CONFLICT-SENSITIVE

EDUCATION
 OBJECTIVES

At the end of this module, participants

must be able to:
 Explain the concept of conflict sensitivity
 Discuss the concept and principles of
conflict-sensitive education
 Enumerate the processes involved in
coming up with a conflict-sensitive
education program
 WHY IS THERE A NEED TO FOCUS ON
CONFLICT-SENSITIVE EDUCATION?

Access to Quality Education is a

Human Right
CONFLICT-
The right to education is not being fully
realized in conflict-affected areas SENSITIVE
Education can contribute to EDUCATION
conflict and peace

Source: International Network on Education in Emergencies

 Two Faces of Conflict
When given in conflict affected contexts, education can:

reinforce and
OR reduce tensions and
strengthen capacities of
prolong the people, including children,
conflict to disengage from conflict
and build social peace

Source: International Network on Education in Emergencies

ACTIVITY (10 MINUTES)
• Working in groups of 4-5 people,
discuss:
• How education
promotes/exacerbates
conflict; and
• How education
minimizes/resolves conflict
• Write your answers on
metacards provided
• Post the metacards on
designated posting area/s
 HOW CAN EDUCATION FURTHER AFFECT CONFLICT?

affect legitimize
markets actors
N
IO and agendas affect
and UC AT
supply chains ED knowledge,
attitudes
and values
affect
intergroup incentivize
relationships continuation
of the
Adapted from
M. Anderson’s book,
status quo
Source: International Network on Education in Emergencies Do No Harm
Restricted education opportunities — a source of poverty
and insecurity

Unequal education — a force for grievance and injustice

Schools as a vehicle for social division

• Language barriers
• Breeding intolerance through curricula and textbooks
• Reinforcing a culture of violence
• Segregated education reinforcing separate identities

7
Source: UNESCO
So….
How do we ensure the
education programs and
policies we deliver do not
make conflict worse,
especially in terms of its
impact on children?
EDUCATION MUST BE CONFLICT-SENSITIVE
CONFLICT SENSITIVITY
- the capacity of an organization to…
• Understand the context in which
the organization is operating,
particularly intergroup relations;
• Understand the interactions
between its interventions and
the context/group relations;
and
• Act upon the understanding of
these interactions, in order to
minimize negative impacts and
maximize positive impacts.
 CONFLICT-SENSITIVE EDUCATION
Understand
the conflict
context
Act to minimize
Analyze the two-way
negative impacts
interaction between
and maximize
the conflict context
positive impacts
and education
of education
programs and
policies and
policies
programming on
conflict
Source: International Network on Education in Emergencies
 STEP 1. UNDERSTANDING THE CONTEXT THE PROCESS OF CONFLICT ANALYSIS

ACTORS

EDUCATION:
Conflict FOR WHOM? Conflict
BY WHOM?
Profile WHAT? Dynamics
WHEN?
HOW?

Conflict
Causes

Source: International Network on Education in Emergencies

 STEP 2. ANALYZE THE INTERACTION BETWEEN EDUCATION AND CONTEXT

ACTORS

EDUCATION:
Conflict FOR WHOM? Conflict
BY WHOM?
Profile WHAT? Dynamics
WHEN?
HOW?

Conflict
Causes
Source: International Network on Education in Emergencies
 Step 3. Defining Conflict-sensitive Education

PROCESS CONTENT
Source: International Network on Education in Emergencies
 WHAT ARE THE STRATEGIES FOR CONFLICT
SENSITIVE EDUCATION?

1. Strategies for conflict sensitive analysis, participation

and coordination
Ex: Consult children and members from diverse social groups
2. Strategies for conflict sensitive access and learning
environment
Ex: Consider safe access to learning environment, water points
and latrines
 WHAT ARE THE STRATEGIES FOR CONFLICT
SENSITIVE EDUCATION?
3. Strategies for conflict sensitive teaching and learning
Ex: Provide training for teachers on how to create and deliver lessons that avoid
stereotypes and bias

4. Strategies for conflict sensitive practices for teachers and

other education personnel
Ex: Teacher recruitment and selection is a transparent, participatory process that avoids
bias towards any one group

5. Strategies for conflict sensitive education policy

Ex: Coordinate with a wide range of stakeholders, including groups previously
marginalized
 APPLICATION OF CONFLICT-SENSITIVE EDUCATION

Conflict Sensitive Education

Acute Conflict Outbreak

Post Conflict
Reconstruction

Source: International Network on Education in Emergencies

APPLICATIONS OF CONFLICT-SENSITIVE EDUCATION

Cross-sectoral Humanitarian Development Peacebuilding

Conflict-sensitive education
17
 SYNTHESIS
• Education is a basic right of ALL children in times of peace
and even in times of war/armed conflict.
• The context of the conflict in which education programs
operate must be clearly understood, so as to make it
responsive and instrumental in promoting peace.
• While conflict-sensitive education should be applied at any
point in time, particularly in fragile or conflict affected
areas, it is particularly crucial during periods of
emergencies or disasters, when tensions among affected
populations are high and the possibility of the conflict to be
violent is also high.
THANK YOU!