University College Cork Seminar

‘Education
as
Humanitarian Response’
Sustainability and Global Development
by

Dr Rosarii Griffin FRSA

BA, HDE, MEd, (UCC), MSc., DPhil., (OXON), DDVS.

Centre for Global Development,

UCC
Dr Rosarii Griffin - rosarii.griffin@ucc.ie
Introduction: Focus on
Stand 4: Topic 8
1) Introduction
2) Background to Global Education,
Sustainability, the MDGs and the SDGs
3) Focus on ‘Education as a
Humanitarian Response’
4) Some examples from ‘the field’ from
Lesotho, Uganda & Malawi
5) Conclusion
6) Resources/Bibliography
7) Q&A

Dr Rosarii Griffin - rosarii.griffin@ucc.ie

“Education as a Global Concern” (2011)
by Dr Colin Brock.

Dr Rosarii Griffin - rosarii.griffin@ucc.ie

The World’s Poorest Countries (GDP per capita)
www.focus-economics.com
 Richest Countries in the World (2019)
1. Luxembourg (GDP per capita: $119,719)
2. Norway (GDP per capita: $86,362)
3. Switzerland (GDP per capita: $83,832)
4. Ireland (GDP per capita: $81,477)
5. Iceland (GDP per capita: $78,181)
6. Qatar (GDP per capita: $65,062)
7. United States of America (GDP per capita: $64,906)
8. Denmark (GDP per capita: $63,434)
www.focus-economics.com
 Global Sustainable Development
• ‘Poverty’ is defined as ‘not having daily food, water
or shelter’.
• One tenth of the world’s population live in
‘Extreme Poverty’

• i.e. people in this category live on less than €1.50 a day,

subsistence living
• Part of the problem of food shortages is due to ‘climate
change’

• Just under half the world’s population (3 billion+)

live in poverty, on $2.50 per day. And 80% of the
world’s population lives on less than $10 per day.
• According to UNICEF 22,000 babies die everyday
worldwide due to extreme poverty
• Every year, 5.2 million children under the age of
five die from preventable causes.
• The majority of poorest countries of the world are
in Africa (60%) but since Covid-19, Asia may
overtake Africa as the poorest region in the world.
 According to UNICEF (unicef.org)
• More than 700 million people still live in extreme poverty. Children are
disproportionately affected.
• Children who grow up impoverished often lack the food, sanitation,
shelter, health care and education they need to survive and thrive.
• Across the world, about 1 billion children are multidimensionally poor,
meaning they lack necessities as basic as nutrition or clean water.
• It’s estimated 150m additional children have been plunged into multi-
dimensional poverty due to Covid-19.

https://www.unicef.org/social-policy/child-poverty
The Basis of Human Development

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

Dr Rosarii Griffin - rosarii.griffin@ucc.ie

BACKGROUND: From Dakar to MDGs to
SDGs
2000 - Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs)
to be fulfilled by 2015
2015 – Sustainable Development Goals
MDG2 Focus on Education (primary):
Goal: ‘to complete primary education by 2015’

Dr Rosarii Griffin - rosarii.griffin@ucc.ie

‘Education for All’ (EFA) Global Monitoring
Reports

Dr Rosarii Griffin - rosarii.griffin@ucc.ie

'Tremendous Progress’ by 2015 but much more to do!
• In 1990, 1 in 11 children would have died before the age of 5
(‘live births’). In 2018, this figure dropped to 1 in 26. This is a
drop of nearly 60% from 93 in 1000 live births to 39 in 1000.
(UN World Health Organisation, WHO, Sept 19th, 2019)
• Enrollment in primary education in developing countries had
reached 91% by 2015 (Yet 57m primary children still out of
school, 50% African (source: undp.org, 2021)
• The key findings of the 2015 EFA Global Monitoring Report
(GMR) “Education for All 2000-2015: Achievements and
Challenges”, produced by UNESCO which has tracked
progress on these goals for the past 15 years.
• “The world has made tremendous progress towards
Education for All,” said UNESCO Director-General Irina
Bokova. “Despite not meeting the 2015 deadline, millions
more children are in school than would have been had the
trends of the 1990s persisted. However, the agenda is far from
finished. We need to see specific, well-funded strategies that
prioritize the poorest – especially girls – improve the quality
of learning and reduce the literacy gap so that education
becomes meaningful and universal.”
 2015: 17 Sustainable Development Goals
to be fulfilled by 2030
Focus on SDG 4: Quality Education
The gender gap in literacy:
Of the roughly 781 million adults worldwide
who cannot read or write, nearly two-thirds
are female. Most of these are in least Top 10 Least Literate Countries in the World:
developed countries, especially rural areas.
1.Chad - 2016 - 22.31%
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-r
ankings/literacy-rate-by-country 2.Guinea - 2014 - 32.00%
3.South Sudan - 2018 - 34.52%
Literacy is 4.Niger - 2018 - 35.05%
5.Mali - 2018 - 35.47%
defined as 6.Central African Republic - 37.40%

‘the ability to 7.Burkina Faso - 2018 - 41.22%

8.Benin - 2018 - 42.36%
read and 9.Afghanistan - 2018 - 43.02%

write’. 10.Sierra Leone - 2018 - 43.21%

Dr Rosarii Griffin - rosarii.griffin@ucc.ie

 • Formal – Informal - Non-formal
What is Education?

• Education is NOT the same

thing as schooling…
• ‘Education is what remains
when one has forgotten
everything learnt at school’
- Albert Einstein

Dr Rosarii Griffin - rosarii.griffin@ucc.ie

Formal Education
• ’Is the phenomenon of
organized teaching and learning
as enabled by the components
of a recognized system of
institutions such as schools,
colleges and universities, and
especially of the compulsory
phase’ (Brock, 2011, p.4)

Dr Rosarii Griffin - rosarii.griffin@ucc.ie

 Other Educational Settings
Non-Formal Education
• ‘is the phenomenon of organized teaching and
learning enabled by agencies or institutions that
are not normally recognized as part of an official
educational systems, especially the so-called
compulsory phase’ (Brock, 2011, p. 4)
• Examples include the military, churches,
workplaces, NGOs, etc.
Dr Rosarii Griffin - rosarii.griffin@ucc.ie
Informal Education
• ‘comprises the phenomena of teaching
and learning as enabled by gratuitous or
involuntary means’ (Brock, Ibid., p.4)
• E.g. Media, Theatre, Dance/Rhythm,
Books, Google, YouTube, Newspapers,
etc.
• These categories are not mutually
exclusive i.e. they overlap
 Functions of Education
• The acquisition of knowledge & skills
• Social and political control
• Selection and allocation
• The custody of children and young people
(Op. Cit., p. 6).
Adding 2 more:
• To assist children achieve their potential
(whatever that may be)
• To give children life-skills so that they can
get out of poverty

Dr Rosarii Griffin - rosarii.griffin@ucc.ie

Education as a Humanitarian Response(EHR)
- Equality and Inclusion -
• Full inclusion of all, including:
• Minority groups (race, ethnicity,
religious and linguistic , travelers,
refugees, asylum seekers, economic
migrants).
• Temporarily excluded as a result of
war/conflict (IDPs); national disasters;
human and natural factors (e.g. over
population, desertification, over
grazing).
Dr Rosarii Griffin - rosarii.griffin@ucc.ie
• Marginalised communities (e.g. very
rural, traveling, nomadic and
indigenous communities).
• Excluded from mainstream provision,
such as those living in shanty towns,
favelas, refugee camps, etc.
• Marginalised/excluded: OVCs, street
children, child labour, runaway
children, slavery, etc.
Case Study of Lesotho

Dr Rosarii Griffin - rosarii.griffin@ucc.ie

 Lesotho Dwellings
Rondavel Newer dwellings
Lesotho Background
Lesotho - The land of the people who speak
Sesotho
Population just over 2.2 million
Considered to be one of the ‘least developed’
countries in the world
Subsistence farming common
Formal economy dependent on agriculture,
livestock, manufacturing and mining, remittances
Large garment / leather manufacturer and
exporter
Workforce:
 Largely female workforce in manufacturing
 Largely male migrant workforce
 Public sector
Water and diamonds key natural resources
 Key water supplier to South Africa

Dr Rosarii Griffin - rosarii.griffin@ucc.ie

Typical Dwellings from urban to rural.
Panoramic view
Lesotho and dis/ability
Population and Housing Census 2006 – 3.7% population living with
disabilities in Lesotho
Issues regarding questions and definitions
Estimates of disabilities increase with age
Estimated 32.6 from birth
Estimated 35.4 acquired through illness/disease
Evidence of discrimination and stigma associated with disabilities
Shunned in communities
Mother’s in/actions during pregnancy ?
Curse on the family ?
Name calling
Concerns re training / understanding of carers / professionals

Dr Rosarii Griffin - rosarii.griffin@ucc.ie

Education as a Humanitarian Response
Education gives HOPE

Dr Rosarii Griffin - rosarii.griffin@ucc.ie

 Margaret Sinclair: Principles for
Education in Emergency Situations
• Ensure education provided even in insecure/remote places allowing all children
the right to access education
• Community-based approach to ed, invest in human capacity building.
• Meeting psychosocial needs of children through structured activities
• Education gives children hope, focusing on a brighter future.
• Refugee Education to be given in language of origin.
• Participation of all esp. those with learning & physical disabilities
• Refugee programmes to respond to needs of children and adapted to include
new refugees.
• Education to include survival and peace building skills.
Dr Rosarii Griffin - rosarii.griffin@ucc.ie
Education brings Hope
for a brighter Future

Dr Rosarii Griffin - rosarii.griffin@ucc.ie

 Informal Education Projects: Examples of
Sustainable Development Projects from the Field
Malawi & Some Sustainable Development Projects

Sustainable development is defined as:

‘Sustainable Development is development that meets the

needs of the present without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs’

From ‘Our Common Future’ - the Brundtland Report (1987 ) the Brundtland
Commission was set up by the UN - World Commission on Environment and
Development (WCED)
 Malawi Educator: Fr John Ryan
(Mzuzu University MZUNI - Faculty and
Staff)

Dr Rosarii Griffin - rosarii.griffin@ucc.ie

NGO Ripple Africa, based on Lake Malawi.

Dr Rosarii Griffin - rosarii.griffin@ucc.ie

Ripple Africa Nursery (on Lake Malawi)

Dr Rosarii Griffin - rosarii.griffin@ucc.ie

Dr Rosarii Griffin - rosarii.griffin@ucc.ie
 NGO: RIPPLE AFRICA RESOURCES
Their website address is: www.rippleafrica.org and it has a  Christmas Gift section.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHK45IkH8LI  - Aid isn't about ticking boxes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvP79gsOnRw  - Biodiversity in Lake Malawi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGqy5P5TYyU - Carbon Offsetting, Tree Planting and Forest Conservation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iB762EWppQA - Tree Planting and Forest Conservation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ra6pdpJZwWI - Building a Fuel Efficient Cookstove
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGHQ_ft9dyc&t=48s - Film made by the Tusk Awards team about Force
Ngwira Force was one of the three finalists in the Tusk Award for Conservation in Africa in 2018.
 Sustainable Development? A Practical Example
• A Fish • A Fishing Rod
Learning to Fish: becoming Fishermen & Women
Mosquito Nets
Fishing Nets
For Ripple Africa - Education is the key
It works…. Fish for all…
 Brock (2011) Cautionary note re: Education
• Not a perfect system
• Not a panacea for all societal ills
(you have other actors including
governments, parents, social
media, etc.)
• Dysfunctional and unsuitable
educational systems and
curricula.
Dr Rosarii Griffin - rosarii.griffin@ucc.ie
• NGOs and social community
groups can fill important gaps.
• Voluntary (informal) sector is
very important here.
• Qualifications/rigidity.
• Partnerships a way forward
(African & Irish Sayings).
Capacity Building: Pam & Fr John Ryan

Dr Rosarii Griffin - rosarii.griffin@ucc.ie

SDG 17 (MDG 8) Partnership is key to global
sustainable development

‘Is ar scáth na
daoine a mhaireann
le chéile’
- Irish Proverb

Dr Rosarii Griffin - rosarii.griffin@ucc.ie

Educate children for a brighter future

Dr Rosarii Griffin - rosarii.griffin@ucc.ie

 Bibliography and Resources
• Brock, C. (2011) ‘Education as a Global Concern’ Continuum Books, London, UK.
• Schumacher, E. F. (1973) Small is Beautiful: A Study of Economics as if People Matter’
HarperCollins, London, UK.
• Thunberg, G. (2019) ‘No one is Too Small to make a Difference’, Pengiun Books, London,
UK.
• www.Unicef.org
• www.OECD.org
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-xdy1Jr2eg
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAIolKgDPrA
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HW76iOQ7qVQ
• TED TALKS ON THE SDGS and SOCIAL PROGRESS (find on You Tube)

Dr Rosarii Griffin - rosarii.griffin@ucc.ie

 Bibliography for Lecture
Baker, S. (2006) Sustainable Development Routledge, Oxford, UK.
Edwards, M. (1999) Future Positive: International Cooperation in the 21 st
Century, Earthscan Publications Ltd., London, UK.
Freire, P. (1970) Pedagogy of the Oppressed Penguin Books, London, UK.
Freire, P. (2004) Pedagogy of Indignation, Paradigm Publishers,
Colorado, USA.
Griffin, R. (Ed.) (2014) Indigenous, Nomadic and Traveller Education:
Global Perspectives. Bloomsbury Press, London, UK.   Age with foreword by Alaine Touraine, Polity Press, Cambridge, UK.
Griffin, R. (Ed.) (2012) Teacher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa: Closer
Perspectives.
Symposium Books, Oxford, UK.
Griffin, R. (Ed) (2006) Education in the Muslin World: Different
Perspectives, Symposium Books, Oxford, UK
Griffin, R. (Ed) (2002) Education in Transition: International Perspectives
on the Policies and Processes of Change, Symposium Books, Oxford, UK.
Griffin, R. & Brock, C. (Eds) (2000) International Perspectives on Special
Educational Needs, John Catt Publications, Suffolk, UK.
 Johnson, D. (Ed.) (2008) The Changing Landscape of Education in Africa:
Quality, Equality and Democracy Symposium Books, Oxford, UK.
Mulkeen, A. (2010) Teachers in Anglophone Africa: Issues in Teacher
Supply, Training and Management, The World Bank Publications,
Washington, DC., USA.  
Munck, R. & O’Hearn, D. (Eds.) (1999) Critical Development Theory:
Contributions to a New Paradigm, Zen Books Ltd, London, UK.
Paulson, J. (2011) Education, Conflict and Development from ‘Oxford
Studies in Comparative Education Series’, Symposium Books, Oxford,
UK.
Pleyers, G. (2010) Alter-Globalization: Becoming Actors in the Global
Rodney, W. (1974) How Europe Underdeveloped Africa, East African
Educational Publishers, Ltd., Nairobi, Kenya and Howard University
Press (1974), DC, USA.
Sen, A. (1999) Development as Freedom, Oxford University Press,
Oxford, UK.
Sinclair, M. & Refugees, United (2001). Education in emergencies,
published as part of Commonwealth Education Partnerships (2007).
http://lst-iiep.iiep-unesco.org/cgi-bin/wwwi32.exe/[in=epidoc1.in]/?
t2000=013665/(100)
Tanaka, M. (2005) The Cross-Cultural Transfer of Educational Concepts
and Practices: A Comparative Study, Symposium Books, Oxford, UK.
Timmons Roberts, J. and Bellone-Hite, A. (2007) The Globalization and
Development Reader: Perspectives on Development and Global Change,
Blackwell Publishing, Oxford , UK
 THREE KEY ‘TAKE-AWAYS’
EDUCATION IS LIFELONG LEARNING AND 1. EDUCATION IS A HUMANITARIAN
LEARNING ABOUT LIFE RESPONSE.
2. EDUCATION BRINGS HOPE
3. EDUCATION IS ABOUT CAPACITY
BUILDING

Dr Rosarii Griffin - rosarii.griffin@ucc.ie

 Thank you for Listening
Be Proactive in relation to:

‘Global Sustainable
Development’
Thank you

Dr Rosarii Griffin
Email: rosarii.griffin@ucc.ie
Centre for Global Development, UCC
Office of the Vice President for Teaching and Learning