Promoting Quality Education in Post-Conflict Situations: A Community Participation Approach

Abstract

Conflicts have devastating impact on children’s education. Formal and non-formal education structures are corroded, communities displaced and fragmented and educational inputs threatened. Maintaining a sufficient educational corps, recruiting educators, properly training and remunerating them become a challenge. During conflicts, the state may not have the capacity and political will to provide education. Communities in troubled or remote areas may become isolated and beyond the reach of government services and this may create gap which needs to be filled by non-state actors to ensure learning continues. Education is important both for its intrinsic human worth and for possibilities for societal improvement which may contribute towards an end to the conflict, the provision of schooling becomes a priority and focus of community engagement. In the absence or inability of an education authority to manage the education system, the community needs to step in to re-establish schools and keep the system functioning. The research sets out to explore the types of roles communities play in the provision of education and the conditions that may hinder or encourage positive engagement in both emergency and reconstruction settings. The research recommends that social and affective aspects of learning and active participation of all should be emphasized towards improving the educational quality in situations of post-conflict. Cultural and social dimension should be at the centre of community participation in education.