Key tools to improve education in emergencies

Key tools to improve education in emergencies

UNICEF and partners have announced minimum standards for education to help the 25m children affected by conflict who are currently missing out on their right to primary education.

“UNICEF’s experience in emergencies shows that one of the best things for children is to get them back in school,” says Ellen van Kalmthout, Senior Education Specialist of UNICEF.

“This handbook is an important tool to help government officials, international aid workers and other partners react when emergencies strike, schools are damaged and destroyed, and children’s education is at risk.”

The handbook, produced by the Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) and supported by UNICEF, aims to raise the quality of education in emergency situations and provides a universal framework for ensuring the right to education for children affected by crisis.

The 2010 edition encourages preparedness, response and recovery. It also focuses on the links between education, disaster risk reduction and conflict mitigation.

The standards also hold the humanitarian community accountable for providing quality education without discrimination, and for coordinating their efforts to ensure the best possible outcome for children in need.

In the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake, UNICEF and its partners employed the Minimum Standards to conduct a rapid needs assessment for emergency education and to plan a response accordingly. Key responders and partners used the guidelines in the handbook as a common map to move forward.

ENDS

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