Blog by Ponke Danker, INEW Coordinator
Image credits: Global Campaign for Education (GCE)
The coming days are special days, as we celebrate the Global Action Week for Education from 28th April to 5th May with many activities already starting this week. (Still time to register for this webinar today from 2pm Irish Time.)
GAWE — short for the Global Action Week for Education – is a campaign week, initiated by the Global Campaign for Education (GCE) and convened globally by education movements and advocates to remind governments and other decision-makers to deliver on the global commitments for education.
It is an important week of action for the #RightToEducation.
Especially, as we suddenly find ourselves in a time where we are back at square one — compelled to rearticulate what we thought was already explained, already understood, already agreed upon: why funding aid, and why funding education, is not just important, but necessary. Why it’s not “just a bit of charity”, but duty. Why we cannot abandon people caught in conflict, crisis, and suffering — circumstances none of us, least of all the millionaires and billionaires, currently so quick to make sweeping decisions for the rest of us, would ever imagine or tolerate for ourselves.
This – our – time, makes GAWE an even more important week! And “Education Saves Lives: Protect Education in Emergencies” — the theme of GAWE 2025 couldn’t be more timely now. It addresses the urgent need for quality education during crises and emphasises that education is critical for physical and psychosocial protection. The campaign builds on GAWE 2022’s calls for inclusive planning and financing and highlights the worsening situation due to geopolitical conflicts, climate crises, and increased attacks on education institutions.
When we talk about education in emergency settings, I am often met with a certain astonishment — as if surely, there must be more urgent priorities in a crisis. And I get it. If you’re coming from a high-income country, it’s easy to see education (and school) as more of a duty than a lifeline. For many, education is just there — expected, sometimes annoying, and often taken for granted (albeit, there’s still plenty to improve.)
But that mindset is shaped by fortunate circumstances. It doesn’t reflect what education means to a child or adult who has never had the opportunity to count it among life’s basic certainties. By putting ourselves in that situation we can begin to grasp the significant, powerful force education is — especially in the midst of crisis. This is when we can begin to explore the full complexity of what education means — and the urgency it holds in emergency contexts.
And that’s what we want to talk about in the coming week – starting today in this webinar! That’s what we want to share and discuss with you. That’s what we want everyone to see, to think about, to advocate for!
So today, I’m excited to give you a first sneak peek of what to consider:
We all know and understand the brutality of a crisis erupting: it brings chaos, trauma, and challenges that are overwhelming — especially for children and young learners. In these moments, schools and learning spaces become key entry points for mental health support as well as social-emotional learning, providing life skills such as:
- Understanding and regulating emotions and stress,
- Increasing a sense and understanding for the context of the crisis,
- Learning how to problem-solve,
- Building empathy and managing positive relationships, and
- Developing resilience, confidence, and hope.
These skills are not only vital for coping with the immediate crisis — they are the foundation for healing, learning, and long-term development.
On top of this, in the midst of the chaos, learning spaces offer a sense of structure, routine, and normalcy. They are a resort of emotional safety, peer connection, and opportunities to play — all of which are essential to relieve stress and support children in expressing themselves.
So, when we consider education as a humanitarian response in the midst of an emergency, we’re not just talking about learning — we’re talking about protection. We consider that education offers stability, mental health support, and hope, helping to protect the well-being of learners and their families, mitigating the immediate trauma of crisis and laying the foundation for long-term recovery and resilience. Foundations needed for a way out of the emergency.
And that’s exactly why education must be part of any emergency response from the very beginning and there are many more reasons to explore.
Over the coming week we invite you to follow the activities during GAWE 2025, learn and discuss with us the significance of continued education in emergencies, and join us in the advocacy for it! Stay tuned and register for today’s webinar!
