UKFIET has published an article about the November 2024 conference with a summary report. The event brought together Palestinian academics, UK-based educators, and experts to discuss the devastating impact of the ongoing genocide on Gaza’s education system. The conference aimed to explore the destruction of Gaza’s universities and schools and to propose actionable solutions to support recovery efforts. The conference also highlighted the historical context of the destruction of Palestinian education and focused, in its second part, on the broader crisis in Gaza’s schools, with a discussion on the international community’s role in addressing the crisis.
Blog
[Blog] Tackling the toughest barrier for girls: Social norms
There are a number of well-known factors that work to constrain a girl’s ability to meaningfully attend, participate in and complete school. Although the occurrence and degree of these factors varies by context, they are all underpinned by one thing: social norms. Given the spectrum of norm acceptance amongst individuals, a nuanced and holistic approach is needed.
This blog published by “Level the Field” examines some of the issues with tackling norms and shifting thinking and action. It also suggests a potential pathway for change:
“In a systematic review of interventions designed to shift behaviour, Stewart et al., (2021) found that there is a problematic and implicit theory of change around shifting participants’ attitudes by increasing their knowledge and awareness of gender norms, and the assumption that this will then lead to behaviour change. Although knowledge and awareness are important, given the structures that entrench norms, the spectrum of acceptance amongst individuals, and the powerful reward and sanctioning mechanisms that abound, a more nuanced approach to behaviour change is required.”
[Blog] Scalability of educational innovations in West Africa: The role of civil society organisations
This UKFIET blog identifies strong capabilities among communities towards developing and sustaining their own educational provision. Local NGOs have been innovating for years on educational provision that can serve children in under-resourced areas. Accelerated education has been one of such innovations which has proven to be effective at enhancing foundational skills in literacy and numeracy.
Evidence shows that it supports transitions into primary and junior secondary schools and that once in formal school, the progress for the majority of children who experienced accelerated learning is similar to that of children who have been attending government schools.
In this blog, the authors provide some of the key findings that have emerged from their research on Accelerated Education Programmes (AEPs) in Ghana, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone, supported by GPE/KIX/IDRC over the last 5 years.
[Blog] The landscape of refugee education research: Complicit scholarship in violence, oppression and imperialism
This INEE blog summarises insights from the research programme ‘Decolonising Knowledge Systems’.
Specifically, it focuses on the field of education of forced migrants and the rise and quick growth of the field over the past 20 years. It looks to uncover patterns in knowledge production, examining the role of colonial legacies and how they manifest in the type of knowledge produced — and how the knowledge is produced.
This blog presents the main features of the knowledge produced in the field of forced displacement, namely: the depoliticisation, the influence of Western humanitarianism, and unequal voices between the Global North and the Global South.
[Blog] The right to education for pregnant girls and adolescent mothers: Breaking barriers and biases
Teenage pregnancy and early childbearing are leading causes of girls dropping out of schools, and often result in increased health risks, social stigma and adverse economic impacts throughout the course of their lives.
Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest regional rate of adolescent pregnancy in the world – discriminatory policies, gaps in the implementation of laws, lack of family support, childcare, school fees, negative social norms, and stigma are barriers that deter girls’ continuation in and re-entry to formal education.
This UKFIET blog discusses lessons from an initiative in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Zimbabwe addressing the challenges faced by pregnant girls and adolescent mothers to access formal education.
[Conference] UKFIET 2025: Call for abstracts, deadline 21 March
Date: 16-18 September 2025.
Location: University of Oxford Examination Schools, Oxford, UK.
Details of this year’s UKFIET Conference are now on the UKFIET website.
The Conference Committee has developed seven sub themes for the conference, and is inviting submissions of abstracts for a variety of presentation formats. One of the subthemes is “Inclusion and Intersectionality”.
The deadline for submission of abstracts is 21 March 2025.
The Conference Committee has also developed guidance for writing a clear/effective abstract and criteria for review, together with an abstract writing pack. Abstract writing drop-in sessions have been set up for early March, offering the opportunity for prospective presenters to ask specific questions.
[Seminar/webinar] Exploring perspectives on out-of-school children’s receptiveness to ACE Radio School, an alternative form of education, in Northern Nigeria
Date: 4 March 2025.
Time: 1 p.m. UTC.
Location: REAL Centre seminar in person at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, or online.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, schools were forced to close, forcing educational institutions to embrace innovative means of delivering lessons to students. However, many schools, especially government-owned schools in Nigeria, could not swiftly adapt to the internet-dependent mode of teaching students. ACE Radio School, an alternative form of education, was initiated to provide learning to school children without access to remote learning. This seminar explores the research conducted around understanding the factors responsible for the receptiveness of ACE Radio School in Northern Nigeria. The speakers will discuss what factors should be considered for successful design and implementation of educational interventions in the region. Additionally, the speakers will highlight how alternative education can be effective and viable solution to solving the out-of-school crises in Nigeria.
[Seminar/webinar] Education provision for students with disabilities and additional learning needs in Papua New Guinea
Date: 18 February.
Time: 11 to 12:30 UTC.
Location: University of Sussex Campus, Global Studies Resource Centre, Arts C / Zoom Webinar
This seminar will report back on research carried out last year with a Papua New Guinean researcher, Mevelyn Kawane, a lecturer in special and inclusive education at Balob Teachers College in Lae. This case-study based research was carried out over a four-week period in a ‘model’ inclusive primary school with a significant number of learners with DALN. While it was found the teachers had developed their own ‘home grown’ inclusive pedagogical practices to accommodate these learners, it was also found they struggled to meet their needs, particularly the needs of deaf learners. These challenges can be placed in the immediate context of teaching and learning realities and the broader contexts of curriculum reform, culturally embedded pedagogical practices, fragile support systems, and the impact of colonialism, post-colonialism and globalisation on the Papua New Guinea education system.
**Deadline expired** Education sector gender analysis consultant, Guinea-Bissau
Location: Remote (duty station. Bissau, Guinea-Bissau).
Duration: two months.
Application deadline: 18 February 2025.
UNICEF is seeking an individual short-term consultant to conduct a rapid gender analysis of the Education Sector that will inform the development of the Global Partnership for Education’s System Transformation (STG) application package for Guinea-Bissau in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Scientific Investigation (MENESIC) and in consultation with the Education partners. The scope of the gender review will cover pre-school and basic education (grade 1-9) education levels, including alternative education (i.e. formal and non-formal accelerated learning programmes, skills development, vocational trainings, employability programmes).
[Online conference] Education for young people with disabilities in Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan
Date: 4 & 5 February 2025.
Location: Online.
The Disability under Siege Network + is a multidisciplinary programme aiming to transform education provisions for children with disabilities in war affected states, specifically Palestine (Gaza and West Bank), Lebanon, and Jordan. By bringing together a wide range of experts from across the Middle East region and the UK, the network has undertaken transformative research and practical interventions that support disability inclusivity, accessibility, understanding and resilience. There is also a strong focus on arts and culture as a way of increasing representation and changing perceptions of disability in the region. The programme is funded by UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), under the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF).
The final conference marks the culmination of five years of extensive research, networking and impact collaborations across Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan. The event aims to bring people together from across the sector including disability activists, practitioners, people with disabilities, academics, and community leaders. We will share new research findings and best practice, discuss the current context and how we address urgent priorities going forward. Sessions will incorporate dynamic discussions, arts and cultural showcases, and policy and practice dialogues, designed to foster collaborative solutions and amplify the voices of those most affected by the intersection of disability, education and war.