Community’s Perception on Basic Education in Conflict Contexts. The Case of Norwegian Church Aid Education Program in B Elethawa District, Somalia
Abstract
This study was conducted with an aim
of
examining the education status
and
community‟s perception on basic
e
ducation in conflict contexts,
the case of
Norwegian Church Aid Education program in B
elet Hawa
district of Somalia.
More
often than not,
basic
education is often disrupted during emerg
encies, whether caused
by armed conflict or natural disaster, and many children never return to school when
the emergency is over, significantly diminishing their own opportunities and their
country‟s ability to break the cycle of poverty and underdevelop
ment.
The objectives
of the
study
therefore were
to
understand
the education situation in
Gedo region
-
Somalia and the role of government and key stakehold
ers in
development of education;
to establish the role played by education in conflict
situations an
d to explore community perception and participation in education
programm
es
.
The study employed a descriptive survey research design based on a
cross sectional descriptive research and data was collected using questionnaires
, focus
group discussion and key
informants interview.
Findings of the study indicated that there are few education facilities which are poorly
equipped, both in terms of qualified human resourc
e and also basic infrastructure in
the area of study.
In addition, i
t is clear that educatio
n in emergencies work is not only
relevant in the short
-
term response to an acute crisis, but is equally required to address
educational needs over the long term, during either chronic instability or post
-
crisis
recovery and reconstruction.
The study will
serve to enhance advocacy efforts towards more emphasis on
education inclusion as a principal part of any humanitarian response through
supporting education systems especially to the NGOs providing humanitarian
assistance in the region. The study recommen
ds that
NGOs and stakeholders should
prioritize education prioritize education as it‟s the basis for building resilience
towards emergencies and promotes long
-
term development. This should be through
adequate funds allocation and investment in school infra
structure.
Publisher
University of Nairobi