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Strategic Issues & Experiences in the Promotion of Education for Peace and Conflict Prevention

Hameed A Hakeem,Education Adviser & Coordinator “APPEAL”

UNESCO Bangkok(Asia & Pacific Regional Bureau for Education)

International Forum on Learning to Live Together: Education as an Instrument for Social Cohesion, Conflict Prevention and Resolution,

Bishkek, June 2012

I. The challenge: Why address this issue?II. EFA-related issuesIII. What are the sources of strategic

directions for learning to live together? IV. 4 Pillars of Learning: a strategic framework

to address the issueV. Promising experience and elements for

policy recommendations

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Contents

Bishkek, June 2012

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“In a world that is more connected than ever, intolerance is not an option, and “passive tolerance” or mere peaceful coexistence is not enough. The mixing of different identities and the rapprochement of diverse cultures, between States but also within societies, calls for us to devise models of citizenship and social participation where individuals manage to live together truly, rather than just “sideby side”.Simple citizens or public leaders at every level can help to demonstrate that tolerance is the way to make the most of human diversity as a source of vitality, creation and social cohesion.”Director General of UNESCO on the International Day of Tolerance, 16 November 2011.

I.The Challenge…

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“Globalization, the extent of migratory-related phenomena,

and multi-culturalism have today recast the question of

how to live together for many communities with different

cultures and religions. Tolerance is thus important to us all, as it makes possible the existence of those differences

at the same time as the differences make its existence

necessary.”

Director General of UNESCO on the International Day of Tolerance, 16 November 2004.

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Ignorance can be the basis for conflict and misunderstanding.

Education: Principal means of promoting peace and tolerance in the long term

But what kind of education?

Is today’s education contributing as it should to the promotion of mutual understanding

and civic responsibility?Do we need to re-orient education to create

better communities and a better world?

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II. EFA-related issues - Goal 1: ECCE

Source: Global Monitoring Report UNESCO , 2011

Gross enrolment ratios per country

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Goal 1: ECCEGross enrolment ratios per sub-region

Source: Global Monitoring Report UNESCO , 2011

Retention patterns vary across countries

Mongolia

Niger

Children expected to

start primary school

Expected to reach grade

2

Expected to reach grade

3

Expected to reach last

grade

Expected to complete primary

100 children

100

60

93

17

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1. Progress and Issues in EFA 6 Goals Goal 2: Primary Education

• Demand for secondary and tertiary education is growing – but large global inequalities exist;– 74 million adolescents out of school

– Weak linkages between education and employment

– Rich countries – reforms needed to enhance efficiency and equity

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1. Progress and Issues in EFA 6 Goals Goal 3: Learning and Life skills for Youth

– 69 countries still to achieve gender parity at primary level

(4 countries in South and West Asia)

– Gender parity in Seconday Education is low

(0.87 in South and West Asia)

– Gender imbalances in education are transmitted directly to job markets

Many countries are moving too slowly on disparities

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1. Progress and Issues in EFA 6 Goals Goal 5: Gender Parity

GJ KIM

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1. Progress and Issues in EFA 6 Goals

• Too many school children learn far too little– International assessments reveal large inequalities

across countries– Absolute levels of achievement within countries are

often very low – and very unequal– Inequalities reflect school performance as well as

household characteristics

• However, trade-offs between quality and quantity are not inevitable

Goal 6: Quality of Education

What are the causes?• Educational marginalization driven by interacting

layers of disadvantage• Cross-cut by poverty and gender.

Five key processes which drive marginalization:1. Poverty, vulnerability and child labour2. Group-based disadvantages3. Location and livelihoods4. Disability5. HIV and AIDs

3. Drivers of MarginalizationMarginalization

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1 . Poverty & child labour

1.4 billion people living on less than US $1.25/day 116 million child labourers For these children and households, school fees and

other costs remain a major barrier to education, particularly when shocks occur

2. Group-basedcauses

Ethnicity, indigenous status, caste, language… 221 million children with home language not used in

school Discrimination, stigmatization and subordination

reinforced by children’s school experiences (eg. caste in India)

3. Drivers of Marginalization5 Main Reasons of Marginalization

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3 . Location & livelihoods

900 million slum dwellers with limited economic resources Remote rural areas – distance, poverty and immobile school

systems limits access One-third of out-of-school children in countries affected by

armed conflict; c. 14 million displaced children

4. Disability 150 million disabled school-aged children, plus those living with disabled relatives

Educational marginalization differentiated by type and severity of impairment

5. HIV and AIDs

33 million HIV+, including 2 million children Stigmatization and institutionalized discrimination, poverty

and orphanhood, are major barriers to both access and learning

3. Drivers of Marginalization5 Main Reasons of Marginalization

The learning environment

Accessibility and affordability

Entitlements and opportunities

Three broad sets of policies which can combat marginalization

The inclusive education triangle

3. Drivers of MarginalizationCombatting Marginalization

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Armed conflict is a barrier to Education for All

Conflict destroys opportunities for education

How does education contribute to conflict?

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4. Education under Attack4. Education and Conflicts Conflicts and Disasters

Education’s hidden crisis in conflict-affected states

• 35 conflict-affected countries, average duration of war in the poorest is 12 years

• The balance sheet for education:– 28 million children out of school in conflict-affected

countries - 42% of the global out of school total– Child death rates more than double– Only 79% of young people in conflict areas literate

Conflict reinforces education inequality Internally displaced and refugees have some of

the worst education indicators17

Conflicts and Disasters

Impact of conflicts on children, teachers and schools

• Armed conflicts within countries

• Indiscriminate use of force and targeting of civilians

• Conflict-related poverty and disease are a major killer

• Children, teachers and schools are on the front-line

• Rape and sexual violence are a widespread ‘terror tactic’

• Diversion of finance and aid from classrooms to guns

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Conflicts and Disasters

Aid follows security agendas

• Aid is skewed towards a small group of countries identified as national security priorities

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

2002002-20032007-2008

Aid to basic education

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Conflicts and Disasters

Humanitarian aid in 2009 – education only 2%

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

Food Health Multi-sector Shelter and non-food

items

Coordination and support

services

Water and sanitation

Agriculture Economic recovery and infrastructure

Protection, human rights,

rule of law

Education Mine action

Funding received

Requested amount

2%

only 2% of all funding.

Education received

US$ Million

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Conflicts and Disasters

• Protection of children, teachers and civilians from human rights abuses

• Provision of education to vulnerable populations trapped in violent conflict, to refugees and internally displaced people

• Reconstruction to seize the education peace premium

• Peace building to unlock the potential of education as a force for peace

• Risk reduction for national disaster

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Conflicts and Disasters

GJ KIM

• UNESCO’s constitution• UNESCO’s mandate and functions: 5 key fns:

prospective studies & foresight; std setting actions; advancement & sharing of knowledge; capacity builder; catalyst for international cooperation

• UNESCO’s Conventions and Recommendations on diverse aspects of education

• Reports of Eminent Commissions• Recommendations from Global Conferences

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1. Progress and Issues in EFA 6 Goals III. Sources of Strategic Directionsfor Learning to Live Together

1. Learning to know – acquiring the instrument of understanding, or learning how to learn

2. Learning to do – applying learned knowledge in daily life; to be able to act responsibly in conflict situations

3. Learning to be – acquring universally shared values; developing one’s personality, self identity, self-knowledge, self-fulfillment – the complete person , developing wisdom

4. Learning to Live Together23

IV. Four Pillars of Learning provide a Strategic Framework to address issues

of social cohesion, conflict prevention & conflict resolution

• The social dimension of human development• Basis for social cohesion and harmony, conflict

avoidance, non-violence, peaceful co-existence• The recognition that differences and diversity are

opportunities rather than dangers & are a valuable resource to be used for the common good

• The ability to tolerate, respect,welcome, embrace and even celebrate difference and diversity in people, their histories, traditions, beliefs, values and cultures and to use this diversity to enrich our lives

• The essence of inter-cultural, inter-faith education24

Learning to Live Together – What is it?

• To cope with urgent situations of tension, exclusion, conflict, violence and terrorism

• To respond constructively to cultural diversity & economic disparity, found within & across the region

• To enable people to live in increasingly pluralistic , multi-cultural societies

• To provide a peaceful environment for sustainable socio-economic development

• To further the mission of ‘constructing the defense of peace in the minds of men’

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Learning to Live Together – Why do it?

• Reformulate policies for systematic education reform – towards education for social inclusion, conflict resolution and mutual understanding – consturcting the defense of peace in the minds of all

• Emphasize change in knowledge, skills, attitudes, and bahaviours via changes in education content, approaches, and ethics, both in and out of school

• Re-organize curricular contents with a central emphasis on moral, ethical and cultural education

• Teach such contents through individual subjects as well as integrate them in the core curriculum

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Learning to Live Together – How to do it?

• Retrain and mobilize teachers and school administrators towards more democratic, participatory interactions and as role models of learning to live together

• Create a safe peaceful and harmonious school climate which reflects the ideal of learning to live together

• Renew partnerships for the mobilization of all actors in and for education – and among all entities concerned with values education

• Link it with what is taught in homes, communities, the media, the workplace and other informal learning contexts

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Learning to Live Together – How to do it?

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In Education we have a powerful tool.We can use this power for good

For shared valuesFor learning to live together

For intercultural & interfaith understanding For conflict prevention

Can we apply what we know from human learning to development of shared values?

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What is known about values formation? Shared values can help to live together in peace -including different ethnic groups . Begins at an early age…but is an on-going process as learning is lifelong. Moral sense begins to develop within the first 2 years of life: Empathy emerges at around 18 months when children desire to comfort other children.What does this mean?Help with this process early in life. But pay attention to knowledge & beliefs learners bring into the learning task. Use this knowledge as the starting point. Learning is enhanced when teachers identify & work from where

learners currently are .

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To be effective learning values will need to be grounded in practical and locally

contexualized activities

V. Promising Experience and Elements for Policy Rocommendations

An example of APCIEU’s work to Promote Learning to Live Together

Teachers’resource book, Learning to LiveTogether (2004). The two-volume publication provides a comprehensive introduction to the conceptual framework and pedagogy of EIU in the sense that EIU is explained against the backdrop of UNESCO activities towards a Culture of Peace and with a view to integrating varied pedagogical principles into the curriculum of EIU.

Commendable work done by Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding (APCIEU):-established to promote Education for International Understanding (EIU).-aims to instill a culture of peace that encompasses individuals, communities, nations, international/global systems and a sustainable relationship between humanity and nature.

Promising Experience in Values EdnValues Education Good Practice Schools Project:• A school-driven, ground-up approach to exploring values

education practice in local schooling contexts• Involved school communities with diverse backgrounds to

conceive of their own, values education projects and apply for grants to support their implementation

• Intention: Create opportunities for schools to use the National Framework in their local contexts and for them to report on what they learnt.

• Project established ways of supporting, monitoring and gathering accounts of these diverse school experiences.

• Finally, distil generalisations of good practice in values education for sharing with other schools in that country.

Promising Experience in Values Edn ctd.10 Good Practices from Values Edn Good Practice Schools Project

1. Establish and consistently use a common and shared values language across the school2. Use pedagogies that are values-focused and student-centred within all curriculum3. Develop values education as an integrated curriculum, rather than as a programme, an

event, or an addition to the curriculum4. Explicitly teach values so students know what the values mean and how the values are

lived5. Implicitly model values and explicitly foster modelling of values6. Develop relevant and engaging values approaches connected to local and global

contexts and which offer real opportunity for student agency 7. Use values education to consciously foster intercultural understanding, social cohesion

and social inclusion8. Provide teachers with informed, sustained and targeted professional learning and foster

their professional collaborations9. Encourage teachers to take risks in their approaches to values education10. Gather and monitor data for continuous improvement in values education

Elements for Policy Recommendations

1. Education should be considered in the strategic assessment of conflict.Studies emphasize that relationship between education and conflict can be both positive and negative (part of the problem/solution)Edn can be a casualty of conflictEdn can also exacerbate tensions and underlying causes of conflicts

2. More systematic analysis required rather than fragmented, compartmentalized responses. Compartmentalized thinking (“preventative”, “emergecny response”, “post –conflict”) could decrease likelihood of deeper systemic analyses of the realtionship between education and conflict and leads to disconnected responses

Elements for Policy Recommendations ctd.

3. System-wide approaches are needed: activity of a single agency focusing on a single issue is unlikely to create any positive impact on conflict. It is necessary to view the system as a whole and work together with others in a strategic manner.

4. More attention required on the role of formal education: focusing special forms of education with specific groups of people has led to neglect of issues concerning the huge number of children involved in formal education . Similar attention should be given to systemic issues that have a potential to inflame or ameliorate conflict.

5. Reconstruction as an opportunity to develop conflict –sensitive education systems: attention to nature of conflict as a transforming process & see role of edn as a trasforming process.

Elements for Policy Recommendations ctd

6. Education as a Right: tendency to regard education as a luxury rather than a Right in contexts of emergency response. Better not to “wait for peace” before seriously addressing education issues. Education to be regarded as an integral part of the response even during “emergency” operations.

Thank you for your attention