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One in seven of the world’s students had their education disrupted by climate disasters last year. One in six children live in a conflict zone.
But when aid funding is tight, emergency education is often cut first.
That’s what’s happening now as donor governments shrink budgets: Teachers are going unpaid, programmes and schools are closing, and dropouts are rising.
Faiza Hassan, director of the Inter-agency Network for Education, wants to reframe the discussion: Education is life-saving.
“Education is more than just schooling. It’s really about equipping people to thrive socially, economically, politically,” Hassan says on the Rethinking Humanitarianism podcast. “It’s more than just the process of acquiring knowledge or skills.”
Schools can be safe spaces to protect children from violence and exploitation. They can offer access to health, nutrition, and other humanitarian services. And communities themselves say education is a top issue, Hassan says.
“If local communities in the middle of a crisis are prioritising education, who are we to say, ‘No this is not a priority’?” Hassan asks.
On the latest episode of the podcast, Hassan tells host Tammam Aloudat why disrupted schooling is the norm rather than an anomaly, why that matters as climate change escalates, and how to move forward and claim national responsibility in an era of international donor cuts.
Guests:
Faiza Hassan, director of the Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies
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