EDUCATION in challenging global contexts

What are the educational requirements of people in extreme and challenging circumstances, such as refugees- whether fleeing persecution or natural disasters? What learning space considerations need to be addressed? What is and is not important?

I have been researching what is often relegated to my 'too hard basket'- the plight of some of the world's millions of refugees. My everyday thinking habitually drifts to questions of how people in desperate and traumatic circumstances have, and do survive. How does a mother manage, fleeing her home with a baby when there are no nappies? How do displaced women manage without access to sanitary items? More to the point, how do refugees cope without food and shelter in rain, or intense cold and heat? How do parents give a sense of security and hope to their children when they themselves are filled with fear and despair?

Education opportunities for displaced young learners may seem a secondary requirement for survival, but is nevertheless a real need that can be overlooked in the emergency of the circumstance. Many refugees are in limbo- an indefinite 'holding pattern'. Two huge resources that can be utilized in these situations are TIME and PEOPLE.

My research wanderings have led me to focus on the AZRAQ refugee camp in Jordan, which to my amazement is a thoughtfully planned, well equipped camp and it has plenty of space awaiting refugees- unlike its counterpart, Zaátari Refugee Camp (near the Jordanian- Syrian border), which has 80 000 Syrian refugees. The reasons the camp has not experienced the influx expected include isolation, harsh climate, unreliable power, and the prospect of 'dying of boredom'. In this respect, the camp itself is a further huge resource.

My FUTURE LEARNING SPACE project (section seen above) will progressively seek to present some solutions to the 'too hard basket' issues of refugees in this area, in conjunction with TWB (Teachers Without Borders)- in itself is an amazing resource; a Community of Practice of Teachers across the globe, willing to be part of the answer. Of the nine TWB Initiatives, I will focus on CFS (Child Friendly Spaces), and the 13 checks used to provide these. I believe that a child needs to have a sense of security to learn effectively. Personal Space, Liminal Space and the Group/ Co-operative and Collaborative Space will be considered in developing Child Friendly Spaces in this challenging global context.