Note to reader: this is a RANT and I am angry about other things also so I am unreasonably angry in this blog post
We've all seen those pictures and videos coming out Palestine. I don't need to attach those here.
We've all seen conflicts around the world growing up- in newspapers, then on Facebook, now on Instagram.
We've all seen the children.
Children who can barely survive. Children who are losing their families, their homes, themselves.
We've talked about how ironic it is that the US-centric NGOs started taking education in conflict, or conflict in general, seriously after 9/11. How problems seem important only when they become WHITE problems. Fuck them, right? That's so self-centered- so shallow.
Is it not shallow and self-centered to think that we have all the answers? That we know that the golden key to everything is providing education to these kids? That education will help them 'cope and hope'?
I'm sure the people who came up with these studies have done their research- there must be a reason why the INEE was created. They're not just pulling this shit out of their ass- I'm sure that education DOES have all those transformative qualities that they claim it does.
What I have beef with is the fact that it is all so extremely theoretical.
How do you bring all those theories to life? How do you have context-specific interventions that end up actually doing good and making a change?
How can you say that education needs to be a first priority response along with medical aid, food and shelter, when it is probably not even in the top 20 priorities for those actually affected? (It's possible that education is a first priority for them- I don't know.)
There is so much we've studied about how important education is- it undoubtedly is. I agree. There's been so much about interventions- the School in a Box program, NGOs dispatching resources for governments to distribute, short two-week training workshops for members of the community. I think everyone is sick of me constantly asking HOW but in spite of all the detail we've studies, all the case scenarios we've read about, that is a question that's still unanswered for me and it's driving me crazy.
What's also driving me crazy is the fact that I know that there are no answers. It may just be my irrational need to control or fix every situation ever but it is so frustrating NOT having a solution. What do you mean there's no right answer? That's insane.
My question throughtout the course and to you the reader then is: Do you think education in conflict is possible? Do you think there truly is an answer or a solution to this problem? And how important do you think education really is in a warzone- realistically?
Maybe the real question is whether education matters more to us than survival does to them.
Your article has summarized exactly how I have felt while trying to analyze these situations. It is such a dark situation to be in, an endless cycle of oppression. While researching during course, the solutions seem so void of making actual changes and even if they do, they are generally dismissed as being too long drawn. The effects of these solutions will emerge down generations - what about the currently existing people? What have they deserve to be overlooked by the world in this manner. All we can hope for is to continue spreading awareness about the importance of education. It is important to remind ourselves that this begins at home - the impact of education needs to be understood…
You've raised such an important and thought-provoking point. The tension between the theoretical importance of education and the reality on the ground in conflict zones is something that doesn't get enough attention. It's easy for us to say that education is a priority, but when survival—shelter, food, medical aid—takes precedence, it challenges the very foundation of why we push education as the key to transformation.
I completely get the frustration of feeling like there are no clear answers. We've read all the studies and seen the programs, but the real question is whether they work in practice, in specific contexts, where survival is at stake and people are dealing with trauma that can't simply be solved through a classroom.
What’s…
This blog really resonates with me, especially the frustration of trying to reconcile the importance of education in conflict zones with the reality of people's immediate survival needs. I’ve often wondered the same thing—how can we, from a distance, claim to know what people in these situations really need? It's easy for those of us who are not directly affected to put education at the top of the list, but when you're struggling to stay alive, how much does school matter?
Maha, I really appreciate your skepticism toward theoretical solutions. We hear about these programs like "School in a Box," but how much do they actually address the real, day-to-day challenges that children and families face in conflict? The truth…
Maha, Thank you for providing us with a space to express ourselves near the end of the course. You are right about honesty in questioning whether education truly matters in warzones—or if it matters more to us than survival to them. However, my stance is that I know what we studied as recommendations or solutions, are theoretical but I believe there is always first step to everything. We have to start by something.. some framework, some theoretical solution to make it practical. We cant just lose hope in this. Education is really important in conflict however i believe it is not at first priority in the survival kit. And i don't think it can ever be.
This is such an honest yet thought-provoking post. It so well captures the kind of frustration and complexity that accompanies education within a context of armed conflict. You're right to be cynical about the theoretical approach to educational interventions, and a whole slew of important questions arise regarding the practicalities accompanying these efforts. How do we consider the transformative power of education versus the immediate survival needs of war-affected populations?
Your response toward the Western perspective, particularly the post-9/11 prioritization of some crises, is concise and poignant. It is a much-needed reminder of the fact that the world oftentimes reflects the power dynamics instead of universal humanitarian values. How do you see pushing for a more equitable attention toward all…