The impact of post election violence on education in Kenya: a case study of the North Rift region of the Rift valley province

The relationship between education systems and conflict presents policy makers \nwith a conundrum. Schools are almost always complicit in conflict. They \nreproduce skills, values, attitudes and .social relations of dominant groups in society; \naccordingly, they are usually a contributory factor in conflict. Simultaneously, \nreconstructing and reforming education is increasingly viewed as a critical element \nin the strategy to reduce the risk of conflict or relapse into conflict. The central \nmessage in this paper therefore is that conflict presents not only challenges for \nreconstruction, but also significant opportunities for reform of education systems. \nThe challenge of simultaneous reform and reconstruction at a time of constrained \nhuman, financial, and institutional resources and considerable urgency calls for \nparticular attention priorities and sequencing of inter-ventions. Short-term immediate \nresponses need to be conceptualized within a framework that provides for more \nsubstantial systematic reform as the new political vision emerges and system \ncapacity is built. \nConceptualizing conflict as 'development in reverse' should be analyzed in the \ncontext of its impact on development. Reducing poverty and decreasing reliance on \nprimary commodity exports, both of which require a functioning and effective \neducation system have been shown to be critical strategies for reducing the risk \nof conflict. Ethnic and religious dominance rather than diversity is also a powerful \ncontributory factor in civil conflict; education has a key role in mediating or \ndeepening ethnic, religious, socio-economic differences or other identity-based \nconflicts. Education that helps build stronger resilience to conflict is therefore a \ncritical strategy for postconflict reconstruction. \nIt goes without say, that conflict has a devastating impact on education, both \ndirectly in terms of suffering and psychological impact on pupils, teachers and \ncommunities, and in the degradation of the education system and its infrastructure. \nYet these same educational systems are expected to make a significant \ncontribution to rebuilding a shattered society at a time when they themselves are \ndebilitated by the effects of conflict. Fortunately, as I will be showing in this study, \nschools and education systems are surprisingly resilient. And that the disruption \ncaused by conflict offers opportunities and challenges for social reconstruction.This paper is to offered as a contribution to the ,-owing attention about the effect \nof violence on education. Included are findings of a study of education and \npostconflict reconstruction, drawing from literature reviews, a database of key \nindicators for 12 conflict affected countries in Africa, and a review of 5 country \nstudies. The countries studied vary in terms of their present conflict status and the \nlength, intensity and extent of conflict. Key issues in the country's study include \nethnic and religious identity, politicization of education, competition for scarce \nnatural resources especially land, minerals, water, and probable continuity of civil \nauthority and civil administration.