Counter-Terrorism Through Education
The need to counter terrorism by focusing on educational reform in Afghanistan and Pakistan
February 11, 2016
Ushah Qazi – Primary Article Contributor
Nathan Sukhdeo – Team Leader following AfPak
Keywords: Afghanistan, Pakistan, AfPak, Terrorism, Education
On January 20th, 2016, armed militants stormed into Bacha Khan University, in Northwest Pakistan, killing thirty people including students and staff. Many were left injured as security personnel, humanitarian organizations and families rushed to help the wounded. The deadly attack is not a rare occurrence. In fact it took place just a year after the infamous Peshawar Army Public School attack, which left almost two hundred people dead, most of them school going children. The educational system in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region has been a favorite target for extremist elements for a long time, and the consequences are far reaching. They have the tendency to bring civilian life to a standstill, disrupt and destroy infrastructure and displace large amounts of the population. Any attempt at development hence needs to take the secure running of the educational system into consideration.
Attacks on educational institutions can have devastating impacts on the country’s infrastructure. According to a report published by the National Consortium for The Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, between 2004 and 2013 Pakistan and Afghanistan had the highest and third highest attacks on educational institutions respectively. While many of these attacks were non-lethal, and apparently intended to disrupt the educational process rather than harm the population, the sheer scale and frequency meant that they severely damaged property and infrastructural links. This adds to the already dismal infrastructural conditions in the countries. In Afghanistan, for example, while the rural areas never had strong infrastructural links decades of war destroyed what did exist and by 2001 many parts of the country lacked electricity, water supply or road links to amenities. In Pakistan while the urban middle class in major cities may enjoy many of these facilities, many rural areas like the Federally Administered Tribal Area that borders Afghanistan do not have the same access. Further destruction not only worsens the deficiencies, but also hinders development. In the aftermath of a terrorist attack there is a need for rehabilitation and rebuilding, which often comes at the expense of developing new projects in infrastructure.
In 2014 after the advent of a military operation in Waziristan, the Pakistani authorities were faced with the daunting task of rehabilitating 300,000 internally displaced children and their families. While the authorities promised schooling and a stipend for affected youth, there were complaints of mismanagement as surrounding districts were stretched to capacity. According to a 2011 report by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, rehabilitation in the wake on an attack often means that normal investment is shelved and prospective improvements in facilities postponed. Hence counter-terrorist policies are necessary both for the steady education of the country’s young but also for the overall development.
Secondly, it is important to point out that extremist attacks work to undermine the authority of the state. In many aspects a country’s educational system is symbolic of the legitimacy of the government. However, unlike other facilities, educational institutions are often unprotected and hence easier to target. Between 2004 and 2013 724 schools were attacked in Pakistan, and these attacks have grown increasingly violent in recent years. And the fact that this recent attack took place just a few kilometers away from the site of Army Public School massacre serves as a reminder of last year’s shock and confusion . The AfPak region has made significant inroads towards democracy with both countries experiencing a peaceful transfer of power from one democratic regime to the next. However, every time an educational institution is attacked it is symbolic of fringe elements ousting state authority. Therefore, it is important to prioritize the security for educational institutions.
Moreover insecurity mounting from attacks impacts the educational system at large and can spiral into cyclical affects that encompass various other problems. According to a Human Rights Watch report on the impact of insecurity on education, what was observed in Afghanistan was that when one school was attacked it caused a ripple affect of other schools closing down. Furthermore, even when the schools reopened, attendance amongst students and staff members had declined. Prior to the recent Bacha Khan University attack, fear of attacks had forced some schools to remain closed and the aftereffects may cause more unscheduled holidays and absenteeism. Insecurity hinders the functioning of educational institutions, and can escalate to students withdrawing from education as a whole. This means that a generation with the potential to add to the workforce of the country is deprived of necessary training and skills. It also manifests into various human rights violations, out of school children particularly fall prey to child marriages, child labor and even recruitment in terrorist organizations and potentially add to the threat of violence against schools.
Ultimately, the educational system is a vulnerable sector in hostile regions like Afghanistan and Pakistan, and is an easy target for extremist groups. Once under attack, they can disrupt civilian life, bring forth the burden of rehabilitation and rebuilding, divert investment and stall development. For the stability of the region, successful education of the young and indeed any attempt at development and growth the education sector needs to be improved and protected.
