Convenors: Khadijah Fancy and Divya Nambiar
During crises, children and youth are exposed to increased risks of violence, abuse, child labour, early childbearing, early marriage, trauma and mental health issues. School closures, such as those seen globally as a result of COVID-19, cut children off from the protective power of education. Though, it can also be argued that a sustained lack of attention to protection in and through education has been an even greater threat than recent closures.
The non-academic benefits of education are often framed as positive externalities. However, there is increasing evidence that meeting the wellbeing, protection, and resilience needs of children addresses the hidden, root causes of lost learning and marginalisation in education, and can have profound positive impacts on the participation of the most marginalised children.
We invite papers that focus on the role of children’s resilience, protection, and wellbeing in and through education, with a focus on the following questions:
- What is the evidence for a value for money argument for investing in education financing in these areas – e.g. linking resilience, protection and wellbeing to improved learning, access, and/or retention outcomes?
- What effective system responses to child wellbeing, resilience and protection have been proven and sustained at scale?
- What practical tools, guides, and support have been proven to provide learners, teachers, and caregivers with psychosocial support and skills training on socio-emotional learning and responsive caregiving practices? Please particularly note any that have functioned during school closures.
- What role can technology play in supporting actors within and through education systems to address issues relating to the resilience, protection, and wellbeing of children?
This Theme is sponsored by Cambridge Education
