Integrating Conflict Sensitivity In Education Programs and Policies

by Tzvetomira Laub, INEE Coordinator for Minimum Standards

The field of Education in Emergencies has grown and expanded over the last decade, and today there is a more pronounced recognition that education could potentially contribute to tensions and grievances and thus exacerbate conflicts. INEE has addressed the need for systematized guidance on developing and carrying conflict sensitive education programs and policies: the new INEE Guidance Note on Conflict Sensitive Education was launched in March 2013.

 What is conflict sensitive education?

Conflict sensitive education is defined as the process to:

  • analyze and understand the context within which education takes place
  • analyze and understand the complex, bi-directional interaction between education  and conflict
  • and, on the basis of context- and conflict-analysis, take action to maximize education’s contribution to peacebuilding while minimizing education’s potential to contribute to tension, grievances and conflict.

In conflict-affected and fragile contexts, it is important to take concrete actions to ensure that conflict sensitivity is mainstreamed in education policies and practices.

 What does this mean in practice?

In the new INEE good practice tool, the Guidance Note on Conflict Sensitive Education, we share some strategies for actions to incorporate conflict sensitivity in education programs and policies. Here are a few highlights:

 Access and Learning Environment: Making education equally accessible to all means including previously marginalized or newly marginalized groups, such as children formerly associated with armed forces and armed groups (child soldiers, children working as cooks and porters for armed groups/forces etc), IDP and refugee children, host communities, and speakers of the non-dominant languages. The protection and well-being of all school community members, especially students, must be ensured. To keep the schools, and the routes to them, free from violence and occupation, strategies include establishing “schools as zones of peace” and working with armed forces and armed groups to recognize them as such zones of peace. Providing education facilities and services in a conflict sensitive way involves considering the proximity and safe access of girls and boys to schools, water points and latrines. Learning spaces should also be clearly marked with visible protective boundaries and clear signs.

 Teaching and Learning: A conflict sensitive curriculum should include information for teachers on developing and delivering lessons free from stereotypes and bias, lessons that promote inclusivity, respect, peace and nonviolence. One strategy for conflict sensitive teacher training, professional development and support is to ensure that opportunities for teacher training are equally available and accessible to both male and female teachers and without discrimination against any group, including refugee and displaced teachers. Structures for peer-to-peer learning and mentoring can be established to increase conflict-coping skills, share good practices, and provide psychosocial support. In a conflict sensitive teaching and learning process, it is best for students to learn in their mother tongue for early grades, so recruiting, training and retaining teachers who speak the minority languages is important. Finally, fair and accessible assessment of learning outcomes should be implemented. This means that tests should be reviewed and redesigned so that they are free from bias against social groups and conflict-inciting content is removed.

 Teachers and Other Education Personnel: Informed by the conflict analysis, conflict sensitive teacher recruitment and selection should be transparent, participatory and inclusive. A diverse selection committee, for example, can be utilized and this should include representatives from groups previously marginalized due to the conflict dynamics. Strategies for conflict sensitive conditions of work and compensation should include providing sustainable, fair teacher compensation that is also equitable with the local labor market.

The INEE Guidance Note includes many more strategies as well as case studies and other examples on conflict sensitive education.

What resources are available on conflict sensitivity in and through education?

INEE offers a holistic package of tools and resources to support the integration of conflict sensitivity in and through education:

To learn more about INEE’s work on education in emergencies and conflict sensitive education, please visit www.ineesite.org and www.ineesite.org/toolkit or email [email protected].

Tzvetomira Laub coordinates the INEE Working Group on Minimum Standards and Network Tools, and manages capacity development, projects and advocacy on Education in Emergencies.

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