Education systems can contribute to conflict. In Rwanda, for example, the education system was used as an instrument in fomenting exclusion and hate. In many post-conflict settings, rehabilitation of the education sector requires not re-establishing the system that existed prior to the conflict but rather reforming the whole system. Education rehabilitation goes beyond rebuilding infrastructure and restoring basic education to rebuilding the social fabric of society and developing inclusive education systems. As such conflict-sensitivity must be incorporated into rehabilitation efforts.
While there is a good degree of literature that exists on reintegration of former combatants in education, training and livelihood services in Aceh, there is a dearth of literature on broader education rehabilitation in Aceh. As such, this helpdesk research report draws exclusively on literature from other post-conflict contexts. The literature points to the need for:
- broad consultation and participation
- inclusive participatory arrangements and appropriate expenditure frameworks and budgeting processes
- in-service training (to address the backlog in teacher training) and pre-service training (to train a new cadre of teachers)
- consideration of the most appropriate language(s) of instruction
- reform of the curriculum early in the process
- a sector-wide approach that looks at pre-primary, primary, secondary and tertiary education
- monitoring and evaluation of the progress of schools.
