The current state of the world shows that approximately 25% of the global population lives in conflict-affected countries. This growing trend of conflict and violence has a significant impact on young people accessing education, and Nigeria has not been isolated from this problem. For over 12 years, certain parts of the northeast and other geopolitical zones have been affected by banditry and terrorist attacks.
UNESCO reports that 250 million children and youth are out of school, and 763 million adults are illiterate. This highlights the limited access to education and employment opportunities for young people, especially in conflict-affected regions.
To commemorate the 2024 International Day of Education, NGYouthSDGs in collaboration with ONE hosted an X (formerly known as Twitter) conversation on the theme “Learning for Lasting Peace.” The conversation sparked the interest of young people around the world as the panellists – Gertrude Asumadu, Tonny Silas Dauda, and Chidinma Ibemere from ONE and Ikenna Ugwu from NGYouthSDGs, – highlighted focus areas needed to improve the quality of education and access to education for lasting peace, especially in conflict zones.
Here are the focus areas that were discussed:
1. Review of Educational Curriculum: To ensure lasting peace in Nigeria and globally, academic curriculums need to be reviewed to prioritize the learning of peace education. While it is essential to teach the history of a nation, schools should also teach about current events that cause instability and dismiss peace within a country. This will encourage a solution-oriented mindset in young people.
2. Education and Poverty: Almost 700 million people worldwide live in extreme poverty, where unemployment and a lack of fair and inclusive education contribute to the cycle of poverty. We cannot rely solely on charity to fight poverty but must tackle poverty as an injustice. By doing so, we can end the circle of young people who are educated but unemployed, uneducated and unskilled, or educated but lacking the necessary skills for the workforce.
3. Amending Educational Policies: Policies should be established based on the specific needs of a nation. Even if a policy works well in one country, it may not yield the same results in another country. Nigeria needs to look inward to understand the particularities of its educational system and develop actionable policies.
4. Education Financing: The government can increase funding for education through a diversified funding source. This includes establishing public-private partnerships, engaging donors and philanthropists, and debt negotiation with organizations like the IMF and World Bank. For instance. when loans are paid back on time, a certain percentage can be given as a chargeback, which could be reinvested into the education system.
5. Strengthening Other Education Focal Points: In addition to building quality schools, training teachers and enumerations should be a priority. Extracurricular activities of students in both tertiary institutions and elementary schools should also be factored in. All of this would lead to a wholesome approach to fostering quality education for all.
6. Exploring Informal Educational Methods: In conflict-affected regions, vocational training and apprenticeships can provide essential skills for young people. This can serve as a channel of bridging unemployment and provide an informal learning system for young people. Coupled with the introduction of green skills, vocational training is a viable pathway for young people in conflict zones to become economically empowered and engage in productive activities, leading them on the path of becoming employers of labour.
7. Community-based Strategy: Strategies such as community learning centres, maximizing communication platforms such as radio stations, and collaboration between local government leaders and NGOs can improve access to education in communities affected by violence.
Young people must continue to demand equal access to education for everyone. Training and forum discussions on the essence of fostering peace and ensuring that education is an essential human right that is accessible to everyone, even in conflict regions.
Would you like to listen to the X-space conversation? Kindly click .
