The Institute of Development Studies is leading two research projects on education in contexts of violent conflict, REALISE and BRICE. The REALISE research project is a partnership between IDS and Marakuja Kivu Research, and part of a larger educational intervention (REALISE) funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and implemented by Save the Children and World Vision International
The research project focuses on understanding how violent conflict alters dynamics of marginalisation from education, in particular the intersection of economic, gender, social and political marginalisation. The project focuses centrally on the province of Tanganyika, DRC, and particularly the areas affected by the ongoing ‘Twa-Bantu’ violent conflict. It has a secondary focus on the province of Ituri, DRC. The project seeks to inform educational programmes and policies which address marginalisation from education in conflict-affected contexts.
The project analyses how long-term, structural dynamics of marginalisation of the Twa populations are recast by the social transformation brought about by the conflict. It shows that longstanding practices of racial discrimination which date back to the colonial education system are exacerbated in the context of acute polarisation created by the conflict.
The project adopts a mixed methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative methods to analyse the school environment – households, households, students, teachers, and education administrators – as well as the wider social context of education. The penetration of dynamics into the school environment is analysed through innovative quantitative methods using recall data, and qualitative interviews carried out with local authorities, civil society and military actors in Tanganyika and Ituri over a period of three months. The study adopts a holistic understanding of learning, focusing not only on educational outcomes but also the socio-emotional development of children.
The project’s central outputs are two IDS Working Papers and two policy briefings, which will be published in the fall of 2020 on this page, along with associated outputs and blogs.
Partners:
The research project is part of a larger education programme, REALISE (Reussite Et Epanouissement via L’apprentissage Et L’insertion Au Systeme Educatif), funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and implemented by Save the Children and World Vision International, which seeks to address key barriers to education in six provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The project is done in partnership with Marakuja Kivu Research, a non-profit research organisation based in Goma, which specialises on research in conflict-affected regions.
Key contacts
