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

Training Cycle for Research Assistants

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 fatima.aboki@esspin.org

Sandra Graham grahamsandra@hotmail.com

Helen Pinnock hpinnock@yahoo.co.uk

Emily Coinco emily.coinco@gmail.com