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Education ‘Forgotten’ in Post-Conflict Aid

Dr Harold Elletson

“Education is the forgotten aspect of post-conflict humanitarian aid and aid for refugees”, New Security Foundation Chairman Dr Harold Elletson told delegates at a ground-breaking session on ‘post-conflict distance learning’ during eLearning Africa in Dakar, Senegal. With these words, he initiated a debate which should prove to be a hot topic at this year’s Security and Defence Learning Forum in Berlin.

Dr Elletson reminded delegates that nine years earlier in Dakar, the World Education Forum had set the target of universal primary education for every child by 2015, which was adopted as one of the UN’s millennium goals. “However, over 100 million children still don’t attend primary school. And, of these, 50 percent are in countries which are either suffering from conflict or recovering from it.”

Dr Elletson said that the figures showed that education had largely been ignored in many post-conflict situations. Recent experience in Afghanistan and elsewhere, however, showed that it was “crucial” for reconstruction. He said that ‘distance learning’ offered “some really attractive, exciting and cost-effective options for developing or rebuilding education in some of the most difficult places in the world.”

Case studies at the workshop highlighted recent initiatives in Côte d’Ivoire and Somalia. Fatoumata Kone of the Ivorian Ministry of Education described the situation in Dabakala province, which had been under the control of rebels and where fighting had destroyed dozens of schools. She said that the most important problems the region currently faced were “infrastructure, human resources and the establishment of high-quality teacher training”. She hoped that an agreement will shortly be concluded with a major IT supplier for the delivery of computers, allowing the implementation of a comprehensive programme of distance learning.

Sidiki Traore of the African Virtual University described the AVU’s recent experience in Somalia, a country plagued by terrorism and piracy, where it has delivered English language and journalism courses involving international partners through distance learning. Mr Traore said that the courses, which were accessed by 4,000 students from 6 universities had helped to “enhance human capital and provide hope and life”.

The New Security Foundation will be publishing a report on ‘Post-conflict distance learning”. For more details, please contact info@newsecurityfoundaton.org.

Security and Defence Learning 2009 will take place on Wednesday, December 2nd in conjunction with ONLINE EDUCA BERLIN .The 5th International Forum on Technology Assisted Learning and Training for Defence, Security and Emergency Services will be hosted by The New Security Foundation and bring together leading figures from government, business, security and academia.

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