The impact of conflicts on higher education

In these geopolitically uncertain times, the right to education is under severe pressure. What does it mean when your university is bombed, your family is forced to flee, or you have to start over in a new language? A researcher from Gaza, a lawyer specialising in human rights and a Ukrainian student show just how quickly future prospects can crumble.

Education is the driving force behind many of the Sustainable Development Goals. Accessible, high-quality education for all is therefore a clear ambition of the United Nations. How can we live up to that promise in an increasingly unpredictable world rife with war and violence?

‘Education is being fundamentally undermined’

Mazen AbuQamar (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences) is researching topics including the impact of war on study programmes in nursing at the University of Antwerp. His path is inextricably linked to his native region of Gaza. He was head of the nursing department at Al-Azhar University until the recent conflict brought him and his family back to Belgium, where he had previously completed his PhD.

In his home country, he saw how the education system was severely affected across the board. ‘Much of the educational infrastructure has been destroyed. Staff members have been killed or have fled due to the ongoing insecurity, and many Palestinian students have been displaced,’ he observes. ‘Face-to-face classes were cancelled, and we had to switch to online learning, but the system wasn’t set up for that.’

Psychosocial support as well

In times of war, the healthcare system must also be able to assess the influx of patients quickly and treat them in order of priority. AbuQamar explains, ‘This requires nurses to have specific knowledge and skills. In terms of such far-reaching decisions, psychosocial support plays an essential role for patients, as well as for the healthcare professionals of the future.’

The researcher further notes how non-urgent care is often neglected during conflicts. ‘Many patients with chronic conditions — such as those with diabetes or on dialysis — lose access to their treatment. This poses health risks that nursing students can help to mitigate through a customised curriculum.’

International cooperation

On a broader level, AbuQamar sees education as offering a lifeline and hope to a devastated population. ‘Despite all the difficulties, hundreds of students are still attending our classes. Education gives Palestinian students a sense that their future is still possible. The importance of international cooperation in providing online lectures and support is undeniable.’

‘Organisations like Enabel, the Belgian agency for international cooperation, are essential to ensuring the accessibility of education, even in extreme circumstances. Online lectures, remote supervision and joint research projects help to maintain a minimum level of continuity and make study programmes more resilient to conflict.’

According to Erdem Türkelli, access to education is a fundamental human right, closely linked to human dignity. ‘The legal framework is based on clear principles: education must be available, accessible, acceptable and adaptable. States must respect, protect and fulfil that right. For example, this means that the aim is to provide free primary education and, depending on the state’s resources, free secondary education as well.’

Deliberate disruption in Gaza

Erdem Türkelli has no doubt that international law regarding the right to education — as well as other fundamental standards — has been violated in Gaza and other Palestinian territories. ‘This was a clear conclusion of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel. The commission stated that the deliberate disruption of the education system in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories is part of a pattern that demonstrates an intention to destroy the population by imposing living conditions on them that are aimed at their physical destruction.’

It goes even further than the right to education, and it contravenes the Genocide Convention,’ she argues. ‘The right to education in situations of armed conflict falls within the scope of both human rights law and humanitarian law, which is commonly referred to as the law of war.’

War crimes and collaboration with Birzeit

One important aspect of this is the principle of distinction, which means that parties to a conflict must at all times distinguish between civilians and those directly taking part in hostilities. ‘If ordinary schools are attacked, that constitutes a war crime,’ asserts Erdem Türkelli.

‘Amongst other things, we witnessed raids at Birzeit University, with which our research group collaborates in research on human rights and human dignity.’ In her view, however, the impact of the occupation regime extends far beyond that. ‘Almost total control over every aspect of Palestinian life hinders the right to education. Students and lecturers are purportedly being systematically stopped at checkpoints. Their freedom of movement is disproportionately restricted — in some cases, completely.’

Compliance crisis

One major challenge is that, in the current geopolitical climate, governments and supranational organisations (such as the EU) are no longer responding in a uniform manner to established breaches of international law. ‘That is posing a true problem for international stability. We must ensure that the responses do not appear to depend on the identity of the offender,’ continues Erdem Türkelli. ‘Otherwise, we find ourselves in a world where might makes right.’

According to Erdem Türkelli, institutions such as Belgian universities should also impose clear consequences for proven breaches of international law. ‘There is credible evidence that research conducted by Israeli institutions is being used in ways that contravene international law. By collaborating with those organisations, you are effectively normalising the unlawful context within which the system operates.’

‘You come up against many practical obstacles and feel a great deal of mental pressure’

Ruslana Martynets (24) completed a nursing degree in Ukraine, and she was in her fourth year of medical school when the war brought her studies to an abrupt halt. She is now living in Belgium, where she is studying Dutch at the University of Antwerp’s Linguapolis, in the hope of resuming her path.

Several of her friends recently graduated in Kyiv, and it was an emotional moment. ‘I’ve decided to study here, but sometimes I’m overcome by doubt. Wouldn’t it have been better for me to stay and obtain a qualification that’s recognised in Ukraine? Those are such difficult choices, partly because we don’t know how the conflict will unfold. It’s hard for anyone who hasn’t been in this kind of situation to understand it fully.’

Building for the future

Although Martynets has had to put certain dreams on hold due to circumstances beyond her control, she also sees her new study programme as an opportunity. ‘Despite all my worries, I can build a future for myself. Studying also helps me get to know other people and gives me a sense of purpose. When I graduate, I’ll be really grateful that I stayed with it.’