Education in Post-Conflict Zones

Education in Post-Conflict Zones Patrick Fine, DAA/AFR 22 September, 2005

Democratic Republic of the Congo Classrooms before reconstruction.

Democratic Republic of the Congo Classrooms after reconstruction.

Mozambique Students in a school built by USAID after the war.

Afghanistan Girls in a new school.

Afghanistan Building a new school in Herat.

Afghanistan Students at the newly built Ramack High School.

Afghanistan A temporary tent classroom in Konduz.

Senegal Enthusiastic students at Ecole Lyndiane, a school in the capital of the Casamance region.

Senegal Ecole Lyndiane was overrun by rebels and government soldiers during the war, since there was an army post next door.

Senegal Since 2001, USAID has assisted Ecole Lyndiane and it is now one of the best schools in the area.

Sierra Leone Much of Sierra Leone’s education infrastructure was shattered during the war.

Sierra Leone USAID has been working to rebuild schools in the areas most hard hit.

Sierra Leone Students and their teacher at a newly reconstructed school in Koindu.

Sierra Leone A headmaster in front of his new secondary school in Koindu.

Sudan Schools in southern Sudan are virtually nonexistent.

Sudan Most students, such as these in the Equatoria region, do not have environments conducive to learning.

Uganda Large numbers of children in northern Uganda attend school in the camps for internally displaced persons where they live.

Uganda These students attend school in the Kitgum camp for IDPs.

Uganda Class size is often extremely high.

Uganda Most of the children live in fear of being abducted by rebel groups.

Immediate Needs – Focus on Restoring Order Re-establish order/routine in a community Provide care for younger children/control older children Provide food through school feeding Extend the reach of the government Characteristics: Externally financed/organized Can have important symbolic and political effect due to high visibility More to do with restoring order than educating kids Uses emergency structures Tents/schools under trees May have limited connection to formal system Donors fairly coordinated

Reconstruction Phase – Focus on Access • Build/reconstruct schools • Distribution of simple learning materials • use or slightly modified textbooks • Use of unqualified teachers to staff schools • Use of alternative approaches • Radio instruction and teacher training • NFE/community based schooling • Literacy classes Characteristics: • Mostly externally financed • Combination of external and local leadership/organization • Uses existing institutional structures • Less donor coordination as scope of interventions grows

Capacity Building Phase – Focus shifts to Quality • Institutional Issues Begin to Supplant Access • Effectiveness/mngt. of Ministry of Education • Training for teachers/Ministry staff • Concern with Whether kids in school are learning • Curriculum issues come into focus • New content in texts – (what texts says becomes more important than simply having texts) • promotion of democracy, human rights, women’s rights, tolerance, etc. • Relevence of what is taught economic life • Vocational skills Characteristics: • Mostly externally financed, increasing local leadership • Increased formalization

Some Issues • What standards for buildings, textbooks, teacher qualifications, etc. should be adopted? How should these be set? • At what point should local sustainability become a central issue? How can sustainability be balanced against the need for immediate response? • How can local leadership be balanced with lack of skills/capacity and need for extensive planning, procurements, organization, and supervision? • How can national planners/implementers ensure community participation/ownership?

Education in Post-Conflict Zones