EDUCATION AMIDST CONFLICT

Last year, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees revealed that the problem of refugee children without access to school was worsening. UNICEF estimated that 17 million children of school age are refugees in countries hit by conflict. The situation is far from rosy even for those who do manage to get to school – education in emergency situations often means classes of 70 pupils and unqualified teachers. What’s more, girls are more than twice as likely as boys to miss out on school completely in such conflict zones. The damage caused by such emergencies can span entire childhoods. In Yemen, for instance, more than 1200 schools have been damaged in the conflict, while the others are used as shelters or are occupied by armed groups. The strife-torn country’s education system is apparently on the brink of collapse. While the war has left two million children unable to get to school, many teachers have not been paid their salaries for over a year. With children in Yemen facing a bleak future because of limited or no access to education, the future of an entire generation is at stake. The situation is equally tragic in Uganda, broken by war, famine and economic collapse. Nearly 1.5 million refugees currently live here, including a million from South Sudan. War-torn Syria is struggling to grant a generation a chance of an education, and the opportunity to prepare for a career and acquire skills. Of the 650,000 registered Syrian refugees in Jordan, 335,000 are children. The UN declared that children are the most affected by the conflict in Syria and continue to pay an incredibly high price, as support is minimal. In Nigeria, more than 1.8 million people have been displaced by Boko Haram violence, which includes a million children.

Amidst this depressing scenario, a few rays of sunshine manage to pierce the gloom. Despite long years of war, violence and displacement, 4.9 million Syrian children continue to have access to education. Funding from donors, generosity from host governments and communities; relentless work from admirable teachers and the sheer determination of Syrian children and their families have helped millions of Syrian children get an education, UNICEF had shared. Nearly 90 per cent of children who have access to education are in public schools in Syria and in neighbouring countries, Lebanon and Jordan. Afghanistan has been one of the countries worst affected by violence against schools, with 770 incidents of attack on education in 2008. While violence on students prevented nearly 5 million Afghan children from attending school in 2010, the country is going through a nation-wide rebuilding process since the Taliban regime was toppled in 2001. Institutions are being established across the country despite setbacks. Bangladesh was awarded $25 million by the World Bank, including $4 million from Canada, to help provide education and support to heal the psychological wounds of Rohingya children and youths who had fled violence in Myanmar. The additional financing on grant terms expanded an existing project to help about 350,000 Rohingya children and adolescents get basic education at learning centres. In addition to providing access to learning opportunities, the grant supports psycho-social activities to help
Rohingya children recover from shocks and prevent exploitation.

As UNICEF put it, “At no time is education more important than in times of war.” Education is the key that gives children a chance to reach their full potential and contribute to the future and stability of their families, communities and economies. There is a glaring need to provide education both during and after conflicts and disasters. In 2000, at Dakar, the global community had committed itself to achieving education for all, including those affected by conflict and disaster: conflict, natural calamities and instability. Education is a fundamental tool that helps protect conflict- and disaster-affected children and youth from harm and exploitation. Providing education to children and youth can help protect from recruitment into fighting forces, forced labour, prostitution, criminal activities and drug abuse. In post-conflict settings, education contributes to the reintegration into society of former soldiers and other children and youth associated with fighting forces. Education gives hope for the future. It provides order, structure and a sense of normalcy, thus helping to reduce the psychosocial effects of conflict, disaster and displacement. It plays a key role helping children and youth who have suffered trauma and violence. Structured play activities and schooling can be a balm for those who have faced the destruction of natural disasters and the loss of loved ones and homes.

In fact, it is noted that those communities which have been affected by conflict and disaster place a strong emphasis on education. They often even give it priority over more material needs. Such communities not only request but expect provision of education for their children. Both formal and non-formal education programmes help children and youth to receive important life-saving messages. Awareness about landmines, education for human rights, peace and conflict resolution, prevention of sexual
and gender-based violence, basic health and hygiene, HIV and AIDS awareness and prevention, education for natural disaster risk reduction and education for sustainable development, can be communicated effectively. Educating children has a cascading effect, as they become key channels to communicate the same essential messages to their families and to the larger community. Provision of education can help overcome gender disparities, promotes economic and social reintegration and reconstruction. Skills training contributes to restoring a sense of normality, facilitating revival and promotion of livelihoods and alleviating poverty. With the joint efforts of national governments and the international community in responding to conflict and disasters, education systems could provide an opportunity to build back education systems to even better standards than existed before the disaster or conflict.

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Image used for representative purposes only.