Education plays an important part in the long term process of reconstruction and building stability in states affected by conflict. The quality and availability of education are closely linked to democracy, stability and security. Education can help lessen tension, promote peace and civil engagement and rebuild lives.
About 28 million school children are out of school in fragile and conflict affected states – 42% of the world total. These states are the worst equipped to deal with the challenges of education for all and the least funded by donors.
Stability through education
A study of 160 countries suggests that funds given to education can lower the probability of civil war. Another World Bank study on civil wars since 1960 found that countries which have 10% more of their youth in school cut their risk of conflict from 14% to around 10%.
In Sierra Leone, former child soldiers cited lack of educational opportunity as a reason for joining the war.
Innovative approaches to education delivery – including schooling for those children who have missed out on several years of education – need to be developed alongside supporting state recovery. Short term strategies to ensure children are in school and learning – including non-formal education options – need to be combined with longer term support for the re-establishment of schools.
We will spend around half of our direct education aid in fragile and conflict affected states and work with those governments to rebuild the capacity of ministries of education gradually, enabling them to pay teacher salaries, re-open schools and guarantee safe learning environments, particularly for girls.
In South Sudan for example, since 2007 UK aid has helped, through NGOs, to build and repair 32 schools as well as providing training and salaries for over 2,000 teachers and supplying furniture and learning materials to 40 schools. Overall we have helped over 30,000 children to attend school, of which 36% are girls.