Unprepared for peace. Education in northern Uganda in displacement and beyond

All children have a right to education, including displaced children affected by conflict. Education during and after displacement is a vital component of successful recovery, because it gives people the tools they need to rebuild their communities. Yet in northern Uganda, children grew up without an adequate education during the protracted conflict between the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and the government, and now that families are returning home, or seeking other solutions to displacement, they continue to face difficulties accessing quality education. Two generations of children – those who were displaced and those now growing up in return areas – have been left without an education. The government is to be commended for its policy of universal primary education; it must now ensure its implementation throughout the northern region.