Gabrielle Daoust
University of Sussex
Gabrielle Daoust is a doctoral student in the Department of International Relations, University of Sussex. Her research focuses the role of education policies and programmes in peacebuilding processes in South Sudan, exploring local, national, and global influences.
Sustainable peacebuilding involves addressing horizontal and vertical inequalities at the root of violent conflict. Education can support social justice and mobility, but can also drive inequality and exclusion. This paper,... [ view full abstract ]
Sustainable peacebuilding involves addressing horizontal and vertical inequalities at the root of violent conflict. Education can support social justice and mobility, but can also drive inequality and exclusion. This paper, emerging from a broader UNICEF-funded research project, will examine education sector governance and its relationships to inequality, conflict, and peacebuilding in South Sudan, based on policy analysis and interviews with national, international, and school-level actors. The government of South Sudan and international partners are developing core education policies and expanding education services in a context shaped by historical and current violent conflict. Policies and services consider dimensions of inequality and exclusion, focusing on girls, children with disabilities, over-age learners, pastoralist communities, and diverse language groups, in primary and secondary education, alternative education, and TVET. However, significant challenges exist in implementing education programmes while expanding enrolment, promoting equality in access and content, and improving basic service quality in both conflict-affected and “stable” regions. While equality and inclusion may be considered in access and content, less attention is paid to equity in resource allocation, representation in decision-making, and management systems, and particular dimensions of conflict-related inequality and exclusion are less clearly addressed in education policy and practice. Policy and practice are shaped by global education agendas, national and local socio-economic and political contexts, and humanitarian and development priorities, between which tensions exist. This paper discuss recommendations for more sustainable learning and peacebuilding processes, examining possible responses to conflict-related inequalities and exclusions at multiple levels of education governance, in both policy and practice.
