Situational Analyses of Education and Fragility - Country Case Studies

One of the objectives of the INEE Working Group on Education and Fragility is to strengthen consensus on what works to mitigate state fragility through education while ensuring equitable access for all. Accomplishing this task requires a deeper knowledge of the impacts of education on fragile states, education’s role in both exacerbating fragility and building resilience. To develop this evidence base, the Working Group has embarked on a project of four country case studies - or analyses of situations of fragility, i.e. “situational analyses” in Afghanistan (conducted by IIEP/UNESCO), Bosnia-Herzegovina (conducted by the University of Ulster), Cambodia and Liberia.

Please click here for more information on the Analytic Framework of Education and Fragility.

Country Case Studies

The four country case studies were undertaken over 2009 and 2010.

Afghanistan

Often referred to as ‘the quintessential fragile state’, education actors in Afghanistan face formidable challenges. But change is possible. The education sector has witnessed enormous growth since the ouster of the Taliban from Kabul in 2001. The Ministry of Education is now in charge of an ambitious education sector plan and is moving towards technical self-reliance. Education is integral to a state-building project that has yet to bring peace and justice to Afghanistan. The Taliban continues to pose a grave security threat and the opium economy still flourishes. Foreign aid is distributed ineffectively, benefiting foreign military and corporations more than ordinary Afghans. Even the government admits the corrosive effect of corruption. This country case study investigates education delivery in Afghanistan and looks at how aspects of education contribute to, or mitigate, fragility in Afghanistan. Informed by an Analytic Framework of common research questions developed by INEE, the study look at drivers of fragility grouped under five headings: security, economy, governance, social, and environment.

  • Click here for the situational analyses of Afghanistan.


Bosnia-Herzegovina

Although not widely considered to be a ‘fragile state’ by the international donor community, Bosnia and Herzegovina nevertheless remains fragile due to internal and regional political insecurity.  The current political stagnation and absence of social trust in Bosnia and Herzegovina are due in no small part to ongoing disagreement about the country’s identity and future.  Such disagreement has implications for the education of the country’s children and young people. It has been argued that the manner in which education was delivered during the 1992-1995 war supported the conflicting agendas of the three constituent peoples by stereotyping and promoting divisive histories.  After the war, education was manipulated to perpetuate these divisions.  The General Framework Agreement left a chaotic legacy for education, creating an institutionally complex structure which makes the task of educational reform exceptionally challenging.  This study examines the post-war period in Bosnia and Herzegovina, from the signing of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in 1995 through to the present day.

  • Click here for the situational analyses of Bosnia-Herzegovina (forthcoming).


Cambodia

Cambodia today is one of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia.  Unlike other nations in the region that have achieved transformative economic progress and political stability over the past several decades, Cambodia remains mired in poverty and political flux. While there exist growing consensus that the country is more stable than it has been over much of the past several decades, significant concerns still exist and the county is still widely defined as a “fragile state.” Education has a significant role to play in addressing the country’s instability concerns especially considering that both historically and in the present, education in Cambodia has played a role in exacerbating and mitigating fragility. Analysis of these recurring themes may provide insight into the current education system and in planning for future reforms.  This study presents an analytic narrative of historical and current fragility in Cambodia, while specifically considering how education has been affected by fragility.  To understand the impediments to education delivery in Cambodia as well as the improvements that effective education can bring, the study sets out to explore the five drivers of fragility in the Cambodian context: security, economy, governance, social, and environment.

 

  • Click here for the situational analyses of Cambodia (forthcoming).


Liberia

The years of conflict and patterns of fragility in Liberia are in large part rooted in its origins as a modern state.  Such historical inequalities and social disparities have exacerbated popular frustration but it is hoped that the current peace will hold and provide the basis for rebuilding the country and addressing core issues.  Historically, while schooling served an educational function for many, it also played a major role in the historic patterns of exclusion and marginalization by limiting access, offering low levels of quality for many, and hewing to the culture of one but not all groups in society. A number of steps are now being taken to broaden the reach of formal education thus using education as a means of social inclusion.  This study considers the impact that fragility has had on education and conversely the role of education in mitigating fragility.  As part of an INEE research project on education in fragile contexts, and informed by an Analytic Framework of common research questions developed by INEE, this study looks at drivers of fragility grouped under five headings: security, economy, governance, social, and environment.

  • Click here for the situational analyses of Liberia (forthcoming).


Synthesis Report

A synthesis report of the Situational Analyses of Education and Fragility will systematically analyze and organize the findings of the four case studies. The report is meant to directly inform decision makers as well as policy makers, practitioners and researchers when developing education programs, policies and plans in countries affected by fragility and conflict.

Please click here for more information on the synthesis report of the Situational Analyses of Education and Fragility (forthcoming).