Combatting Educational Disparities in Low-Income Countries: How Can Civil Society Challenge Dominant Narratives and Deep-Seated Exclusions?

• In Event: Inclusion, Civil Society, and the Right to Education: Advancing Peace and Equity through Advocacy and Accountability

Proposal

Education is often celebrated as a vehicle for peace and mutual tolerance. Yet it can also serve as a mechanism for exclusion, perpetuating inequalities that undermine positive peace (Galtung, 1969). Civil society’s ability to question and challenge exclusion is therefore essential to building peaceful societies. This presentation shares findings from a collaborative inquiry by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) and a group of civil society education advocates supported by Education Out Loud (EOL).

The inquiry explored how CSOs confront educational exclusion, focusing on four identity-based drivers that remain under-discussed in the literature on low-income countries: indigeneity, ethnolinguistic identity, religion, and LGBTQIA+ identities. These forms of exclusion are deeply rooted in colonial and post-colonial histories of marginalization and coercive assimilation, and continue to shape learners’ experiences today.

Evidence from case studies reveals persistent inequalities. Indigenous students face higher dropout rates and lower attainment; ethnolinguistic minorities often experience educational segregation linked to caste hierarchies; religious identity can exacerbate polarization and unequal access; and LGBTQIA+ learners face pervasive discrimination in classrooms, often in contexts where their rights lack legal recognition.

The presentation examines what enables CSOs to take on such contentious advocacy priorities in national education policy spaces. Findings highlight the importance of coalition-building, negotiation with wider civil society actors, and strategies for engaging policymakers despite political resistance. Advocates’ motivation is sustained by local legitimacy, solidarity networks, and the moral imperative of inclusion, even when political environments are hostile.

By analyzing how CSOs challenge exclusions that are both politically and culturally sensitive, the paper contributes to theoretical understandings of civil society’s role in advancing education for peace. It also offers practical insights for advocates, policymakers, and donors on how to support CSOs working in difficult contexts. Education systems cannot foster peace while reproducing exclusion; civil society’s role is to ensure that the most marginalized identities are visible in both research and policy agendas.

Authors

• Colin Anderson, Institute of Development Studies

• Gauthier Marchais, Institute of Development Studies