality of education offered in
emergency situations reflects uncertainty among supporting agencies
about standards for the provision of educational materials,
in-service teacher training, non-formal education, etc. Appropriate
standards of resourcing should be defined, and then respected
by implementing and funding agencies, with clear reporting of
unmet needs. |
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7. The new information technologies could be more widely and
effectively used, especially in situations of chronic instability
or when education systems are disrupted or being rebuilt. Innovative
radio programmes, such as New Home, New Life for Afghan refugees,
represent a step forward in providing education to dispersed
population groups. New international initiatives using electronic
and satellite communication technologies could serve as vehicles
for providing educational services to crisis-affected and post-conflict
areas. |
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8. Education programmes for populations affected by natural
disasters or war must be adapted to the special needs of these
populations. The Machel Report on the Impact of Armed Conflict
on Children has led to a greater awareness of the psycho-social
needs of students and of the importance of providing education
about land mines and the skills needed for peace. The devastation
caused by HIV/AIDS has added a new dimension to the education
agenda for emergencies, since the disease is almost certainly
more prevalent in populations where family life is disrupted
and where rape may have been a weapon of war. |
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9. The study bases its recommendations on the fundamental need
to acknowledge the right to education even under conditions
of emergency. A systematic advocacy effort is needed to make
clear that human rights instruments and humanitarian law demand
both the protection of children from abuse and under-age recruitment
into military groups and also their right to education in times
of war, which requires the protection of schools. It must be
acknowledged again, as in the Jomtien Framework for Action,
that the resources for education in emergency and post-crisis
situations 'is an acknowledged international responsibility'.
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10. A key recommendation of the study is that education in emergency
situations should be planned from Day One as part of the country's
development process and not solely as a 'relief effort'. Donors
should avoid compartmentalisation of funding that can have the
effect of creating an under-educated and bitter generation,
because education was given a low priority for - or even excluded
from -- inadequate 'humanitarian' budgets. Moreover, restoration
of schooling in a post-conflict situation should be seen as
a funding priority. There should be inter-agency coordination
to ensure continuity from the early emergency to the reconstruction
phase. The task of building a "culture of peace" to sustain
future development in nations and communities divided by ethnic
and other conflicts should begin at the emergency stage and
continue into the building of civil society in post-conflict
situations. Current initiatives in 'education for peace' in
the humanitarian context should be brought together on an inter-agency
basis, as a contribution to the forthcoming Decade for the Culture
of Peace and Non-violence for the Children of the World. |
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11. Norms and standards should be developed for educational
responses in natural and man-made catastrophes, drawing on in-depth
field studies of educational interventions. Such studies should
include reviews and evaluations of modalities of rapid response
and of standards for education in prolonged refugee or crisis
situations and in post-conflict reconstruction. There should
be review and sharing of educational materials and teachers'
manuals developed by organisations working in humanitarian emergencies,
as well as identification of other materials suited for use
in such situations. Training modules on education in emergency
and post-conflict situations should be developed for use with
staff of humanitarian organisations and as part of standard
courses in educational planning. |
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12. Inter-agency cooperation and coordination in the field of
emergency education should be strengthened, and more use should
be made of the new electronic communication media to link field
staff to information sources and to enable them to participate
in the inter-agency dialogue. |
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13. This Strategy Session will reflect on the lessons derived
from recent experiences with a view to identifying priorities
for the international community to improve its capacity to provide
and support basic education activities in situations of emergency
and crisis. The three questions below are proposed to orient
the discussion. |
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What
have we learned in the past decade about how the right to
education is affected by emergency situations and how humanitarian
law and assistance can serve to protect and ensure the exercise
of human rights, including the right to education?
How
can we ensure that humanitarian assistance and rapid educational
interventions build on available capacity and are effectively
linked to post-conflict or post-crisis reconstruction efforts
and longer-term development planning, including development
of the education system?
What
are the most effective strategies to ensure that educational
interventions in situations of emergency and crisis contribute
to rebuilding the conditions of peace ?
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