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Full
report :  |
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| Education
in the Context of Emergencies or Instability |
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The 1990 World Conference on Education for All (EFA)
set challenging targets for the 1990s, including swift progress
towards basic education for all. The Declaration and Framework
made only limited reference to education in emergency situations,
but war 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, when they have struck densely populated
areas. Wars and civil conflicts have left whole nations or regions
in poverty and insecurity, and robbed many children and adolescents
of the chance to study. |
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The review of education in emergency situations, presented
in this Theme Paper, shows that displaced and emergency-affected
communities make every effort to restore the access of children
to schooling. In refugee situations, they are often successful,
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 need
additional training and supervision. Internally displaced populations
and populations not displaced but suffering from chronic insecurity
are less able to access educational resources for their children.
In such locations, a generation of children may miss out on
basic schooling. In post-conflict situations, the reconstruction
of education systems is often delayed. There is wide variability
regarding access to secondary and tertiary education, crucial
sectors for developing the skilled workforce needed for post-crisis
renewal and the transition to national development. |
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Wider aspects of the Jomtien agenda, such as early
childhood development and basic education for adults, have received
attention from organisations working for conflict-affected populations,
notably NGOs. Pre-school initiatives, literacy classes for youth
and adults, notably women, and vocational training have been
initiated where humanitarian organisations had access and when
funds were available. Likewise there have been initiatives to
promote the education and training of children and adults disabled
through war, injury by landmines or other causes. There are
innovative programmes to promote the education and reintegration
of child soldiers and ex-combatants. |
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The
Theme Paper examines 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
emphasis on the child's right to education. This has coincided
with the realisation that rapid educational response helps meet
the psychosocial needs of displaced children and communities,
leading to the idea that emergency education and recreational
supplies should reach affected communities within weeks or not
later than 3 months after a community is displaced. Special
policies regarding curriculum may be needed, when populations
are displaced across national borders, and the concept of 'education
for repatriation' has taken hold, while there is ongoing exploration
of ways to ensure the recognition of studies undertaken by refugees
while in exile. |
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In
line with the Jomtien and Beijing emphases on the education
of girls and women, there have been efforts to sensitise educators
and parents on the importance of girls' education. In some cases,
incentives have been provided to help girls attend school, with
good results. A multi-faceted strategy adapted to local concerns
and culture is needed. While some aspects of the strategy are
cost-free, such as school timings, other aspects of the strategy
require additional funding, -for example to provide sanitary
materials and school clothing for older girls, or to support
pre-schools that free older girls to attend school rather than
looking after their younger siblings. |
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The
wide variation in the quality of emergency education reflects
uncertainty among supporting agencies about standards for provision
of educational materials, in-service teacher training, non-formal
education, etc. Appropriate standards of resourcing should be
defined, and then respected by implementing agencies and donors,
with clearer reporting of unmet needs. |
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The
use of new technologies can be a major step forward, especially
in situations of chronic instability or when education systems
are being rebuilt. Innovative radio programmes such as New Home,
New Life for Afghanistan represent a step forward in this area.
Education for crisis-affected and post-conflict regions should
be included in new international initiatives using electronic
and satellite communication technologies. |
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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 emphasis on the psychosocial needs of students,
on education for mine awareness, and to develop the skills for
peace. The devastation caused by AIDS has added a new dimension
to the education agenda, since the disease is almost certainly
more prevalent in populations where rape may have been used
as a tool of war. |
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Recommendations
arising from the study begin with the need to acknowledge the
right to education even under conditions of emergency. A systematic
effort is needed to publicise the fact that human rights instruments
and humanitarian law demand both the protection of children
from abuse and under-age recruitment and also the protection
of schools in times of war and of the child's right to education.
It must be acknowledged again, as in the Jomtien Framework of
Action, that resourcing for education in emergency and post-crisis
situations 'is an acknowledged international responsibility'. |
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A
key recommendation is that education in emergencies be seen,
and planned from Day One, as part of the development process
and not solely as a 'relief' effort. Donors should avoid compartmentalisation
of funding that can have the effect of creating an uneducated
and bitter, revenge-oriented generation, because education in
emergency was seen as the last call on inadequate 'humanitarian'
budgets (or excluded from them). Moreover, restoration of access
to 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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Norms
and standards should be developed for educational response in
natural and man-made catastrophes, with more in-depth field
studies by scholars working in the field of education or regional
studies. This includes review and evaluation of modalities of
rapid response, and of standards for education in prolonged
refugee or crisis situations and for post-conflict reconstruction.
There should be review and sharing of educational materials
and manuals developed by organisations working in humanitarian
emergencies and 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 use should be made of
the new possibilities of electronic communication to link field
specialists into the inter-agency dialogue. |
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