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17 September 2015UKFIET, Oxford
Conflict, Violence and Threatened Futures: a post-MDG challenge in northern Nigeria Fatima Aboki, Sandra Graham and Helen Pinnock
Why the Research?
• Took place in 2014 with dissemination in early 2015
• ESSPIN consortium initially a 6-year technical support programme to 6 states of
Nigeria: Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa, Kwara, Lagos and Enugu: 2 year extension
• Save the Children partner lead on Community Engagement, Voice and
Accountability
• Reports of work implemented by civil society and government partners to activate,
train, monitor and mentor School Based Management Committees highlighting
issues of conflict and violence in and around schools affecting education –
according to state context (all states)
• ESSPIN Annual Review 2013 asked how ESSPIN was adapting programmatically
and supporting states to adapt to increased levels of conflict and insecurity,
including direct attacks on schools
Research Framework
Research Design Considered
•ESSPIN’s mandate: not humanitarian but nonetheless strong possibility of increasing levels of conflict and
violence affecting children’s access and learning, both of which ESSPIN aims to support states to improve
•What value could ESSPIN bring?
•Available funds to conduct research
•What others were doing: the Nigeria Govt/NEMA/International Development Partners
Agreed on:
•Broad definition of conflict/violence (not only insurgency)
•Small scale, in-depth, participatory research with a wide range of education stakeholders at all levels, 3
northern states initially
•Conducted by local research participants, trained by consultant
•5 school communities per state, 1,000 participants
Research Methodology
• Sample of schools: Purposive sample, schools from rural, semi-urban,
urban, ESSPIN-supported
• Selection and training of national research assistants (4 days of training
on participatory research methodologies), trusted researchers, at the
same time building capacity in states to conduct research, building
advocacy capacity on conflict sensitivity
• Training was a simulation of exactly what the research assistants would
do in the research states, schools and communities
• Not ‘enumerators’ but in-depth interviews and focus-group discussions
with children, SBMCs/parents, teachers and head teachers, officials at
LGA and state level – use of dictaphone to transcribe answers
• Children given a strong voice and provided revealing information
Find out what?
The main objectives for the research were to
•establish the different faces of conflict and/or violence in school and in
the community level affecting children’s education
•understand how violence and/or conflict directly or indirectly impacts the
education of children and how the situation of education may
fuel/contribute to conflict
•determine the (root) causes and dynamics that leads to violence and/or
conflict in schools and in communities
•identify the key actors and triggers of violence in their community and the
dynamics of conflict
•explore activities on the ground that help mitigate conflict and/or violence
in schools and in communities.
Key Findings
• Conflict and violence play out differently in each state depending on historical, political, socio-
cultural and religious factors, although there are also broad common areas
• Of the 15 school communities selected for the research (in 3 states in which a state of
emergency has not been declared), 12 (83%) had directly experienced violence
Common Issues Across States Identified to Contribute to Conflict & Violence
• The politicising of politics, especially during elections leading people to retreat to political and
religious lines
• Weak institutional capacity, or perceived lack of government will in maintaining peace and
security
• Perceived failure of the justice system: impunity previous conflict
• Social factors (poverty, unemployment, low literacy/radicalisation)
• Belief of some that ‘western education’ dilutes religious and traditional values/beliefs
State Specific/Community LevelKaduna State
•Conflict and violence highlighted to be in a chronic latent state, easily triggered rapidly
resulting in widespread communal conflict and violence.
•Perceived inadequately addressed legacies of historical violence leading to ethno-religious
divide that people retreat to for safety, protection and access to resources (2011 election)
•Silent killings in Kafanchan – Christian/Muslim communities
Kano State
•Conflict often triggered by politicising of politics and religion
•Kano more affected by direct attacks from insurgents including schools
Jigawa State
•Considered peaceful, but in fact experiencing high numbers of IDPs
•Seasonal migration of pastoralist/nomadic communities
•‘Jinni’ or the identifying of children as ‘possessed’ by spirits
School Level
Research participants highlighted that school level violence can also be a
trigger, creating conflict between communities/parents and schools. In
particular:
•Corporal and other degrading forms of punishment for children
•Drug-use and selling (unexpectedly prevalent)
•Sexual violence and abuse
•Abduction
•Direct attacks on schools, students, teachers and school personnel
Existing mechanisms to address such issues:
•Exist but identified to be weak or not known about (e.g. Nigeria Teacher’s
Code of Conduct)
•No emergency preparedness plans in place
Existing actors/structures identified to mitigate conflict and violence
95% of participants mentioned SBMCs to be playing a key role in promoting peace,
resolving conflict, supporting girl’s education, mediating between parents and teachers
and gangs and school, and protecting children
“SBMCs are now a strong link between schools and communities that bring
about change”
•Teachers and head teachers as mediators
•Traditional and Religious Leaders (although in some cases may incite conflict and
violence)
•Islamiya, Tsangaya and Q’uranic Education: schools which were previously solely
religious where Malams are now integrating literacy, numeracy into school life
•Vigilante groups
Post-research plans in place and activities implemented
Key Reaction from States to Dissemination of Report
•Need for school level preparedness and response mechanism
•Reporting mechanisms in place for school-based violence
•Kaduna and Kano states prioritising school fencing
•Establish safe passage to schools (avoid communal clashes)
•Wider dissemination and adherence to the Teacher’s COC
•Training for teachers on positive discipline in schools
Activities already implemented and supported by ESSPIN
•Reporting mechanisms and referral pathways for violence and conflict that occurs in and
around the school developed in states
•Political engagement ongoing with incoming administration
Key Recommendations
• Entrench a conflict and gender sensitive approach to education programming
at all levels
• Ensure that there is a coordinated approach to financial and human resource
allocation for conflict sensitive education programming and not only in the
‘emergency’ states
• The government should plan for education emergency prevention,
preparedness and response in research states (and all other states) working
with development partners
• Build on the integrated IQTE approach and facilitate a broader dialogue on
education
• Ensure teachers receive training on conflict sensitivity and positive methods of
discipline in the classroom
Recommendations continued
• Strengthen information gathering and reporting mechanisms on peace,
conflict, violence and security and education
• Increase community participation in improving education outcomes and
maintaining peace in the community
• Consciously train and provide opportunities for the participation of women in
school and in conflict planning and negotiation efforts
• Review the Nigeria Teacher’s Code of Conduct for domestication in states
and disseminate widely
• Monitor and support the Nigerian Government to deliver on its endorsement
of the International Safe Schools Declaration
Conclusions
• In-depth conflict analysis and research should be part of the routine collection
of baseline information in all education programmes
• Supporting state actors to actively participate from research design through
implementation to report dissemination and reaction, and to lead on responding
to findings is key to ownership of the data and strategy developed to respond
• A resilient education system in fragile contexts requires both localised and
innovative approaches and responses at all levels embedded in a national
education emergency preparedness and response system
• In environments where there is limited access to resources and/or contradicting
ideologies, conflict sensitive education is essential so that education does not
fuel conflict but is a beacon of peace and respect for religious and cultural
diversity
www.esspin.orgFatima Aboki [email protected]
Sandra Graham [email protected]
Helen Pinnock [email protected]
Emily Coinco [email protected]