During and immediately after conflict, education can play a critical role in helping children return to a normal life - in laying the foundations for them to play a productive role in society. Yet during the war in Rwanda in the 1990s, development agencies did not see education as a high priority. How can education provide the vital support that children and communities need in times of crisis?

The International Institute for Education and Planning (IIEP) investigates how education for refugee children developed after the genocide in Rwanda forced thousands to flee to neighbouring countries: two million Rwandans took refuge in Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The research also asks how well Tanzania and the DRC did in terms of policymaking, access, equity, quality and management of education The research was carried out from 1994 to 1996 when most Rwandans returned home.

Several issues emerge from the study:

• The lack of a formal government policy for education jeopardised the safety of education particularly in the DRC where education in the refugee camps was banned from 1996.
• Many donors felt that education was a low priority at the onset of emergency in all three countries. Although the overall response in humanitarian terms was overwhelming, education received far less attention than other sectors.
• In Tanzania the United Nations (UN) and German Technical Cooperation agency (GTZ) took a strong leadership role which initially allowed little involvement from refugees in the decision-making process. Yet the lack of UN support in the DRC caused a fragmented response that undermined co-ordination and consistency.
• In Tanzania access was a higher priority than quality and the curriculum was not of the correct level or relevant to the educational needs of most refugees.
• The collection of education statistics was donor-driven and showed little analysis of trends or improvement in areas where targets were not met. No assessment has been conducted on the impact, value or relevance of the education children received in the camps.

The study recommends that:

• Development agencies prioritise policies that ensure access to education for all children in emergency situations.
• Cross-border negotiations between governments and UN agencies would ensure a relevant and approved curriculum that promotes values of self-esteem, tolerance, and respect. Negotiations for the Burundian and Congolese refugees took place after 1996 and resulted in the purchase of textbooks from Burundi. Negotiations also eventually resulted in refugee children sitting for Grade 6 examinations which were recognised and certificated by the respective governments of DRC and Burundi. Certification was vital for primary children to move on to secondary education.
• Refugee expertise should be taken advantage of: management and co-ordination of educational activities should encourage refugee participation at all levels.
• Areas affected by refugees should take part in the decision-making of their response programmes. Donor funding should include programmes for both refugees and host areas affected by refugees.
• Peace education should be introduced and carried out, with sensitivity to the political and social context, and build upon community-based mechanisms for conflict resolution.
• Additional research is needed to assess the impact of emergency education after the reintegration of children to their home country.

Source(s):
'Surviving School: Education for Refugee Children from Rwanda 1994-1996', Paris: UNESCO International Institute for Education and Planning (IIEP) by Lyndsay Bird, 2003

Funded by: IIEP

id21 Research Highlight: 2 August 2005

Further Information:
International Institute for Education and Planning (IIEP)
7-9 rue Eugène Delacroix,
75116 Paris
France

Contact the contributor: information@iiep.unesco.org

Contact the contributor: lyndsaybird@bol.co.tz

International Institute for Education and Planning (IIEP), France

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