Education is inherently political: policies, curricula, and teaching and learning processes are influenced by the political economy dynamics in the wider context of the society. In contexts of political resistance and armed struggles, education is not only victim to violence but also complicit in fuelling conflict drivers. Educational processes have the potential to address the root causes of inequities and structural inequalities and can build foundations for peace with justice and promote social transformation. Yet, there are significant gaps in research about how children in these politically unstable settings learn and develop. Where the evidence exists, it is generally fragmented and siloed by disciplines, making it difficult to assess progress or take stock of what we know about policies, programmes, and practices that are effective in improving holistic learning outcomes.
Practical, methodological, and ethical challenges in conducting research in these contexts make it difficult to generate rigorous evidence. More importantly, the top-down, formulaic, and often extractive research partnerships that promote the agenda of the donor and external development actors undermine what is needed in local contexts. They also limit how research knowledge can help Indigenous education actors to sustain education and utilise the knowledge to foster their educational struggle. In this presentation, I will discuss the nexus of education, conflict, and peace, and highlight the efforts of the Education Research in Conflict and Protracted Crises (ERICC) research consortium to build a coherent body of knowledge in this field by aligning with the locally-developed research agenda that aims to foster policy-oriented and actionable solutions to education in challenging environments.
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