Education and Fragility

Threats posed by fragility have increasingly been considered as barriers to development and are now a high priority for international policy-makers. The definition of fragility used by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)–Development Assistance Committee (DAC) Fragile States Group emphasizes the lack of capacity and willingness of a government to perform key state functions for the benefit of all. The effects of fragility stretch beyond poor services to include conflict, state collapse, loss of territorial control, extreme political instability, clientelist policies and repression or denial of resources to subgroups of the population. The level of state capacity and will is categorized by the following phases of fragility: arrested development, deterioration, post-conflict transition, and early recovery. Organized violence, corruption, poverty, exclusion, and poor governance are all common conditions and indicators of fragility.

Please click here for OECD DAC Service Delivery in Fragile Situations, Key Concepts, Findings, and Lessons

In early 2008, the Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) commissioned a team of researchers from Oxford University’s Conflict and Education Research Group (CERG) to carry out a desktop study that would investigate the effects of education on fragility. The central question asked was: How can provision of quality education mitigate fragility and contribute to peace building, peace dividends, state building, the resilience of institutions and state stabilization? 

Drawing on quantitative and qualitative data, the research confirmed that quality education supports conflict resolution and peacebuilding and can contribute to the social, economic and political stability of societies, thereby reducing the risk of violent conflict and mitigating state fragility. Specific findings from the research include:

  • State educational provision is a necessary condition for overcoming fragility.
  • Education can enhance stability by contributing to social cohesion.
  • Secondary education is an effective contribution to overcoming fragility.
  • Education can measurably reduce the risk of civil unrest and violent conflict.
  • The perception of inadequate educational service often becomes a grievance that exacerbates fragility.
  • Education systems can be a prime site of corruption and a suitable place to establish transparency.
  • Political manipulation of educational provision and content may increase fragility.
  • Education is highly desired by populations affected by fragility.
  • Peace education can have positive effects on students’ attitudes.


Desk Study on Education and Fragility


Please click here for more information on the Desk Study on Education and Fragility carried out by the Oxford University’s Conflict and Education Research Group (CERG) in early 2008.

INEE Working Group on Education and Fragility

  • Click here to download the presentation on the Education and Fragility Working Group
  • Click here to download the paper on Global Trends for Education to Support Stability and Resilience



In early 2008, a Working Group on Education and Fragility was established within INEE, as an inter-agency mechanism to coordinate diverse initiatives and catalyze collaborative action on education and fragility. The Working Group’s goals are to:

  • Strengthen consensus on what works to mitigate fragility through education while ensuring equitable access for all.
  • Support the development of effective quality education programmes in fragile contexts.
  • Promote the development of alternative mechanisms to support education in fragile contexts in the transition from humanitarian to development assistance.


Please click here to learn more about the about the Working Group on Education and Fragility.

Key Background Documents and Resources


Announcements

The next biannual meeting of the Working Group will take place on 15-16 April hosted by UNESCO in Paris.