Education

Discussion Stream Notes

While UNHCR defines education as one of the basic rights of a refugee, few camps provide formal schools. If one does exist, it's often an informal gathering under a tree or in a corner of the camp. The Education Group proposed that education should not be the caboose, but rather the engine driving refugee settlements for all members. Any educational initiative requires some fundamental elements to maximize its potential for success. These include the need for a local vision to create and move initiatives forward; the need for sensitivity and inclusiveness, particularly regarding women's issues and illiteracy; the need for assessment, monitoring and evaluation; and the need for ongoing support for programs. Using these requirements, the education group identified three modules.

1. Train the Trainers in Sustainability

The "train the trainers" initiative is intended to empower the "community animators" present in every group, and insure that education of refugee populations includes vital community building skills and sustainability training. This module would provide support and training to help educators pass on their knowledge to their community as effectively as possible. Training would be preceded by an initial appraisal to establish the social, cultural, religious and political resources and requirements of a specific settlement population. The appraisal should also identify all potential local NGO partners, whose support and participation is crucial for effective implementation. Vital skills for community building would include conflict resolution, leadership skills, inclusiveness, and teaching problem solving and participatory decision-making. Training for sustainability would teach whole systems thinking in assessing camp resources and problems. Special attention should be paid to women's issues (family planning, healthcare, childcare, literacy issues, etc.). Training and execution of effective record keeping is another vital component. More than just paper shuffling, proper documentation of the education history and abilities of students is invaluable when refugees return to school or employment in their home regions. Record-keeping and information exchange can also help educators within camps to keep up with formal education curriculum requirements from their home country.

2. "School-in-a-Box"

This initiative is intended to provide basic materials, how-to information, physical capacities, and curriculum content in a large physical box, for the purpose of establishing both a basic school and additional programs. The School in a Box concept is already in use in some places (i.e., UNICEF, Rishi Valley). The box should contain both conventional tools and learning materials (books, paper, pencils, etc.), and interactive materials designed to encourage experiential rather than rote learning. This should be a "sea chest"-sized object containing multiple modular boxes appropriate to the needs of the settlement. Intended to emphasize whole-system thinking, the box could include clothing for children (e.g. a uniform they're proud to wear); the "Life in a Box" described in the nutrition group; PV cell materials; latrine kits; "club" kits; "fun and games" kits; and curriculum instructions for formal and informal teaching. The box can be tailored to low, medium, and high budget scenarios. An "Adopt-a-Box" program sponsored by schools in other countries could be used to create accountability for the box reaching its intended recipients, and to build global connections.

3. Community, Life and Repatriation (CLR) Skills

CLR skills are intended to empower refugees with the skills to become independent, self sufficient and prosperous upon return to their homeland. Refugees must be able to lead and rebuild their community both within the camp and upon their return home. The initiative would be designed to cultivate a set of practical skills that combine indigenous resources and expertise with best-of-breed techniques for building positive and sustainable community elements: gardens and farms, homes and businesses, clothing and paper, etc. In addition to vocational skills, this module seeks to help rebuild an indigenous system of justice by supporting community leadership and self-regulation within refugee settlements. A school within a refugee camp should be a center of all modes of learning, where people of all ages and genders can get apprentice-style hands-on experience to learn the skills to build a practical livelihood and a healthy communityÛfor example, weaving, masonry, and adobe-making. Resources for the development of this module include the Gaviotas model, the Peace Corps, and Sustainable Village.