‌Expertise in fragility and education

At the University of York

Post-war Reconstruction and Development Unit

The PRDU has been engaged in fragile and conflict-affected states since 1992, working in countries like Afghanistan, Bosnia, Burundi, Jordan, Iraq, Kenya, Lebanon, Libya, Madagascar, Nepal, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda, and Vietnam, among others.

The Post-war Reconstruction and Development Unit (PRDU) at the University of York was founded in 1992 and has developed into an internationally recognised facility for training, research and consultancy in post-conflict situations. Led by Professor Sultan Barakat, the PRDU offers a wide range of teaching and professional development opportunities. Its is unique in training a diverse group of professionals with a particular focus on individuals from conflict-affected nations. Nearly one third of its graduates are from conflict-affected states and they have gone on to hold senior positions in government, international organisations and NGOs.

The PRDU has developed close links with donor and UN agencies, conducting research into the most effective interventions and activities to build resilience. PRDU staff members have carried out research in over twenty conflict-affected countries, covering a wide range of sectors including education, housing, health, community-needs assessments, culture, management of natural resources, and governance. The goal of the PRDU’s work is to apply the knowledge gained through this research to identify and share best practice for future interventions.

Institute for Effective Education

The IEE works to strengthen teacher training and education curriculum in several developing or conflict-affected countries, including Jordan, Kenya, Kosovo, Malawi, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Nigeria, the occupied Palestinian Territories, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Tanzania.

The Institute for Effective Education (IEE) was formed in 2009. Its mission is to improve education throughout the world by developing, evaluating, and disseminating educational programmes and practices aimed at improving the attainment of pupils from pre-school through to secondary school. Using a broad range of research designs - including randomised trials and quasi-experimental methods - the IEE examines the effectiveness of the ways in which young people are taught. It conducts large demonstration and evaluation studies that not only look at what may work in theory but also how to support implementation fidelity in real world applications of interventions.

IEE staff, particularly Professor Frank Hardman, the IEE’s Director of Research, have been active in developing and strengthening teacher training in numerous developing countries and fragile states, recently conducting a baseline study on behalf of UNICEF for a four-year intervention aimed at improving the quality of teacher education in Myanmar (Burma). IEE has recently developed an in-service teacher education strategy in Kosovo and are now conducting a follow-up assessment for teacher in-service training they conducted in Tanzania in 2008.

Collaboration of the PRDU and IEE

The staff of the PRDU and IEE has been collaborating on the issues of fragility and education since 2010, when they jointly conducted a review for UNICEF of the Education in Emergencies and Post-Crisis Transition programme. Building upon the findings from this report, they hosted the workshop Education in Conflict, which brought together leading academics and practitioners to discuss the role of education in crisis, conflict and recovery. More recently, the PRDU and IEE conducted an evaluation of UNICEF’s Education in Emergencies programme in eastern and southern Africa.

At Columbia University

The University of York will work in collaboration with a team from Columbia University led by Professor Dirk Salomons, Director of the Program for Humanitarian Affairs at the School of International Public Affairs (SIPA). Professor Salomons is also a non-resident fellow at New York University's Center on International cooperation, working mainly on post-conflict stabilization issues. Until 1997, Professor Salomons served in a wide range of management, peace-building, and policy advisory functions in the United Nations system, including FAO, UNDP, UNAIDS, UNOPS, and the UN Secretariat.