Northeast Nigerian Education, Data and WPS

• In Event: Roundtable Session 5
  In Refereed Roundtable Session: Enhancing Equity in Education by Better Aligning with the Women Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda and Framework Case studies from East and West Africa

Proposal

How can we effectively utilize data, learning and training to to effect large scale and comprehensive Resolutions, like WPS? What are innovative ways to amplify f ng Civil Society Networks, Women Peacebuilders’ knowledge of the local to effectively align with and apply the WPS agenda? The context in Northeast Nigeria is complex. And, access to educational opportunities was disrupted due to the Boko Haram insurgency and the resulting displacement of families and communities. Underlying this are patriarchal and socio-cultural norms that favor boys' access to education. UNICEF (2017) noted that more than half the girls NE Nigeria were not in school. Adding to this already complex picture is the further marginalization of women and girls in education and other domains, due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Several efforts to improve access to education while enhancing protection, capabilities and opportunities for girls in keeping with the tenants of the WPS framework are underway. These certainly create avenues for increased educational equity. In 2020, USAID/Nigeria helped establish 40 data hubs, prime sites for messaging and discussion of key areas of change for girls and women. These locations make it possible for local education authorities to collect data in real time and upload them onto a centralized database. Establishment of the data hubs helps mitigate risks and costs associated with traveling to remote areas for data collection. In addition, UNDP collaborated with the Government and Civil Society Organizations to support vocational training for girls and boys in at-risk contexts, to facilitate access to livelihoods and trade. Further, UNDP is working with local organizations to screen and enroll women and girls in a trauma healing and counseling program.

However, more needs to be done to support Peacebuilders and Civil Society Networks’ push to enhance avenues for gender responsive education and training in keeping with the participation, partnership, protection , and capability development lines of effort of the WPS. There are several areas that require attention and innovation and we can focus on a few of them for the purposes of discussion. For instance, civil society organizations can play a vital role with state and local authorities, in mitigating the educational marginalization of women and girls due school shutdowns during the COVID 19 pandemic especially in remote and rural areas and create avenues for participation and partnerships. Further, women peacebuilders in Borno and Adamawa are urging support for training in schools against hate speech and extreme religious fundamentalism leading to the fracturing of peace, aligning to the partnership and protection lines of effort. Similarly, civil society networks argue for better indices for gender-sensitive early warning systems and education on policy and programmatic approaches that build women’s resilience to cope with future shocks in conflict-affected Northeast Nigeria to support capabilities. Finally, leveraging the lines of efforts of the WPS means engaging with peacebuilders,Civil Society Networks, as well as security actors and policymakers. These engagements can support women and girls implicated in armed groups. Or, training mentors to support women and girls to overcome violence and trauma.

Author

• Vanita Datta, USAID