Themes

Abstract 

Higher education is a frequent casualty of violent conflict. Strengthening and rebuilding the sector can contribute to conflict resolution, peacebuilding, and recovery. However, conflict-affected countries often lack funding for higher education. Foreign aid is supposed to assist with overcoming challenges such as this. Yet, over the past few decades, higher education has been neglected in in-conflict and post-conflict settings. While other studies discuss the neglect of higher education, limited research on aid flows to higher education in conflict-affected countries uses long-term empirical data. Using the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s aid flow data, this research explores trends in aid flows to higher education in conflict-affected countries during 2012-2021. Our findings show that these countries receive a small portion of the overall aid to higher education. Furthermore, most aid for higher education never reaches recipient countries; it is given as scholarship aid and spent in donor countries. This research provides evidence base about the neglect of higher education in conflict-affected countries and calls for a collective critical reflection on the role and function of aid to higher education.

Authors 

Dr Savo Heleta, Durban University of Technology, South Africa 

Dr Logan Cochrane, College of Public Policy, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar 

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