How can technology support education in crisis and conflict settings?

What is the current status of global education?

The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 4 is to ‘ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all’.

At present, they believe ‘the world is falling far behind in its ambitions to achieve quality education’. By 2030, without additional measures, the situation stands to be bleaker still:

•   84 million children and young people will be out of school
•   300 million students will lack basic numeracy and literacy skills
•   Only 1 in 6 countries will achieve universal secondary school completion targets.

Crisis and conflict only make already-challenging educational targets more unattainable. Climate change and environmental instability, armed conflict and violence, large-scale displacement, natural disasters, poverty and ill health, economic and political turmoil, and any number of other humanitarian crises have a disproportionate impact on vulnerable populations.

How do conflict and crisis situations impact learning outcomes?

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights guarantees the right to education without discrimination; despite this, it’s a right that’s often violated or ignored in the midst of humanitarian crises. Naturally, in times of conflict, crisis, hardship and trauma, education takes a backseat to more immediate needs such as food, safety, shelter, and medical care.

The barriers to accessing educational resources and learning experiences in disrupted settings can be considerable; children living in countries and regions affected by conflict and fragility are the most likely to be unable to attend school. Educational facilities may be destroyed, occupied or looted, it may not be safe to attend learning environments, and there may be issues with a lack of internet connectivity, access and information communication technology (ICT) infrastructure (such as educational software, or hardware such as laptops).

The impacts on learners and the learning process can be profound. Taking war as an example:

• Children in conflict-affected countries are 30% less likely to complete primary school than those in non-conflict-affected countries
• Only 50% of refugee children have access to primary education, compared with a global level of over 90%
• In 2017, 64 million primary-aged children were not in school – accounting for 9% of the global primary-aged population.

It’s a big problem: the longer children and young people are out of education, the less likely it is that they will return. Gaps in education – because of emergencies – have an impact on the equality, income, health and psychological wellbeing of future generations. In turn, this fuels the cycle of poverty.

Conflict and crisis are cited as two of the most critical barriers to achieving better global educational outcomes. In response, the World Bank has placed educational projects in Fragility, Conflict and Violence (FCV) contexts high on their agenda; such projects now account for 25% of their overall education portfolio of $23 billion.

How can the use of technology support education in conflict and crisis settings?

Increasingly, international aid agencies are turning to education technology (EdTech) to help mitigate the effects of conflict and crisis on educational engagement and progression. Commonly used technologies include mobile SMS study tools, e-learning materials, video-based lessons, pre-loaded tablets, language-learning apps, and online study groups.

Real-life case studies demonstrate the important role that digital pedagogical tools play in crisis and conflict-affected areas the world over:

• Bosnia and Herzegovina, Europe: an influx of migrants and refugees has placed considerable strain on the country’s education systems. Akelius, a digital learning application, has been introduced to support refugee children with their English and German language learning. The tool is used as a blended approach in classrooms and has proved effective in personalising learning experiences and supporting diverse needs and stages of learning.
• Latin America and the Caribbean: In this region, more than 19 million school children with disabilities face barriers to school participation, learner retention, and learning outcomes. UNICEF’s Accessible Digital Textbooks for All (ADT) initiative uses accessible digital content and tools to enable all students to access learning materials in the same classroom.
• Kenya, Africa: Learners living in refugee camps are using social media to access the higher education landscape. Peer-and-teacher networks use platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp and SMS to exchange information related to university applications, university culture, and motivations to continue studying.
• Worldwide: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the disruption to learning routines as a result of school closures was widely documented. Mobile phones played a vital role in enabling children, young people and adults to engage with distance learning – from ‘listening clubs’ in Burkina Faso to teacher training in Bangladesh. A relatively cheap and accessible tool, phones supported content delivery, text message and call-based tutoring, and ‘nudges’ to remind students to complete learning activities.

Save the Children’s EdTech for Learning in Emergencies and Displaced Settings provides a comprehensive literature review, methodology, and synthesis of the key findings of EdTech’s role in enabling crisis-affected populations to access learning. UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring Report Summary 2023 also provides further information.

Are there any disadvantages associated with EdTech and crisis and conflict settings?

EdTech isn’t a perfect solution. As an example, online learning proved an undesirable education option for Syrian refugee learners displaced in countries such as Jordan. The chaos of living in refugee camps, together with difficulties maintaining motivation and momentum without personal contact with fellow students and teachers, created barriers to student learning. However, it can alleviate education-related issues in certain contexts and situations; INEE provide the example of software that provides reliable digital credentials for displaced students.

Digital learning tools on their own are insufficient. As UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency) note, while ‘a sizeable array of online learning has emerged, from online courses, lectures and curated content to entire degree programmes […] access to information does not by itself equate to an education.’ They highlight the importance of in-person academic support, blended learning models, and new technologies that complement instruction from well-qualified educators. For educational tools to be most effective in vulnerable populations and regions, partnerships must exist between governments, policymakers, education services, charities and NGOs, technology providers, and other stakeholders.

Use educational technology to tackle the most critical challenges facing school-age children

Explore the role of technological interventions in advancing global pedagogy – from primary schools through to higher education institutions – with Keele University‘s online MA Education Technology programme.

Gain the skills and competencies to address critical challenges facing the educational sector, and harness the power of technology to bring lessons to life and make learning more accessible and meaningful. Whether you’re a teacher, trainer, online learning resource specialist – or simply have an interest in education and technology integration – our flexible, 100%-online course is the ideal way to enhance your professional development. You’ll explore issues in global education, evidence-based educational research design, case study analysis, reflective practice, how ICT, digital technologies and e-learning tools impact teaching and learning, educational sustainability, and more.