Equity, Governance, Education and Peacebuilding in South Sudan, UNICEF, February 2016

This study explores the relationship between education sector management, inequality, conflict and peacebuilding in South Sudan, and examines the linkages between inequities in education and broader political economy dynamics that contribute to conflict pressures. South Sudan gained independence in 2011, following decades of civil war. However, conflict has persisted in the country reflecting political economy dynamics which give rise to marginalization and inequality along interrelated political, ethnic, geographic, and economic lines. These dynamics are also reflected in recent outbreaks of violence, most notably on- going fighting and associated violence against civilians that broke out between government and opposition forces in 2013. Patterns of political, economic, geographical, and cultural inequality have been perpetuated (and reproduced) in the education system in South Sudan since the colonial period, contributing to feelings of resentment, alienation, and exclusion, which act as drivers of conflict. While national and international actors have developed a range of peacebuilding strategies to promote ‘governance reform’ to respond to prior and current violence, linkages of such reforms to the education sector are weak, despite the historical connections between education and inequality, the political economy, and violence.

In this context, this study seeks to understand how and in what ways education sector management, and the education system itself, is a contributing or mitigating factor in conflict and how better education sector management might facilitate ‘governance reform’ to support sustainable peace and development processes in South Sudan.

While a strong body of literature has examined relationships between education and conflict, little attention has been given to the linkages between governance, political economy, and education sector management. This study seeks to fill this gap by exploring questions on the coordination and management of the education sector including policies and priorities, funding, implementation, and its effects. In an increasingly globalized and interconnected world, this study also recognizes that research on education governance cannot begin and end within the borders of the nation state but must also explore the complex roles of regional and global actors in shaping national educational agendas. This study’s mixed method approach combines quantitative analysis of available education data with qualitative interviews and focus groups amongst key constituencies. The study builds on these insights by exploring education sector management and its relationship to governance, inequity, conflict, and peacebuilding in two country case studies: Kenya and South Sudan.

The research in South Sudan was led by the University of Sussex and supported by colleagues in the University of Juba, University of Glasgow, and Universitat de Barcelona. The research was funded and commissioned by UNICEF’s Eastern and Southern Regional Of ce (ESARO), as part of their global Peacebuilding Education and Advocacy (PBEA) program.

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