Blog by Martin Obwoya, Chiara Ronca, and Deirdre Murray — Plan International Uganda and Plan International Ireland
NORRRAG (a global network for international policies and cooperation in education and training) published its latest Policy Insights collection last week, focusing on Education and the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus. This “triple nexus”, which highlights the interconnections between humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding efforts has long been recognised as essential to better serve crisis-affected communities.
In contributions to the policy insights by Plan International Ireland and Plan International Uganda, we argue that working across all parts of this nexus is now more critical than ever for education programming (NORRAG Policy Insights #06, pp 52 and 102). Only by responding to immediate education needs while simultaneously building preparedness and resilience into national systems can the most vulnerable children and communities truly thrive and recover. This, on the other hand, requires adequate and flexible funding models that support long-term planning while allowing adjustments to evolving circumstances, facilitating sustained engagement across humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding assistance.
Using Plan International Ireland’s Safe, Quality, Resilient, Inclusion-Based Education (SQRIBE) multi-country programme as an example, we reflect on the Irish Aid funding model, which facilitates the development of education systems that are better prepared and more resilient—paving the way for quality, effective, and timely responses to crises that affect children’s access to education. Irish Aid’s funding model is built on flexibility, allowing budgets to be reallocated across countries as needs change. This flexibility is also programmatic: as long as activities contribute to set outcomes, country teams can choose the approaches and strategies best suited to their context.
Mali provides a strong example of how this works in practice. The project enables Plan Mali to respond to immediate needs while strengthening long-term education systems in the Timbuktu region. Almost seven times the size of Ireland, Timbuktu is vast and highly diverse, with some areas classified as “red zones” where schools are non-functional and thousands of children are out of school due to flooding and the presence of non-state armed groups, while other areas continue to operate.
This complexity makes a nexus approach essential: meeting urgent educational needs go hand in hand with building inclusive, resilient education systems capable of withstanding both human-made and climate-related crises.
Plan International Uganda provides a powerful case study on how education in emergencies can go beyond short-term responses to strengthen national systems by supporting teacher development. Our projects in the Adjumani and Yumbe refugee hosting districts prioritise teacher capacity development alongside other interventions, as remedial classes and bridging programs. By equipping teacher educators in colleges to deliver approaches like Learning through Play, Language Bridging, and Teaching at the Right Level, the initiative supports both refugee and host community teachers to improve learning outcomes. In turn, strengthening teachers’ capacities contributes to the peace dimension of the nexus, easing tensions and helping to build more cohesive communities.
Uganda’s commitment to transitioning humanitarian assistance into government planning and management with partner support further demonstrates the potential the nexus approach holds. However, this progress remains fragile. While Uganda’s Education Response Plan for refugees and host communities recommends recruiting 13,203 teachers each year to support 709,460 learners by 2025, donor cuts and funding withdrawals have had far-reaching impacts, resulting in a reduction in teaching staff. This undermines long-term planning, limiting the ability of partners to implement a nexus approach effectively, and risks reversing the gains achieved through humanitarian efforts.
From Mali to Uganda, experiences shared in NORRAG’s publication demonstrate how education systems must be supported across the triple nexus to deliver sustainable outcomes. They also constitute a cautionary reminder: sudden and unplanned donor withdrawals can quickly erode hard-won progress. As illustrated by the Uganda case study, funding cuts risk trapping responses in short-term humanitarian cycles, undermining the transition toward inclusive, resilient national education systems that can sustainably integrate refugees.
To dive deeper into education and the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus, explore the NORRAG Policy Insights – Education and the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus at 10.
Plan International Ireland is a member of INEW. A heartfelt thank you to everyone at Plan International Ireland and Plan International Uganda for this kind contribution to our blog!
