Safeguarding education: Towards improved data on attacks on education
For millions of children and youth living in conflict zones, the right to education is compromised. Attacks on education force learners out of school, with lasting impacts on their educational outcomes, health, and well-being. Timely and reliable data on attacks on education is critical to formulate and implement responses that effectively address and mitigate these threats.
Through a collaboration between UNESCO, Education Above All (EAA), and KoBo Toolbox on the Global Data Service on Attacks on Education Initiative, this project explores approaches to improve the quality of data on attacks on education, in line with the Education 2030 Agenda and SDG 4. The reports below present key findings gained through desk-based and field research, with a focus on attacks on education in West and Central Africa.
Key messages
Our research proposes a Data Quality Assurance Framework, whereby continuity of data quality assurance is maintained when requirements are met for data to be reliable and comparable, collected in a manner that ensures consistency and accuracy, to be current and timely, and to be managed through appropriate processes. Beyond ensuring alignment of practices along these principles, greater coordination could be achieved through the establishment of a forum for coordination and exchange on data quality assurance for attacks on education.
Existing reporting falls short of assessing the severity of attacks, which may limit the assessment of different scenarios and related protection concerns. In this light, our research outlines methodological options for a Severity Index, proposing a structure and content to capture indicators relating to the characteristics, circumstances, and consequences of attacks.
Reports
This report presents key findings on data quality assurance, identifying key constraints on the quality of attacks on education data, promising practices, and general principles for quality assurance. Based on a review of the literature and consultations with key informants, it aims to serve as a framework to enhance data quality by improving coordination between stakeholders.
This report proposes methodological options for the development of a Severity Index for Attacks on Education, intended to complement existing data on the number of attacks with a measure of their severity to enable a more comprehensive understanding of threats against learners. The findings are based on a review of existing indices, consultations with key informants, and a desk review of literature and data sources. This report is intended to serve as a basis for further discussions with stakeholders towards systematizing the assessment of the severity of attacks on education.
Attacks on education in West and Central Africa
Regional overview
In recent years, several countries in West and Central Africa have experienced a surge in attacks on education, with severe consequences on the safety, well-being, and educational trajectories of children across the region. Case study research was conducted to explore current policy and data landscapes for attacks on education in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria. Based on these findings, a regional report explores country-level developments and promising practices on policy and data from across the region.
Country background reports
Attacks on education databases
Findings for "Safeguarding education: Policy and data landscapes for the protection of education from attack in West and Central Africa" and the corresponding country background reports are based on a review of relevant policy frameworks and data collection exercises for attacks on education in the West and Central Africa region. Two databases were created to capture the findings of this review, covering the six countries included in this project.
The databases are available upon request by contacting eie@unesco.org.
- Database: Policy frameworks for attacks on education in West and Central Africa
This database provides an overview of national legal and policy frameworks relevant to attacks on education and education in emergencies in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria. The first sheet (鈥淜ey鈥) provides a description of variables reviewed across seven categories: document information, general education and overall inclusion, refugee recognition and documentation, refugee education, refugee durable solutions, safe education, and data and monitoring. The second sheet (鈥淥verview鈥) contains a review of 109 policy documents for inclusion of each variable.
- Database: Data collection on attacks on education in West and Central Africa
This database provides an overview of data collection exercises (DCEs) for attacks on education and school safety in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria. The first sheet ("GCPEA Indicators") contains a list of domains and sub-domains from GCPEA's Toolkit for Collecting and Analyzing Data on Attacks on Education. The second sheet ("Overview_attacks") contains a review of 544 questions related to attacks on education included in the DCEs. The third sheet ("Overview_school safety") contains a list of other questions related to school safety included in the DCEs.