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| School recently attacked at Burkina Faso |
A sudden upsurge in violence throughout Burkina Faso has caused 1,111 out of 2869 schools to be closed throughout the area, more than 1/3 of all the schools. Three regions located north of the country, the North, the Sahel, and the East make up the borders for Mali and Niger. Here, is where jihadist (Islamic military movement) militants operate. Over 150,000 children have been affected by the closure of these schools and are being forced to stay away for protection. In 2016 only a staggering 60% of students finished elementary school in Burkina Faso.
All of this is due to the northern and eastern borders of Burkina Faso being the operation sites of jihadist militants. Some schools are specifically targeted by Islamist militants out of hatred for western education. In other schools, the teachers are worried that they will be the targets of these spontaneous attacks. These are the main two reasons why these schools are closed. Furthermore, the teachers aren't sure if the students that left school will ever return. They claim that "if some of them come back, we'll do our best so that they can catch up on the time lost."
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| Ansaroul Islam militants in northern Burkina Faso |
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| 100,000 people forced to flee homes due to violence |
As a result, thousands of families have left their villages in search of safer means of shelter. The number of displaced people more than doubled from 43,000 to 100,000 from December of 2018 to January of 2019. Yet, the issue isn't just because of the militants, but also because of inter-communal violence in Burkina Faso which caused over 1,000 people to move to the camp in Barsalogho. 600 out of the 1,000 are children, and only 100 or 1/6 attended the makeup lessons at the camp. This "emergency education" isn't available to most people living in other villages. Places where the militant operations take place barely have any children attending the schools.
Reaction:
I often think of how much children dislike school. Even still, I've never thought about school being "dangerous" because all the schools I've been to in the Bay Area are extremely protected. The fact that children cannot even finish elementary school makes me feel pity for their future. It's saddening that these children are born onto corrupted societies, and unprotected. Since safety comes before education, they must make a sacrifice. I also never knew that Islamist terrorists hated education so much. Them having such a large impact on the country shouldn't be allowed by the government. I believe that other countries should help regrow the community in places like Burkina Faso because clearly, the government has their head somewhere else. They have completely disregarded the importance of education over most aspirations. Children should be able to receive education elsewhere without the fear of terrorism.
Connections:
This current event closely relates to the obstacle of terrorism pertaining to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. While terrorism towards Burkina Faso has to do with the hate of education, both cases affect specifically the youth. Terrorism causes children to live life in fear. Similarly to the documentary "Promises," many of the kids feared the opposing group because of past experiences where family members and relatives were killed. Also, families have broken apart and have to live separate lives. The attacks from Islamist militants leave the same effect on the youth just like terrorism that takes place between the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
Discussion questions:
1. How can the children receive their education without having to worry about the jihadist attacks? How will this system work?
2. What should the government undertake to solve the overall conflict?
3. Why do you think that not all of the children choose to attend "emergency education?"
The jihadists' hate of western education may come from their fear of America or other Western powers gaining influence in that region. Similarly, during the Middle East Summit Project I learned that Iran wants American troops out of the Middle East, because it believes that the U.S. is not trustworthy and has failed to follow through on promises. Teachers, of which many have been kidnapped and killed, exhibit the pinnacle of courage in my opinion. They are putting their life on the line to help others get an education, and thrive in a place where it is so hard to do so. I think that the government needs to step up and rid their country of the terrorists because this quandary they are going through will directly affect them in the long term. Children not receiving an education may lead to a lack of people in certain occupations, which would not be good for the country or their economy.
ReplyDeleteSources:
https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/africa/2018-11-19-hundreds-of-schools-shut-in-burkina-faso-over-jihadi-attacks/
https://theirworld.org/news/burkina-faso-conflict-schools-shut-down-teachers-in-hiding
The situation for the children in Burkina Faso is an extremely difficult one and for almost all families, options are limited. With almost 50% of it’s population living in poverty, education is not a priority. Putting food on the table and keeping safe it much more important to these people, which is why many schools have shutdown and many families refuse to send their children to the emergency education sessions. It is true that education is the way out of poverty, but when it comes at the price of possible death, the answer is obvious: don’t put yourself at risk. Because the government of Burkina Faso does not have much money to invest in education, the only way that the situation could improve is through international aid. But this would probably spark more attacks, as many of these militant groups are against any western intervention. I think the government should first tackle the problem of militant before addressing education, as clearly, both are incompatible with each other. So far, many locals say the government has down far from enough, only condemning the attacks and shuffling around military to where conflicts are taking place.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-39279050
In order for children to receive proper education without having the fear of being attacked, the government needs to remove all terrorist or rejectionist groups from their country. According to the United Nations University (https://www.wider.unu.edu/sites/default/files/10-Burkina-Faso-growth-without-poverty-reduction.pdf), nearly 60 percent of the population is in poverty. “Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, poor in natural resources, and with low levels of human development. Its economy
ReplyDeleteremains agricultural and focused on food crops and cotton production. Over the last twenty years it has experienced average annual growth of around 2%”. The islamist militants who are attacking these schools hate anything associated to western culture/the US. As stated in (https://institute.global/insight/co-existence/their-own-words-why-isis-hates-west) a piece entitled “Why We Hate You & Why We Fight You,” the group sets out six points explaining the justifications for their hatred of the West. It mentions, in order, the West’s disbelief in Islam, the prevalence of secularism, atheism, ‘transgressions’ against Islam, military operations, and territorial incursions. The parents pulling their children out of school is justified due to the fact that this is a life or death situation. Prioritizing their lives and being able to put food on the table is much more important than knowing how to read (only as of right now though). When the government has removed all the rejectionist groups, only then can education really prosper. Once their children are educated, they may be able to improve their country’s economic stance and develop the infrastructure. They will be able to manage the urbanization and apply appropriate industrial policies that would allow the country to develop in non-agricultural areas and increase employment.
My aunt, originally from Burkina Faso, decided to move with her family to Botswana in Southern Africa due to safety issues. Like this, many Burkina Fafsans decide and try to move out of the country. It isn't fair that countries like Burkina Faso and many more around the world don't have access to education safely. Like the author states, I do agree that a good amount of us complain about school every day, but looking at people's situation in countries we can see how unfair it is that we get a better education without having to go through constant fear of spontaneous attacks. I think that before education is made a priority, safety must be dealt first. It is understandable that education is pushed down the list if safety is still a pressing issue. Education is the next step to solving our world's most pressing problems. I hope that the government can help decrease the number of terrorists to let kids in Burkina Faso get the education they deserve.
ReplyDeleteIts very easy to understand the situation as a whole especially when like you said, even your aunt had to take the issue into her own hands. Not moving from Burkina Faso in a time of crisis is extremely risky. Sacrificing education is not a big deal considering personal lives are at steak. Although education is very important, this "constant fear" will prevent anyone from leaning effectively in the first place. I agree in that the government needs to play a role in this situation. Its unfair that they don't seem so concerned about their own county being mistreated. Hopefully, other countries can pitch in and at least convince Burkina's government into helping resolve the attacks. Children are the future of our nation, and they deserve a well provided education.
DeleteChildren can receive their education without having to worry about jihadist attacks when the terrorists are dealt with. The fear of being attacked is ultimately the reason why children have been pulled out of school by their parents, as stated in the original article. The government either needs to use its military to solve the issue or allow the UN to step in. Seeing as how the country's government is deteriorating with the resignation of the prime minister and the entire cabinet (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-46930537?intlink_from_url=https://www.bbc.com/news/topics/ce1qrvlelrrt/burkina-faso&link_location=live-reporting-story), I believe international support will be required to solve the issue. However, international support may be hard to find as countries such as the US are starting to reduce the number of its troops in Africa and focusing less on the continent (https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/burkina-faso-is-fighting-for-democracy-are-the-terrorists-winning/2019/03/22/5db940a2-4b52-11e9-8cfc-2c5d0999c21e_story.html?utm_term=.eae00a82f062). I think not all children attend "emergency education" because of the fear around it and how education may not be a priority. As refugees, they probably are much more concerned with safety and well being, which is one of the major reasons why they left their villages and pull children out of schools, as stated in the original article.
ReplyDeleteDisrupting education because of fear of extremism in the area is a valid response, but definitely won’t solve any of the country’s issues. Lack of education, in addition to failure in addressing poverty and inequality in Burkina Faso, all contribute in a rise in ideological and religious fundamentalism. These are attributes to terrorism and extremism. As you can see, Burkina Faso has more underlying problems than terrorism and extremism. I think the country should put effort towards addressing their poverty and inequality issues first. Once those major things are fixed, the country has a foundation to help better their education and by doing this, and improving the overall state of their country, the government will essentially have more control and power over their nation. Henceforth, this can help decrease extremism and terrorism in Burkina Faso, as well as decrease the fear people live with in the area, regarding the safety of themselves, and their family. https://reliefweb.int/report/burkina-faso/burkina-faso-and-strategy-counter-terrorism-west-africa
ReplyDeleteAt this point, considering the high levels of unsafety in Burkina Faso, the children and their families would have to move away from their homes to a safer region in order to safely get an education, away from the frequent attacks of the jihadist groups. Another way they can receive their education without being relocated is homeschooling. However, this may not be as effective due to the absence of a teacher figure and the lack of enforcement of the curriculum. Currently, around 15 children in every 100 do not attend school, and the government should definitely do something to address this. The government should spend more of their efforts to more readily prepare the Burkinabe army, as currently they are very unprepared towards the attacks of the jihadist groups. This way, the security would increase along the borders and in the country, making it a more safe place to attend school. Source: https://reliefweb.int/report/burkina-faso/giving-everyone-burkina-faso-chance-access-basic-education
ReplyDeleteI think that the children can receive their education by getting rid of the main problem which are the terrorist. Without getting rid of the terrorist, it will be very difficult for children to get an education. Even if we find a safe way for them to get to school, the terrorist groups will manage to attack schools or worse. The best way for the kids to get education will have to wait until the terrorist groups are removed. From there the kids can slowly go back to school, without having any dangers. quote "More than 150,000 children are affected by these closures a staggering number in a country where education is already an issue. In 2016, only 57.9% of children finished primary school." With all really high number of children not finishing primary school this number will only get higher if the government does not do anything about it. The government should continue and increase military use to get rid of the terrorist. The reason why children don't want to attend "emergency education" is because of the current situation right now. It's clearly stated that the terrorist groups don't want Western education, and have shown how much they don't want it here. Otherwise, I think the children would want to go to school when the terrorist groups are removed.https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-47495038
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ReplyDeleteI think at this time, the best way for children to get education is to set up schools in refugee camps. Burkina Faso has over twenty five thousand refugees (Source: https://data2.unhcr.org/en/country/bfa) so I think establishing schools where those people are will be beneficial to the overall education system. However, this poses some problems considering these camps are also prone to jihadist attacks. On a different note, I believe the root of the issues in Burkina derives from contrasting views between leadership and the vast population. Although president Roch Marc Christian Kaboré
won the popular vote in 2015 (Source: https://www.un.org/africarenewal/africaga2017/documents/burkina-faso-he-mr-roch-marc-christian-kabor%C3%A9-president) his French education differs vastly from the majority Muslim country. The jihadist extremist fear that western influence within the country's education system will cause widespread issues and divergence. In order to solve this conflict, I believe the government should establish some curriculum that considers the Islam religion. Finally, the reason why children may not attend the emergency education is due to the fact that their families' lives are in danger. In these circumstances, it is completely understandable why they would rather stay with their family members than go to school.
I think that these terrorist groups and violent militias are getting too comfortable and think they can do what they want (terrorize innocent civilians). A group like this that is attack in higher rates over the recents should be punished and remove from the area using force. These children deserve the right to education even if the quality of the education isn't the highest. In my eyes i don't see any other quick solution in which thee families can feel safer and can receive the education they deserve.
ReplyDeleteFor children to receive an education without worrying about the jihadist attacks, children and their families need to move far away to ensure that they stay safe. By moving away and leaving, people will be secure from the terrorist groups. As stated in the original article, "When children miss out on school- they become vulnerable to horrific forms of exploitation including sexual abuse and forced recruitment into armed groups." This is just one of the consequences for staying,and it is also very risky to stay because the increase and spread of attacks are quadrupling. These outcomes makes it easier for families to relocate their homes for their kids to receive an education safely.
ReplyDeleteIt is so incredibly saddening that the education of those in Burkina Faso is getting compromised by Islamic groups and their hatred/lack of understanding of the western way of life. Completely innocent and unarmed, children and teachers are the targets for these violent acts, which is just heartbreaking. This situation further highlights just how privileged and lucky we are to have access to education, and how we should never take our blessings for granted. As addressed in the article, it is very difficult to continue with your studies when under the constant threat for your life just for trying to get an education. It does not seem possible at the time to return to the schools for safety precautions, so if any teaching would occur, it would be very limited. I would suggest that the education could continue individually or with small groups, to avoid drawing too much attention to the learning incase of attracting the jihadists. Sadly, no easy solution seems plausible right now, but hopefully in the future as tensions lessen and maybe jihadists grow an understanding/ acceptance, things will improve.
ReplyDeleteI overall find it absolutely horrible that the children and people in Burkina Faso are unable to go to school, and it should be problem that the government and other nations should prioritize and help solve. Since the country is quite poor and is not doing very well, something that would help solve the problem is if their people are educated, so they should really focus on allowing people to get an education. They mostly are not getting an education due to dangers of being in the area with terrorists around, so I also believe that at least some of these problems can be eliminated if the terrorist groups are dealt with. Although the previous governments way of dealing with the terrorists did work and not having attacks by making deals with allowing them, I feel this is not the way to solve the problem as the terrorists are still harming many others and could also easily turn. Currently, the nations around the area of Burkina Faso have established a task force aimed at helping fight against these terrorist groups, and I believe that this could work as long as they get more support from other countries as they need do need it in order to be effective (https://www.crisisgroup.org/africa/west-africa/burkina-faso/258-force-du-g5-sahel-trouver-sa-place-dans-lembouteillage-securitaire). I think this groups should focus mainly on defending the country and could possibly also have some troops, if any can be spared, to protecting camps and villages so the families can feel safe enough to send their children to schools to learn.
ReplyDeleteI think that the main way that the children can get an education without worrying about jihadist attacks is that they government needs to take control of this situation. We see that in the article that the government realized that their plan with the terrorist was not good. Before the government had a policy which allowed them to safely come in and out if they did not harm the country. But we see now that they are going back on this as they are attacking many innocent lives. So the government has already stated that they have seen their mistake in not negotiating with the terrorist and will take measures to get them out of Burkina Faso. Though I think that education is very important, the safety of these people come before that. So if the government wants people to become more educated, they need to make sure that schools are safe, as they should be.I think that many of the children choose to not attend these emergency education places because their parents may still be weary about it, as these terrorist groups are still out there.
ReplyDeleteReading this article made me realize how lucky I am to be able to attend and have the right to go to school. I do not have to worry about getting killed unlike the children and teachers Burkina Faso. It is very sad that innocent people are getting killed because they want to have an education. For the children to be able to attend school terrorist attacks need to stop. I think the government needs to set up a plan to help prevent the attacks and end the attacks for good so the children can go to school again. If the terrorist attacks do not stop, then it is very likely that the children will not be able to attend school for a while.
ReplyDeleteEducation is key in any society, if not even more important in a developing country, like Burkina Faso. With around 60% of Burkina Faso's population living in poverty, education is already difficult to get. The addition and growth of extremist/terrorist organizations in the area, makes education almost impossible. Burkina Faso's government can not combat all the issues in and around the country by themselves, thus I feel international aide is very important. The focus should be on education, with the help of organizations like UNICEF, Global Partnership for Education, EducateAChild, and more that are already working in Burkina Faso. The extremism/terrorism does need to be focused upon as well, even if the education side can be improved, if safety is not, it won't work. Thus I believe Burkina Faso and its' allies must work together to combat these threats for the better of education and its importance.
ReplyDeleteSources:
Deletehttps://www.unicef.org/bfa/english/education.html
https://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Africa/Burkina-Faso-POVERTY-AND-WEALTH.html
https://www.globalpartnership.org/country/burkina-faso
I think either the children and their family have to move far away to avoid the terrorist attacks or the government needs to become more involved. Another option would be possibly to have certain individuals be teachers and set up a home school program. This would effectively eliminate the danger of going to school. For the government, they have to implement some kind of security in order to protect the children and ensure their education. I think the reason not all the children are choosing the emergency education is because they might feel endangered and don't want to take a chance of a possibly dangerous commute.
ReplyDeleteLike everyone, this event shocks and disgusts me, especially how we are privileged enough to safely receive education that we cannot relate or understand them. I feel disgusted on how the terrorists are attacking the schools of such young and innocent children that has done nothing even related to their conflict. As a result of this, the younger generation will just become more and more biased in this conflict. This situation will be too complicated to be controlled by the government, especially since many choose not to attend the “emergency education”. I feel that this is because families would no longer trust the “emergency education” because it is just the same concept of a school. However, the government should still have this program accessed to as many villages as possible. Education is crucial for children since it teaches them facts and reduces bias.
ReplyDeleteThe events that are going on in Burkina Faso are horrifying to think about. It’s disgusting to see the education system fail to provide the safety that comes assumed. And even though it’s on such a larger scale than the US, it relates to the fact that many kids in the US as well are concerned for their safety when trying to get an education. In either situation, school is place that should be presumably safe. The fact that almost 40% of schools in Burkina Faso have been closed down because of this makes it extremely hard for children to receive an education. As stated in the original article, “not only are they unable to learn the skills they need to build peaceful and prosperous communities; they also become vulnerable to horrific forms of exploitation including sexual abuse and forced recruitment into armed groups.” There needs to be a step up in the government and security policy, and larger consequences to those committing these acts of violence.
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ReplyDeleteIn response to question one, I believe the best way for the children to continue education without any Jihadist attacks is by doing it 'underground'. Of course, when I say underground, I don't literally mean underground. I am referring to the Underground Railroad America had in the 1800s. Like the Underground Railroad, I believe that school children and teachers should meet up secretly in houses, or private areas (https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/underground-railroad). This would allow children to learn in a more safe and inviting environment. While the Underground Railroad didn't ALWAYS work, it definitely helped many, many people in the long run. That is why I believe something like this should be done in Burkina Faso.
ReplyDeleteThis is very devastating to hear how these children are not able to have an education due to a problem they have nothing to do with. Innocent children shouldn't have to sacrifice their lives for education in schools that aren't safe. Like many people said, the children should move to a better location and start their education over again without the fear of being shot or bombed. But families are being ripped apart, and I think all families (civilians) should be evacuated immediately from the area to prevent less killings. I know this plan isn't that easy, but it is better than innocent lives, including children, being killed by terrorists.
ReplyDeleteRelating to where you mentioned that many kids dislike going to school, it makes me realize how thankful we should be that safety comes assumed with our schooling. Although relatively communities here tend to be much safer this reminds me of the various school shootings we’ve had in the past couple of years. I believe the government does need to step in and enforce protection around the schools. The sooner they realize that the kids receiving education isn’t a threat but a blessing the better. Some steps the government can take are converting a large school into multiple schools that are smaller and closer to communities so that the students feel comfortable traveling a lesser distance. In my opinion the terrorist groups may be preventing kids from receiving the education they deserve so without a knowledgeable opinion they blindly join terrorist and extremist groups.
ReplyDeleteIt's extremely hard to even consider how some children could manage going about finding a way to continue education and why it is that they might. Clearly those in Burkina Faso have to deal with terror throughout nearly every day of their own lives, actively. And if children have experienced any element of terror at school and have heard stories of it many times, then the natural reaction would be to stay away from a place where they are under threat. Naturally, it is impossible for someone such as myself to relate to being forced into terror from going to school and being educated because of the protected and easily life that I've been able to live so far. Connecting these ideas to the emergency education that they might be able to attend, I think that it's very unlikely for any of them to be willing to participate. That unfortunate conditioning as a result of the way that the Jihadists are inciting terror means that they may never want to be or go near a place where they've known attracts terror for so long.
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ReplyDeletePerhaps the government can provide education within safe rooms underground, such as nuclear bomb shelters. This would be difficult to build, so they should begin by hiding the children and educating them in secret and in small groups, to avoid attracting too much attention. This would protect the children from the outside world; when the government has less people to focus on protecting, they can instead focus on ridding of the terrorists. In order to rid of the jihadists terrorist group, the government should try to negotiate with other countries in order for them to stop funding terrorist groups within Burkina Faso. This would cause the terrorist groups be less damaging without their expensive weapons. With less risk and hopefully fewer attacks, the children won’t be as afraid to get the education that they deserve. (http://www.europarl.europa.eu/infographic/europe-and-terrorism/index_en.html)
I think that there are multiple ways of protecting children from these jihadist attacks. One, The U.S or another powerful country sends peace keepers, or soldiers to help protect children in schools. Another option could be to send the children out of this super dangerous country and send the to a safer one. The children could then be safe and learn inside of a refugee camp until it is safe to go back home. The government needs to take action against these jihadists. They need to take the fight to them or else the jihadists will keep going to schools and massacring children. I believe that the children don't attend these emergency schools because they are afraid of what might happen to them. Some of these kids have had to live in constant fear in school waiting for a jihadist to come kill them. Some have been not so lucky and have survived these massacres and are traumatized.
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