Daily Times

Extremism has become a serious threat facing societies across the world. It affects the security, welfare, interests and self-esteem of many individuals living in any area of the world, regardless of being developed or underdeveloped. It also poses grave challenges to human rights as well as their peaceful and sustainable ways of life.

The challenges caused by extremism if evaluated primarily through military and security lenses, one will come to know that from 2001 to 2017, the United States government alone would have spent approximately US$1.78 trillion to fight terrorism. The European Union’s spending is estimated to have increased from Euro 5.7 million in 2002 to Euro 93.5 million in 2009. Governments are also increasingly aware that allocating funds to reinforce security measures is insufficient to protect everyone from extremism pulled off by violent extremist individuals.

Efforts to prevent extremism must be considered with a holistic approach. Global strategy — In this context, on the occasion of the fifth review of the UN Global Counter terrorism, the UN General Assembly recommended that countries consider the implementation of its relevant recommendations, as applicable to national contexts, with the support of the United Nations. In the Plan, the UN Secretary-General calls for a comprehensive approach to address the underlying conditions that drive individuals to join violent extremist groups. Among its action priorities is the necessity to support “Education, skills development and employment facilitation” as a means to foster respect for human diversity and prepare young people- radicalized or on the brink of it- to enter the workplace with dignity. The recommendation also addresses the need to invest in programmes that promote global citizenship and provide comprehensive support through tertiary education, including technical and vocational education. All member States acknowledged “the importance of education as a tool to help prevent extremism”

Education is a universally recognised fundamental human right. When the interests, needs, goals or values of involved parties smash together, education not only serves as atool, but emerges also as a significant way out for children and youth to protect them against hostility. Education assists them endure, pull through and regain a sense of hope and resilience. As a matter of fact, children and youth are the prospect of communities, societies and countries in which they need to invest to make the future secure. As a state, Pakistan truly needs to develop visionary reforms in education programming so the positive contribution of education in preventing and countering extremism could  not be threatened by the increasing attempts to link education with the agenda of ‘rigid thinking’.

Building on that one can identify spontaneous links between youth, education, peace, security and highlights the role of education in prevention of extremism and peace building. The vital role of education in avoiding extremism and violence educational experts should aim to design resources – programs to deradicalise children and youth, understanding the perspective of others and value of humanity – in context to societal and cultural needs; available to practitioners, academics, and all those working in the field of education in frail and crisis-affected contexts. Government and multilateral institutions can design programmes that offer-educational and social service providers – tools to tackle drivers of extremism affectively.

In my opinion, extremism is violence of ideology

The efforts to link education and extremism rests on the supposition that education can lend a hand in not only preventing extremism but also in eradicating it from root. For, it still remains undecided how and at what stage a person becomes radicalised or adopts extremism and becomes violent. However- for any nation- it can be favourable to identify the intersection between extremism and education. The potential implication of principled humanitarian action and the universal right to education might be made possible by grounding education programmes as a tool to prevent extremism. This schema, if handled wrongly, can alter the priorities in favour of a ‘non desired political agenda’ rather than serving for the needs – and rights based schema. Not only does this kind of programming would violate the right to education of children and youth, it can be easily regarded against the principle of impartiality, which embraces that all humanitarian action must only be based on true and selfless needs alone.

In my opinion, extremism is violence of ideology; only education has the potential to promote a culture of peace and non-violence as it provides protection, stability, essential knowledge and life skills moreover is mean to inculcate core common values in left out children and youth. However, integration of disagreement, sensitivity in education policies and purposeful programmes are necessary to be implemented- at vast level- to minimise the negative impacts and maximise positive impacts on minds of individuals. In line with the stated perspective, education stakeholders need to consider discrepancies, vulnerabilities and capabilities.

Addressing them, based on an analysis of each context, is essential for an effective ‘national’ response. It is important to recognise, utilise and enhance the strengths and capacities of children and youth through an intentionally positive and pro-social approach. Doing so will make it possible for them to be agents of positive change in their communities. This positive perspective should be the fundamental rationale for all education policies or programmes in Pakistan. Rather than focusing on the deficits of children and youth or grounding programmatic approaches in the presence of adversity, risk or challenge, it would be better to construct upon the development of potential and positive contribution of children and youth to their communities. As a responsible country Pakistan should oppose any link of humanitarian assistance that is motivated by the ‘rigid agenda’ to make the children and youth secure and beneficial for society and in larger interest for nation.

Pakistan’s education programmes should focus to provide physically and emotionally safe spaces for children and youth – in danger-to foster high quality and supportive relationships with peers, adults and the wider community. Education policies and programming should rely on a sensitive approach, in line with National Policy on Education. As an independent state, government should fund education programmes under funding opportunities where the key objective is to counter or prevent extremism and/or where the term of that funding risks compromising the rights- and needs-based approach. It must be dealt with iron hand. Government should help institutions in delivering education programmes that help build learners’ resilience to extremism and prevent the drivers of the phenomena. This effort must be undertaken within the framework to strengthen the capacities of national education systems which comprises on policies, teachers, educational contents and can be fully capable of -to appropriately and effectively – contribute to national interests.

The writer is an columnist

Published in Daily Times, November  6^th 2018.