A new video by the Post-Conflict and Peace Education Alliance captures the voices of teachers in crisis.
Today, one in four school-aged children and youth are living in countries affected by crisis. However, the voices of teachers working in these countries are too often ignored by the international community, which risks losing valuable knowledge about how to best educate children in a safe and effective learning environment.
Capturing the voices of these teachers has been the work of the Post-Conflict and Peace Education Alliance, a global group of experts formed by The Varkey Foundation at the Global Education & Skills Forum 2017.
In a year of research, the alliance interviewed 17 different teachers from Afghanistan, Colombia, India, Mali, Sierra Leone and Uganda about their experiences of teaching in conflict and post-conflict situations – and what they think needs to change for children in conflict and post-conflict situations to receive a safe, quality education.
The alliance’s work has highlighted the everyday danger to which teachers in crisis situations are so often exposed and how little support teachers receive to address the violence and trauma that affects their students.
Nadine Grant, Plan International
The teachers are calling on the international community and governments to:
- Recruit and fund more teachers, especially female teachers, in conflict and post-conflict settings and ensure they are paid fairly
- Facilitate recognition of teachers’ qualifications across borders
- Train and support teachers in conflict and post-conflict settings to help them to address the unique needs of girls and boys in these settings
- Ensure schools are safe – for girls, boys and teachers – and protected from attacks
- Collect and report reliable, relevant data on attacks on educational facilities to end impunity
- Develop and share relevant gender sensitive teaching materials for teachers in conflict and post-conflict settings
- Listen to the voices of teachers and local communities in conflict zones and take action to provide every last child with a safe, quality education
The Post-Conflict and Peace Education Alliance is:
| Name | *Organisation |
|---|---|
| Nadine Grant [co-chair] | Plan International |
| Farah Williamson [supporting member] | Plan International Canada |
| Sanjeev Rai [co-chair] | Swedish Committee for Afghanistan |
| Zakariya Abdou | Stromme Foundation |
| Chernor Bah | Population Council |
| Hanan Al Hroub | Global Teacher Prize Winner (2016) |
| Christina Milsom | Stromme Foundation |
| Ambarish Rai | Right to Education Forum |
| Óscar Sánchez | Educapaz [former Secretary of Education of Bogotá] |
| Scott Weber | Interpeace |
| Emily Laurie [supporting member] | Advocacy and Campaigns Consultant |
| Garret Rubin [supporting member] | Research for Equitable Access and Learning (REAL) Centre, University of Cambridge |
| *The information and views set out in outputs by the Alliance are those of its Members and do not necessarily reflect the official opinions or positions of their organizations. | |