This is where humanitarian aid, combined with security, becomes crucial. Humanitarian efforts are no longer just about providing books or constructing buildings; they are about safeguarding minds and futures. When education systems are threatened and attacked, it’s not just the loss of a day’s learning, but the gradual loss of potential and the crushing of dreams.

Another key theme that emerged was the role of education in breaking oppressive structures, especially when religion is used as an exploitative tool. In many areas, religion has been misused to suppress thought and exploit people. A portal participant commented with a funny anecdote:

“Education opens your eyes and minds. When you are educated, you have a backing. You can conclude and say – oh, this is wrong, or oh, this is right. You have the tools to move forward, do the right thing, and be a good person. No one can come to tell you that when you kill a person, you have seven wives waiting for you in heaven. When you are properly educated to know the pain, you’ll be inflicting, the lives you’ll be hurting, a whole lot of difference will be made.”

This makes education a liberating tool, that gives us the ability to question, challenge, and break free from imposed belief systems. 

Participants from both ends agreed that to create meaningful change, education must evolve beyond traditional teachings. “We need to teach people how not to be dependent” one speaker noted, underscoring the importance of education that empowers individuals to think critically and forge a solution-providing community amongst themselves, so they can first look inward for aid.

But even with the power of education understood, it cannot exist without some established entities. The discussion turned to a crucial point: “The Hierarchy of Needs.”

Security, food, clothing, and shelter must be in place for education to thrive. “Education is a human right, but food, clothing, and shelter are basic human needs,” participants pointed out.