Education in times of war: Experts say need to ensure generations do not bear the brunt

Doha: With universities and schools lying in rubble in Gaza and Ukraine, experts have underlined the urgent need to protect education at all costs to mitigate the effects of the war and ensure that the coming generations do not bear the brunt of raging conflicts.

Stressing the need to recognise that there are real lives at stake in the war in Gaza and Ukraine, and not just statistics and headlines, the experts focused on educational recovery, trauma, psycho-social emotional learning during a session titled "Education in Times of War" at the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) here last week.

"I am not just a survivor from Gaza but a living testament to the resilience that education can cultivate even in the harshest of circumstances. The sounds of rockets, aeroplanes, and bombs in my childhood in Gaza shadowed any dreams for the future. My home was bombed without any warning in 2014 and my uncle and my father were killed," said Athar Ahmed, an education consultant who works in Turkey.

"Hope found me in the form of a scholarship and I moved out of Gaza. For me, it was not just the financial support and transformative journey, but the focus on personal development, leadership skills, and community engagement," she said.

Ahmed, who has an MBA degree, further said, "As we witness the ongoing tragedy in Gaza, we must recognise the importance of protecting education at all costs. It is not just a university, a classroom or a diploma, it is a beacon of hope, a path to a better future. We need to ensure that the next generations do not have to bear the brunt of this never-ending conflict and that the effects of the war can be mitigated".

According to Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Education Above All Foundation (EAA) Foundation, a leading global education institution, since the start of the current Israeli aggression in Gaza in October, 36 EAA-supported schools and universities have been completely or partially destroyed.

"With the collapse of each school and each university, we lose a pillar in the foundation of the future. For every child deprived of education because of violence, another pillar is lost," she said.

Noted American economist and Director of the Centre for Sustainable Development, Columbia University, Jeffrey Sach, said any war raging on the planet needs to be stopped.

"UN Security Council had decided in 1945 to find a dialogue to seek a solution to control war and arms control. The UN Security Council has adopted methods to control Islamic homicides. The problem lies in the lack of resolution taken at various meetings, which needs to be strongly implemented," said Sach.

"There is a need to implement solutions to control the situation which has led to millions of Ukrainians and Syrians dead. We need to implement solutions. It is more of a political battle and the solution will be when each country needs to abide by the resolution of the Security Council.

"Within our reach and resolution, if countries lived up to international laws, things would be easier. Nations will not lift swords against nations," he added.

Organised by the Qatar Foundation in association with Education Above All, the WISE summit was attended by scholars, policymakers, administrators, scientists, educators, startup founders and students from across the globe who discussed their experiences and knowledge on diverse domains.