Abstract
This conceptual paper demonstrates the potential role of social media in providing students with access to education during emergency situations when schools cannot ensure students’ safety or provide safe learning environments. It is based on conceptual analysis that transforms face-to-face education into a cost-free, online educational environment by relying on social-media learning tools during short-term disruptions caused by violence and conflict. This article proposes a framework that outlines how technology can be used to maintain education in schools during conflicts and emergency situations: cloud computing to access administrative resources and social media tools to maintain teaching/learning resources and student–teacher as well as student–student interactions. The proposed strategy could be greatly beneficial to educational leaders and administrators in regions vulnerable to sectarian conflicts where student safety and the delivery of educational services can become major challenges. This paper contributes to the literature by emphasising the advantages of social media tools for educational delivery in conflict-afflicted regions.
Highlights
Protecting schools from attacks is essential to fulfil a promise in the United Nations’2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: ensure access to education for all children [1]. many countries have established guidelines for protecting schools during sectarian armed conflicts, violations of school safety have been observed in Africa, the MiddleEast, and Southeast Asia
This research calls for educational administrators to develop and implement proactive measures using cost-free social media tools and applications to mitigate the impacts of conflicts on educational delivery and students’ educational attainment in societies affected by sectarian conflicts and tensions
Social media tools have been repeatedly shown to increase student motivation and foster student-centred approaches. This suggests that social media tools possess considerable potential for use during conflict periods when traditional, formal school settings might not operate on a regular basis
Summary
Protecting schools from attacks is essential to fulfil a promise in the United Nations’. This research calls for educational administrators to develop and implement proactive measures using cost-free social media tools and applications to mitigate the impacts of conflicts on educational delivery and students’ educational attainment in societies affected by sectarian conflicts and tensions. Such a pro-active strategy, once integrated into the school system, can strengthen the resilience of vulnerable societies and provide life-saving skills that can protect people during and after disasters [12]. The tools that were selected were the most used by teachers in schools for preparing their lessons plans, students’ activities, as well as for communication and sharing purposes with their colleagues or students
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