Category: Conflict, Crisis and Emergency
When education must heal: Curriculum, trauma and agency in conflict-affected schools
This blog was written by Lopa Shah, founding director of ELICIT, a social organisation driven to design alternatives for education in conflict and crisis affected regions,...
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Are our partnerships really opening doors for refugee students, or just moving the borders?
‘Nothing about us without us’, a principle invoked in many struggles for social justice, only works if we mean it. When we talked with people from refugee backgrounds and those working with them for our research (‘It’s not just opening the doors’: Challenges and possibilities for refugees’ access to higher…
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Scaling against the odds: Teacher training for peace in Eastern DRC
Preparing teachers for conflict-affected classrooms is a global urgency that receives too little attention. Most teachers enter their classrooms unprepared to deal with conflict-related tensions, socio-psychological wellbeing and trauma.
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The balancing act between agency and complicity: Reflections from the UKFIET 2025 conference
The hall fell silent. It was one of the most visceral, uncomfortable moments I have witnessed at a conference – exposing tensions at the heart of the week’s theme. In a world woven together by the digital and the geopolitical, how do we mobilise partnerships without reproducing injustice?
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Back to school after war: Is physical return enough?
“What does it really mean to ‘return to school’ after war? In Lebanon, being physically back in a classroom does not guarantee inclusion, safety or learning. The deeper barriers, such as poverty, displacement, and systemic inequality, remain untouched.”
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Enhancing educational outcomes for IDP learners in Cameroon through Ubuntu pedagogy: A pathway to resilience and inclusion
Across Cameroon, conflict and instability have disrupted learning for thousands of children. The ongoing Anglophone crisis, Boko Haram attacks in the far north, and refugee influxes from neighboring countries have forced families to flee their homes. Children who are internally displaced persons (IDPs) face particular challenges when entering new schools.
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Rishi Valley’s Multi-Grade Multi-Level Methodology: A decolonial model with potential for Education in Emergencies and Post-Conflict Settings
Conceived by the Rishi Valley Institute for Educational Resources (RIVER), the UNESCO-awarded Multi-grade and Multi-level Approach (MGML) is an educational method exemplary of teaching children by their strengths (and weaknesses) regardless of their age and grade.
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The role of education in decolonisation, climate and conflict: A call to action
This blog post provides key takeaways and insights from the panel discussion on ‘Decolonisation, climate and conflict’ at the REAL Centre’s 10th anniversary conference held on 12 June 2025.
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Can multilingual education spark STEM dreams in migrant students in poorer states of India?
Migrant STEM students face significant challenges due to the lack of Multi Lingual Education (MLE) innovation, as language proficiency is crucial for academic success. Decolonising STEM education demands questioning the assumption that English-medium instruction (EMI) is the sole path to STEM success.
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The landscape of refugee education research: Complicit scholarship in violence, oppression and imperialism
In this blog, we summarise insights from the research programme Decolonising Knowledge Systems. Specifically, we focus on the field of education of forced migrants and the rise and quick growth of the field over the past 20 years.
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Palestinian education under attack in Gaza: Teachers and steadfastness
On this 2024 World Teachers’ Day, we remember the teachers who have struggled around the world for just peace and recognition, including in war and conflict. This day is a symbol of acknowledgment of teachers’ key role in ensuring equitable and quality education for all, particularly those marginalised and oppressed.
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A ray of hope: Resilience programme for crisis-affected children in the Somali Region of Ethiopia
The absence of learning spaces, shortages of gender-sensitive WASH facilities, non-availability of school feeding, and shortage of basic education materials were the principal barriers that prevented emergency-affected children from attending educational services.
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