Information Management For Education in Emergencies: State of The Field in Morocco
Information Management For Education in Emergencies: State of The Field in Morocco
@norrag
ISSN: 2571-8010
Data Collection and
Evidence Building to
Support Education in
Emergencies
Guest editor
Mary Mendenhall, Teachers College, Columbia
University, New York, USA
3 3
Foreword
Four years ago, in its review of progress on the 2015 cultural environments making identification of “what works”
Education for All agenda, the 2015 Global Monitoring Report a rather daunting task. The ecological validity of findings
(GMR)1 deplored that more than 35% of out-of-school children is usually limited to very specific contexts owing to the
live in conflict-affected areas. One year later, UNHCR claimed idiosyncratic nature of conflict and emergency situations.
that only one child out of two living in conflict-affected areas These in turn lead to weaker advocacy and lobbying power,
is able to attend primary education, compared to a global critical to increase the level of support to EiE (education in
trend reaching over 90% of primary school attendance2. The emergencies).
2016 ODI report Education Cannot Wait further estimates that
75 million school-aged children and youth “are in desperate The articles in this special issue, guest edited by Mary
need of educational support”3. In addition, available data Mendenhall, Associate Professor of Practice in the
highlights that factors of marginalization in situations of International and Transcultural Studies Department at
conflict are not only being perpetrated but even increased, Teachers College, Columbia University, give details about the
notably for girls who are 2.5 times more likely to be out of lack of data and evidence about good practices and critical
school than boys4. Emergency situations, which include both needs of children in emergency situations. Many of the
human conflicts and natural disasters, frequently span longer SDG indicators cannot be produced for children in conflict-
than a typical basic education cycle of 12 years. Despite affected areas, either at the global or at the local level. The
education’s critical role in helping maintain some sense of lack of data and evidence severely undermines the ability of
normalcy, in protecting children by providing them with a countries to develop sound and articulated education sector
safe place in precarious environments, and in preparing a plans and long-term recovery. It also hampers appropriate
future post-conflict or post-disaster, evidence and funding to monitoring and evaluation as well as the search for funding.
improve education in these situations is woefully inadequate.
What we do know highlights the urgency of seeking The present issue is organized in five different sections,
appropriate, effective and sustainable responses. which speak directly to policymakers, scholars, practitioners,
civil society organizations, and stakeholders. Part 1 gives
This NORRAG Special Issue focuses on why data and other an overview of the states of research in EiE, emphasising
kinds of evidence are nevertheless crucial for understanding opportunities and gaps. It provides a cartography of initiatives
and addressing situations of emergency and protracted both at the global and local levels, perceived as opportunities
crises. It also aims to provide insight into the ethical and to improve research in EiE fields. Authors share the view that
material challenges to overcome in gathering evidence there are important challenges and limits to be addressed.
when priorities can seem to make such efforts both morally
questionable and logistically impossible. Urgency stemming Part 2 draws more specifically on methodologies for
from immediate safety and health needs combined with understanding “what works”, and therefore provides advice
inadequate human and material resources compel actors on “what did not work”. It highlights how complementary
to give low priority to what can be seen as technocratic approaches are key to the design of effective, rigorous,
concerns. Research in emergency settings is complicated participative and inclusive research frameworks.
by safety concerns but also sensitive political, social and Part 3 provides a panorama of promising practices for data
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and evidence. Contributions from practitioners directly Continuing on the work initiated in NORRAG Special Issue 01,
involved in the field give examples of effective education launched in 2018, entitled “The Right to Education Movements
interventions while also raising concerns about the numerous and Policies: Promises and Realities”, this issue seeks to
challenges that they face in situations of forced displacement. include contributions from various countries. NSI02’s call for
papers encouraged submissions in Arabic, English, French
Part 4 digs into how data building and evidence tend to and Spanish from researchers, scholars and practitioners.
overlook critical EiE issues, especially when it concerns
populations already marginalized before the emergency. Mary Mendenhall carries out research on education in
Authors make the call for a greater anticipation of this issue, emergencies, with particular emphasis on refugee education
to reduce disparities in data building and evidence that could policies and practices. Her research interests and expertise
potentially harm the most vulnerable. look at the quality, relevance, and sustainability of
educational support provided by international and national
Finally, part 5 offers a reflection on ethics and quality actors for displaced children and youth in conflict-affected
research in EiE fields. Authors share their experiences and post-conflict countries. Her extensive experience gives
conducting research in the EiE field and the challenges that her the unique position of bringing together scholarship
they confronted; they conclude with strong advice for future and practice. She currently leads several projects, involving
stakeholders regarding data and evidence building in the EiE scholars, students and alumni, that aim to build on
field. Overall, this issue provides contributions that further collaborative partnerships between Teachers College and
exemplify the call for more and better data in EiE, with international organizations, including the Inter-agency
specific programmatic actions to be taken by institutions as Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) and the larger
well as policy planning and implementation that needs to be international education community.
undertaken by governments. Additional multimedia pieces
to feed the discussion are shared on NORRAG’s website at
https://www.norrag.org/nsi-02.
Endnotes
1. UNESCO (2015). Education for All 2000-2015: achievements and challenges.
EFA global monitoring report, 2015. Retrieved from: https://unesdoc.unesco.
org/ark:/48223/pf0000232205
2. UNHCR (2016). UNHCR Education Report 2016. Missing Out: Refugee
education in crisis. Retrieved from: https://www.unhcr.org/57d9d01d0
3. Nicolai, S., et. al. 2016. Education Cannot Wait: proposing a fund for
education in emergencies. London: ODI. Retrieved from: https://www.odi.
org/sites/odi.org.uk/files/resource-documents/10497.pdf
4. Ibidem.
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Contents
03 Data and Evidence Gaps in Addressing the Educational Needs of Vulnerable Adolescents and Youth
in Situations of Crisis 22
Marina Anselme, Youmna Ghosn and Inge van de Brug, RET International
05 Challenges in Gathering Data after Natural Disasters and the Potential for Local Knowledge:
The Case of the Nepal Earthquake 2015 28
Paul G. Halman, University of Queensland, Australia
08 A Case for Urgent Evidence Building: Educational Needs of Syrian Children in Turkey 37
Merve Mert, Education Reform Initiative (ERG), Turkey and Kayıhan Kesbiç, Bogazici University, Turkey
11 “That Word is Not Used Here”: Challenges of Qualitative Research in Areas Affected by Armed Conflict 49
Diana Rodríguez-Gómez, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
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13 Nigeria Education Crisis Response: Using a Mixed Methods Approach to Drive Project Success 56
Jake Thomsen, Creative Associates International
14 Examining the Enumerator Effect: Improving Data Quality Through Enumerator Observation 59
Lindsay Brown, New York University, USA and Erick Ngoga, International Rescue Committee
15 A Co-design Methodology for Blended Teacher Professional Development in Contexts of Mass Displacement 63
Eileen Kennedy, Mai Abu Moghli and Elaine Chase, University College London, UK
16 Improving the Quality of Inclusive Education in Emergencies: What Are Our Methodological Choices
for Engaging Children in Knowledge Generation? 66
Gwadabe Kurawa, Independent Researcher
Part 3: Promising Practices for Data and Evidence in Forced Displacement Contexts 73
18 Rapid Education and Risk Analysis: An Innovative Approach to Understanding How Sustained Violence
Impacts Learning Systems in South Sudan 74
Nitika Tolani and Idalia Rodriguez Morales, Management Systems International and Wendy Wheaton, USAID
23 Education Systems in Crisis: Challenges and Lessons from Recent Analyses in West and Central Africa 91
Koffi Segniagbeto, IIEP-UNESCO / Pôle de Dakar
25 Ideas Box Initiative: Digital Innovation to Support Education and Psychosocial Relief of Children and
Adolescents in Displacement 97
Mohammed R.A. El-Desouky, Bibliothèques Sans Frontières/Libraries Without Borders
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Part 4: More Data Needed about Critical EiE Issues 101
26 Data Needs for Children with Special Needs in Refugee Populations 102
Serra Acar and Ozden Pinar-Irmak, University of Massachusetts Boston, USA and Staci B. Martin, Portland State University, USA
28 Scaling up Best Practices for Girls’ Education and Empowerment in Afghanistan 108
Emma Symonds, Aga Khan Foundation
29 What we Know and What we Need to Know: Identifying and Addressing Evidence Gaps to Support
Effective Teacher Management Policies in Refugee Settings in Ethiopia 111
Stephanie Bengtsson and Katja Hinz, IIEP-UNESCO, Ruth Naylor, Education Development Trust and Helen West,
International Development Researcher and Adviser
31 Navigating the Challenges of Conducting Doctoral Research in the Field of Education Within
Conflict-Affected Settings 119
Elizabeth Adelman and Vidur Chopra, Harvard Graduate School of Education
33 Actualizing the (Seemingly) Impossible: Methodologies for the Ethical Collection of High-Quality
Education Data in Syria 126
Jen Steele, Integrity Global
8
Data Collection and Evidence
Building to Support Education in
Emergencies
Mary Mendenhall, Associate Professor of Practice, Teachers College, Columbia University,
New York, USA
[email protected]
Introduction
in emergencies, with an emphasis on the real and persistent
The second NORRAG special issue is dedicated to data collection gaps in compiling quality data and evidence. They recount
and evidence building to support education in emergencies the work that NORRAG and INEE have been engaged in to
(EiE). As many parts of the world continue to experience help make existing data and evidence in EiE more accurate,
protracted conflict and displacement, the various stakeholders available, and accessible. Building on the “New Way of Working”
that make up the EiE field—the communities directly impacted momentum ignited by the World Humanitarian Summit in
by crises; national governments in both crisis-affected and 2016, Buckner, Smiley, and Cremin highlight an opportunity
host countries; local, national, and international organizations; to bridge the humanitarian-development divide by thinking
academic institutions; and donors—must continue our collective differently about data. Informed by their work in the Middle
efforts to generate robust, quality evidence to support effective East, the authors suggest that we look at data usage across
policies, programs, and practices in these settings. It is apparent various types of actors as a starting point for promoting
from the enclosed articles that there is no single way to data sharing and tool development for data collection and
measure effectiveness, and challenges to providing quality EiE dissemination. They argue that these efforts are needed as
require creative and holistic approaches across the qualitative- protracted crises require humanitarian and development
quantitative spectrum. A strong evidence base reflects the actors to approach their work through a more integrated
needs of those most acutely affected by crisis and conflict approach, whether they are focused on sector coordination,
through responsive, timely, and participatory methodologies. program design, evaluation, policymaking, or advocacy.
While education is now recognized as a critical sector in While the EiE field is eager to seize on opportunities to improve
humanitarian response, it is still one of the most underfunded data- and evidence-generating approaches, significant gaps
sectors. This means that our response to the growing must be addressed in this process. Anselme, Ghosn, and
emphasis on data and evidence must be both thoughtful and de Brug point out that despite the inclusion of adolescents
strategic. Every effort must be made to engage in collaborative and youth and corollary notions of lifelong learning in
processes and to share research approaches, findings, and international education agendas, there are a lack of quality
recommendations through open-source mechanisms to data and education indicators about the lives and needs
ensure that we are learning from one another, not duplicating of young people (both in and out of school). To make more
efforts unnecessarily, and not repeating mistakes learned informed and evidence-driven decisions about programming
by other actors in different settings. NORRAG and the Inter- and policies for youth, the authors highlight the need for:
agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) are more and better data about individuals over 18 years old,
working hard to support different platforms for sharing our including the quality of the formal and non-formal programs
collective learning. As guest editor of the second NORRAG they are participating in; clarity about which actors are best
Special Issue, I have the pleasure to present the enclosed placed to collect these data and the capacities and skills
articles to NORRAG’s readership. I hope that you will finish needed to do this well; and a push towards systematized and
reading this edition and feel informed, inspired, and energized harmonized approaches to ensure quality, comparability, and
to continue working for and with the students, teachers, generalizability of data across actors, programs, and contexts.
community members, and education authorities, among
others, in their efforts to provide a quality education for all. Dutton echoes the disconnect between the lifelong learning
agenda on the one hand and the lack of attention paid to
Opportunities, but Mostly Gaps, in the Field tertiary education for displaced populations on the other
Montjouridès and Liu open the first section by capturing what hand. Drawing on the Syrian refugee response in Jordan, he
we know and what we do not know about the field of education illustrates numerous lessons learned when different actors
9
Information Management for
Education in Emergencies: State of
the Field in Morocco
Hassan Achraouaou, Sociology Researcher, Ibn Zohr University, Agadir, Morocco
[email protected]
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inappropriate and harmful decisions. The importance of The fourth level is monitoring and evaluation. At this level,
information in crisis management is reflected in information’s information is produced by analyzing and evaluating the
ability to help with making decisions in a timely manner, impact of interventions and the impact of efforts at all the
achieving goals, addressing unplanned challenges, and previous mentioned levels. Information at this stage allows
enhancing the flexibility of programs to respond to a crisis education specialists? to ensure that the planned schemes
and its negative consequences. and programs have achieved their goals and are implemented
according to predefined indicators (Lagrini, 2014).This also
During crisis management, information is connected to requires data verification and accurate clarification of the
several levels. “The first level is related to the planning stage, indicators, data sources, and sampling criteria, as well as
when those who are managing the crisis need inputs and clear identification of analytical procedures. Assessments
accurate information related to the intervention” (Lagrini, require the educational sector to work with other sectors
2014, p. 48). In this case, the availability of an information such as health, security, shelter, nutrition, water, and
bank—an integrated set of accurate, structured, and sanitation. Affected groups, especially vulnerable groups,
comprehensive information, collected in a participatory should be included in assessments. Finally, the educational
manner—with updated data on education is critical. The data authorities should share assessment results and standardize
needed in this case are not only quantitative (e.g. number of data findings in order to facilitate their continued use.
schools, teachers, students, and so on); there is also a need
for qualitative data that will add depth and contextualization Arab Societies and the Importance of
to the numbers. Here, communities affected by crisis and Information in Education in Emergencies: The
those actors working to support them must rely on the Case of Morocco
accumulation of information banks that are transparent, There are great efforts in Arab societies to keep up with
detailed, and accurate and available to the public. the age of information. While there are efforts dedicated to
creating and building information banks that can be used in
The second level is related to institutional structures. In order the service of education in emergencies, what actually exists
to achieve education goals, there is a need for coherent and is a culture where information is kept as raw data without
integrated data that are longitudinal and cross-sectoral. This making use of it in managing and designing programs in
can be achieved by ensuring the clarity of synergies between times of emergency and crisis. This can be seen on several
the data sets from different sectors and the systematic levels: lack of operationalization of results of research; lack
organization and accessibility of available information of connections between universities, research centers, and
(Lagrini, 2014). It should be noted that gaining access to policy makers; scarcity of research centers interested in
information that will be used to inform the emergency managing crisis; lack of studies on measuring and managing
response requires the participation of all stakeholders. crises and emergencies; and the absence of academic and
Educational authorities and other stakeholders should professional structures capable of managing crisis and
ensure community participation in the organization of the emergencies. In Morocco, for example, there is only one
educational institution(s). These other stakeholders include research center that focuses on “crisis management,” which is
a broad group that encompasses school principals, teachers, affiliated with the Cadi Ayyad University in Marrakech.
parents, caregivers, civil society organizations, governmental
and non-governmental organizations, traditional leaders, etc. In the Moroccan context, there is a great focus on the
There should be an inclusion of the most vulnerable groups technical information produced by a formal organizational
in the community in the decision-making process, which structure within the sector, and a lack of openness to more
includes ensuring their access to available information. practical uses of available information, especially that which
is provided by research centers and research institutions.
The third level is related to coordination which refers to The reality is that there is a disconnect between the formal
coordination between the work of all stakeholders and and governmental bodies and research centers. There is a
decision makers. The availability of information to all is great opportunity to link governmental institutions, training
vital to ensure transparency and avoid duplication (Lagrini, centers for teachers, and research centers with policy makers
2014). There are many stakeholders involved in humanitarian to make better use of the available data. Information banks
response, hence, there needs to be a coordination committee can be used in this case as depositories for the raw data that
that effectively works with the different agencies and bodies are ready to be analyzed and utilized by practitioners and
as well as the local community. The coordination committee policy makers once they are categorized and disaggregated
should ensure the best use of resources and guarantee properly.
the respect of the principles of equality, responsibility,
and accountability to achieve the expected results from What is new in the Moroccan case is the role of the Supreme
coordination. Council of Education which represents an independent
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advisory body created according to article 168 of the Moroccan
Constitution. Its function is to provide advisory opinions on
all of the public policies and the national cases related to the
fields of education, training, and scientific research. One of
the council’s roles is to inform the decision-makers, relevant
stakeholders, and public opinion through the constant and
accurate quantitative and qualitative assessment of all the
elements of its education, training, and scientific research
systems. Different bodies in the country can join efforts to
establish information banks but, unfortunately, the reality is
that there is no coordination of efforts among all actors. Also,
stakeholders are not engaged on the grassroots level; the role
of teachers, for example, is marginalized.
References
Lagrini, I. (2014). Crisis management in a changing world:
Concept, infrastructures, methods and challenges. The
Center for Political Studies, second edition, Marrakech,
Morocco.
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