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Developing global partnerships in higher education for peacebuilding: a strategy for pathways to impact

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Abstract

Higher education faces attack, erosion, underfunding and loss of capacity in contexts of armed conflict and state fragility. Losses in university capacities through casualties, injuries and internal displacement or forced migration are difficult to compensate for due to the degree of investment required to restore or lay new foundations for quality teaching and research, while attacks on universities may also discourage learners from attending tertiary education. Drawing upon a research and capacity development project in Somaliland, we propose a global strategy for higher education partnerships in teaching, research and development with practical outcomes in the area of education, conflict and peacebuilding. This strategy would address research and pedagogical training needs for higher education teachers; develop educational partnerships between higher education institutions in conflict-affected regions to facilitate collaborative teaching exchange; and enhance collaboration between higher education institutions, civil society and I/NGOs to promote peacebuilding in conflict-affected societies.

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Notes

  1. By Somali society, it is loosely meant Somali-speaking cultural communities across Somalia, Somaliland and Puntland. It is recognised that people in Somaliland prefer to be referred to as ‘Somaliland society’ to distinguish themselves from Somalia. As outsiders, authors feel that it is beyond their mandate to make claims about political preferences.

  2. Findings of this study are reported in Ali and Isak (2017).

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  1. Centre for Education and International Development, UCL Institute of Education, 20 Bedford Way, London, WC1H 0AL, UK

    Tejendra Pherali & Alexandra Lewis

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  1. Tejendra Pherali
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Correspondence to Tejendra Pherali.

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Pherali, T., Lewis, A. Developing global partnerships in higher education for peacebuilding: a strategy for pathways to impact. High Educ 78, 729–744 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-019-00367-7

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