2695 TECHNICAL PAPER NO. 7 Armed conflict can have a lasting impact on education over many generations. The violence has devastating effects on the educational path of youth and can create a legacy of lost years of schooling which are never recovered. This technical paper sheds light on the measured effects of conflict on education by analysing the educational attainment and literacy rates of target populations. Long-term impacts of armed conflict include smaller shares of the population with formal schooling, fewer average years of education, and decreased literacy rates. In addition, conflict exacerbates existing inequalities in school participation, negatively affecting girls, poor households and ethnic minorities. The report focuses on the population of school-going age during conflict periods in 25 selected countries. Household survey data collected between 2000 and 2008 are presented, providing information for national and sub-national levels. First highlighted in the 2011 Education for All Global Monitoring Report, this paper provides the complete analysis which shows how conflict impedes the realization of important education goals, such as universal primary education and gender equality. The findings can help to better target efforts to rebuild societies affected by these strifes. THE QUANTITATIVE IMPACT OF CONFLICT ON EDUCATION 2695 UNESCO Institute for Statistics P.O. Box 6128, Succursale Centre-Ville Montreal, Quebec H3C 3J7 Canada http://www.uis.unesco.org The UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) is the statistical office of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and is the UN depository for internationally comparable statistics in the fields of education, science and technology, culture and communication. THE QUANTITATIVE IMPACT OF CONFLICT ON EDUCATION UNESCO The constitution of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was adopted by 20 countries at the London Conference in November 1945 and entered into effect on 4 November 1946. The Organization currently has 194 Member States and 8 Associate Members. The main objective of UNESCO is to contribute to peace and security in the world by promoting collaboration among nations through education, science, culture and communication in order to foster universal respect for justice, the rule of law, and the human rights and fundamental freedoms that are affirmed for the peoples of the world, without distinction of race, sex, language or religion, by the Charter of the United Nations. To fulfil its mandate, UNESCO performs five principal functions: 1) prospective studies on education, science, culture and communication for tomorrow's world; 2) the advancement, transfer and sharing of knowledge through research, training and teaching activities; 3) standard-setting actions for the preparation and adoption of internal instruments and statutory recommendations; 4) expertise through technical co-operation to Member States for their development policies and projects; and 5) the exchange of specialized information. UNESCO is headquartered in Paris, France. UNESCO Institute for Statistics The UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) is the statistical office of UNESCO and is the UN depository for global statistics in the fields of education, science and technology, culture and communication. The UIS was established in 1999. It was created to improve UNESCO's statistical programme and to develop and deliver the timely, accurate and policy-relevant statistics needed in today’s increasingly complex and rapidly changing social, political and economic environments. The UIS is based in Montreal, Canada. Published in 2011 by: UNESCO Institute for Statistics P.O. Box 6128, Succursale Centre-Ville Montreal, Quebec H3C 3J7 Canada Tel: (1 514) 343-6880 Fax: (1 514) 343-5740 Email: [email protected] http://www.uis.unesco.org ISBN 978-92-9189-104-7 Ref: UIS/TD/11-04 ©UNESCO-UIS 2011 The authors are responsible for the choice and presentation of the facts contained in this book and for the opinions expressed therein which are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization. The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, its authorities, or the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Abstract This study examines the impact of armed conflict on the population of 25 countries, finding substantial negative effects of exposure to conflict on educational attainment and literacy. Using household survey data from Demographic and Health Surveys, as well as Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys, conducted between 2000 and 2008, analysis at the national and sub-national levels reveals that conflict often leaves an unfortunate legacy for the affected generations: smaller shares of the population with formal schooling, fewer average years of education, and decreased literacy rates, which persist over time. Furthermore, in many countries existing gaps between marginalized groups, such as women, and the rest of the population worsen during conflict. The study contributes to the growing literature in this field by demonstrating the lasting impact of conflict on education for a large and diverse set of countries. Keywords: education, attainment, literacy, conflict, disparity, household survey This publication was prepared by Sheena Bell ([email protected]) and Friedrich Huebler ([email protected]) of the Education Indicators and Data Analysis unit of the UNESCO Institute for Statistics as a background paper for the EFA Global Monitoring Report 2011 – The Hidden Crisis: Armed Conflict and Education. The authors would like to thank Amélie Gagnon, Olivier Labé and Patrick Montjourides for their valuable comments. - iii - Table of contents 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................ 7 2. Methodology ......................................................................................................... 11 3. Country analysis: Arab States .............................................................................. 15 3.1 Iraq ............................................................................................................ 15 3.2 Yemen ....................................................................................................... 19 4. Country analysis: Central and Eastern Europe .................................................... 23 4.1 Bosnia and Herzegovina ........................................................................... 23 4.2 Turkey ....................................................................................................... 25 5. Country analysis: Central Asia............................................................................... 28 5.1 Tajikistan ................................................................................................... 28 6. Country analysis: East Asia and the Pacific ......................................................... 30 6.1 Cambodia .................................................................................................. 30 7. Country analysis: Latin America and the Caribbean ............................................ 34 7.1 Colombia ................................................................................................... 34 7.2 Guatemala ................................................................................................. 37 8. Country analysis: South and West Asia ............................................................... 41 8.1 Afghanistan ............................................................................................... 41 8.2 India ........................................................................................................... 44 8.3 Pakistan ..................................................................................................... 48 9. Country analysis: Sub-Saharan Africa ................................................................. 52 9.1 Burundi ...................................................................................................... 52 9.2 Central African Republic ............................................................................ 54 9.3 Chad .......................................................................................................... 56 9.4 Congo, Democratic Republic of the ........................................................... 60 9.5 Congo, Republic of the .............................................................................. 65 9.6 Côte d’Ivoire .............................................................................................. 69 9.7 Eritrea ........................................................................................................ 72 9.8 Ethiopia ..................................................................................................... 75 9.9 Mozambique .............................................................................................. 78 9.10 Rwanda ..................................................................................................... 83 9.11 Sierra Leone .............................................................................................. 88 9.12 Somalia ....................................................................................................