Education and Security: A Global Literature Review on the Role of Education in Countering Violent Religious Extremism

"The relationship between education and extremism is seemingly paradoxical, it being used both in aid of, and to combat, extremism. Gaining clarity of global understanding and of practice in the field is an urgent priority."

Published by the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, this literature review looks at the global understanding of the role of education in countering violent extremism (CVE) both in theory and in practice. Through case studies, the review shows how extremist groups, such as Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and the Taliban, directly attack education institutions, remove opportunity to access education, and use education to indoctrinate and recruit young people. Formulated or conducted improperly, education can inspire a fear of others and reinforce attitudes that predispose people to accept monochrome understandings of the world. This review suggests that more young people today are being radicalised through soft power - extremist ideas, ideology, narratives, and propaganda. It questions whether this can be met adequately by hard power responses, as these methods appeal directly to the psychological, intellectual, and emotional states of young people.

The review also shows that the use of education is indispensable to the sustainability of CVE projects, yet schools and universities have not been sufficiently supported to effectively foster resilience in students to resist the pull of extremist ideology and narratives. Where CVE programmes do encompass education, they are largely underreported. Governments in Scandinavia, Western Europe, and parts of Southeast Asia have established such programmes, as have many non-governmental organisations (NGOs) across the world. Open education systems have been more effectively contributing to CVE than closed educational systems, where national curricula may actually exacerbate the situation. More CVE educational programmes have been deployed in informal settings than formal education settings. However, extremist groups have also been increasingly dependent on informal education, such as social media. Governments need to learn about, and support, informal and non-governmental initiatives further. (Chapter 3 presents a selection of educational initiatives worldwide that aim to counter violent extremism through formal and non-formal educational programmes). Part of the problem, the review notes, is that evaluation of CVE is still difficult and imprecise. The most established programmes are also located in conflict zones with a high concentration of religious extremism. As such, up-to-date and detailed reporting on their initiatives, efforts, and success is difficult to gather.

The review suggests that vocational training alone is not enough and highlights that education must be holistic, instilling critical thinking, respect for diversity, and values for citizenship, if it is to successfully prevent extremism. If prepared and properly led, education can create in young people the ability to critically assess, engage with, and rebut extremist ideas. Teachers need to be well prepared and resourced for this to be effective, supporting them in discussing sensitive, controversial, and polarising issues in the classroom and in ensure that critical discussions around social justice are part of their teaching. Open and critical paedagogy that incorporates dialogical methods is described here as paramount: Learning must be student-centred and should encourage identity development and foster critical thinking and appraisal. It is recommended that governments and teacher training institutions should learn from the best practice of current education programmes for CVE, such as those in Sweden and some strategies in the United Kingdom (UK), as well as those run by NGOs. Training design, applicability, and sufficiency should be developed from a teacher's perspective.

The role of women in CVE has become increasingly prominent, and this review asserts that their education should be equally so. There are examples of groups that have successfully expanded their organisation with a focus on women such as Women Without Borders (WWB), with their initiative Sisters Against Violent Extremism (SAVE). SAVE has launched several initiatives in various countries in order to support and enhance mothers' agency skills so that they can better protect their children against radicalisation. As Edit Schlaffer, Founder and Executive Director of SAVE, states: "[W]e created a platform for the women who are ready to read the early warning signals, who are ready to protect their children, who are ready to speak up and speak out... first teacher being the mother - used as a strategy; a lot of women do not know/realise that they have this power or the amount of influence they have to shape and form their children... women [learn] that they have power and should use it... to feel comfortable having dialogue with their kids, especially boys." For example:

• SAVE's Mothers' Schools project is often established in remote areas where women and females are usually undermined and the discussion of extremism and radicalisation is taboo. As of 2013, the team had opened their schools in Pakistan, Kashmir, India, Tajikistan, Austria, Zanzibar, and Tanzania. Through 12 modules, mothers strengthen their own self-confidence and participate in activities and dialogues to understand the psycho-social development of children, communication techniques with teenagers, conflict resolution, and the role of mothers in reducing violence and promoting empathy. Another main component of the programme is to provide mothers with the skills to detect early warning signs of radicalisation leading to violent extremism in their children and what to do.
• In their Witness of History project, SAVE collects the narratives of those who have experienced or witnessed violent extremism in order to offer different role models for young people to consider. Led by mothers, journalists, educators and activists, it aims to document eyewitness reports but also find ways to better understand the most recent extremist events in order to analyse the problems.
• In SAVE's "Mothers MOVE!" campaign, spanning across Yemen, Indonesia, Pakistan, India, Palestine, Israel, Egypt, Nigeria, the UK, and Ireland, SAVE collaborates with existing mothers' groups or creates new groups in order for women to participate in income-generation and anti-extremism workshops. Using SAVE-developed manuals, women participate in workshops on confidence-building, presentation, and speaking exercises to build their effectiveness in debate, benefits of moderation, and signs of radicalism in young people.
• Working with the United States Institute for Peace (USIP) in Nigeria's Jos-Plateau region, SAVE has trained female Christian and Muslim religious leaders to work as mentors in their communities. They have expanded their roles to both monitor and provide counselling and guidance to vulnerable young people.

According to the review, it is also necessary to recognise that preventive education programmes on other child protection measures, such as drug and gang awareness programmes, have on occasion had reverse effects. Introducing these topics to young people may make them inquisitive and lead them to find out more, actually leading them into risk. Thus, special attention should be paid to how the information from initiatives is processed and applied when peer and other pressures are exercised on young people. Research to identify the indirect and latent effects of CVE programmes and how these might be overcome is advised. (See Chapter 4, which concludes the literature review with a complete discussion of major findings and additional suggestions of future priorities for policy and programme development in CVE through the use of education.)