Education in times of crises: For whom and to what ends?

Protecting children in a chronic emergency: Is resilience sufficient as the end product? As greater attention and research inquiry is made into how education can promote resilience and protection to children affected by... [ view full abstract ]

Protecting children in a chronic emergency: Is resilience sufficient as the end product?

As greater attention and research inquiry is made into how education can promote resilience and protection to children affected by conflict, and respond effectively to the trauma, a critical exploration of how resilience is understood and acted upon in such settings is needed. This paper, using the case study of Gaza Strip within the Occupied Palestinian Territories, suggests that while programmatic interventions focussed on supporting the resilience of children and the institutional networks of support on which these children rely may deliver short-term benefits, a restoration of the status quo or the effective adjustment of these individuals and institutions to a new state of normalcy may be ineffective and counter-productive in the medium to long-term.

Exploring challenges of educational response to Syrian refugee crisis in Jordan Since the Syrian conflict began in 2011, over 623 thousands Syrian refugees have fled to Jordan. More than one third of the refugee population... [ view full abstract ]

Exploring challenges of educational response to Syrian refugee crisis in Jordan

Since the Syrian conflict began in 2011, over 623 thousands Syrian refugees have fled to Jordan. More than one third of the refugee population constitutes school-aged children, out of which only 54% are attending schools. Drawing upon an exploratory study of educational responses to Syrian refugee crisis in Jordan, this paper problematises the purpose of education for refugee children in a restricted environment that provides physical security but at the cost of civic, political and economic freedoms. Alongside the technical challenges such as access, educational resources and teaching quality, there are complex issues relating to interactions between the educational provision, national identity and the economic market it should serve. The paper argues that the new wars have posed unconventional challenges for refugee education in terms of its goal, contents and pedagogies.

Education, protection and resilience: addressing the needs of Syrian youth in Jordan Over 115,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan are aged 15-24, comprising almost 20 percent of the refugee population. While youth face increased... [ view full abstract ]

Education, protection and resilience: addressing the needs of Syrian youth in Jordan

Over 115,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan are aged 15-24, comprising almost 20 percent of the refugee population. While youth face increased pressures resulting from displacement, such as income-generation and family responsibilities, their specific educational, protection and socio-economic needs are frequently marginalized in emergency responses. By drawing on youth programming and field assessments in Jordan, this paper analyses the distinct intersection of education, protection, volunteering and livelihoods needs in youth responses. This analysis, in the context of the protracted nature of the Syrian refugee situation, leads to programming priorities to reconstruct the education ladder through accredited and higher education provision, youth participation and volunteering, and linkage with livelihoods in a restrictive refugee setting. The paper concludes that coordinated and contextualized approaches to youth programmes in emergencies create unique opportunities for enhancing both individual and community resilience.

Education has come to be seen as a life saving and protective mechanism in times of conflict and disaster, and equally as a key signifier of a return to ‘normalcy’. In recent years, attention has been given to... [ view full abstract ]

Education has come to be seen as a life saving and protective mechanism in times of conflict and disaster, and equally as a key signifier of a return to ‘normalcy’. In recent years, attention has been given to strengthening education systems, and those who are part of it, to prepare, respond and mitigate against such threats. Often framed through the language of resilience, the focus is on maintaining education’s function in emergency situations, and ensuring that education does not hasten or worsen existing tensions under the guise of education doing “no further harm”. It is this approach that the panel takes contention with, in the belief that education should and can do more, promoting instead actions that work to end the causes of structural violence and sustain the peace.