• Education:
• Education:
• Supporting Education in Difficult Circumstances

Supporting Education in Difficult Circumstances

Supporting Education in Difficult Circumstances is an Action Area that attempts to address a spectrum of problems that prohibit children from accessing quality education.

"Difficult Circumstances" can be interpreted broadly as conflict, acute poverty, the aftermath of natural disaster, special needs for the disabled, geographic remoteness, and the prevalence of diseases such as TB, Malaria and HIV AIDS. Commonwealth-wide the relevance of these factors also varies according to national and regional specificities.

Conflict and its aftermath is an area of particular concern in the Commonwealth, particularly in Africa . For example, reconstructing education provision in a country like Sierra Leone where social upheaval leading to extreme poverty, displacement and trauma can be found in the wake of conflict is a major task for the Ministry of Education. More generally many commonwealth African countries that are themselves not in the middle of a conflict have to cope with the fall-out from neighbouring countries that are, such as refugee flows. Rebuilding physical capacity and new policy approaches to education are needed, from the quick provision of new schools, to developing peace education curricula. Education provision in such circumstances can provide structure and stability for children and adolescents traumatised by displacement and bereavement, whilst also acting as a safety-net to lessen the chances of sexual and economic exploitation that can sometimes follow such social upheavals. Integrating standardised education provisions into emergency responses are needed in order to prevent the prevalence of drop-outs in such circumstances. Education can also be used as a facilitator of peace building, conflict prevention, conflict resolution and nation building. In this vein, following a meeting of African Education Ministers in Kenya , 2 nd - 4 th June 2004, the Mombasa Declaration was signed by 21 participants that acknowledged their responsibility under international laws to protect the rights of the child. The Declaration further outlined their responsibilities to undertake and mobilise efforts and resources in the provision of education services in times of crisis and post-conflict.

Natural disasters also present similar problems to education in terms of providing educational continuity within emergency settings. Hurricane prone islands in the Caribbean , monsoons in South Asia , and countries affected by last year's Indian Ocean Tsunami highlight how many Commonwealth countries are vulnerable to the prevalence of such environmental disasters. Further areas of concern in this Action Area include providing education for children from deprived urban and rural backgrounds. This concern has a relevancy not only in the Commonwealth's developing low-income countries, but also amongst high and middle income member States where educational marginalisation as a result of enduring cleavages within socio-economic status continues to exist. Another concern is providing quality education for children with special needs, such as the disabled. Again, this is a pan-Commonwealth concern.

Providing education in remote areas is also a major Commonwealth challenge, and overlaps strongly with the Secretariat's sixth Action Area on Open and Distance Learning. Remote rural communities - often defined in the Commonwealth context by island archipelagos, mountainous terrain, and continuing nomadic lifestyles amongst some groups - are prone to a lack of basic amenities such as water and electricity, communications, and educational resources. This remoteness is sometimes partnered with poverty and/or other forms of societal marginalisation, minimising the type of enabling environment needed for education to thrive. Apart from poor physical infrastructure, teacher shortages and the absence of relevant curricula can also be a major problem in these communities.

Documents:

Supporting Education in Difficult Circumstances - Workshop Report