The Role of Education in Preventing Violent Extremism

Session

Security Studies

Description

The bombing of the Grand Hotel in Brighton, UK, in 1984 by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) was designed to kill then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her Cabinet. Five people were killed and over 30 injured in the bombing however the IRA’s primary target, Thatcher, was unharmed. Following the bombing an IRA press release claiming responsibility deemed the operation a semi-failure adding "Today we were unlucky, but remember we only have to be lucky once - you will have to be lucky always."The same can be said of education in preventing violent extremism. One individual slipping through the net could have extreme consequences, potentially affecting hundreds or thousands of lives. In the ‘War against Terror’ focus is on surveillance, intelligence, weaponry, technology, staff and the elimination of threats. Education on preventing violent extremism holds but a sliver of the budget. Why is this? Perhaps governments and national security agencies accept that radicalization cannot be eradicated and the pragmatic and best use of resources is countering the threat rather than a utopian dream to completely eradicate violent extremism.Some programmes such as the United Kingdom ‘CONTEST’ and ‘PREVENT’ have claimed victories. Around 7,000 people per year in the UK are referred for initial assessment. In around 65% of cases, it is decided other services such as mental health, education, policing, local authorities and others are better placed to support these individuals. However, according to human rights groups such as ‘Liberty’ and Amnesty International this programme requires teachers, doctors, social workers and others to monitor/report people suspected vulnerable to extremism. Throughout time terrorist groups have conducted their own and arguably successful ‘education’ campaigns. Mass media and the internet globalized the messages. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) produced the online magazine ‘Inspire’. The Summer 2010 issue contained an article "How to make a bomb in the kitchen of your mom", advising how to make a pressure cooker bomb using common materials. The Boston Marathon bombing of 15 April 2015 carried out unilaterally by the Tsarnaev brothers followed the article’s bomb-making instructions. No publicly available source specifies an amount of the anti-terrorism budget allocated solely to education-focused programs such as Prevent-based educational interventions. While the Prevent strategy involves education and intervention efforts, its funding is nested within broader counter-terrorism and social intervention budgets, not separately reported. Is education the Cinderella of preventing violent extremism and being overlooked?

Keywords:

Terrorism, Education, Radicalization, Prevention

Proceedings Editor

Edmond Hajrizi

ISBN

978-9951-982-41-2

Location

UBT Lipjan, Kosovo

Start Date

25-10-2025 9:00 AM

End Date

26-10-2025 6:00 PM

DOI

10.33107/ubt-ic.2025.303

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Oct 25th, 9:00 AM Oct 26th, 6:00 PM

The Role of Education in Preventing Violent Extremism

UBT Lipjan, Kosovo

The bombing of the Grand Hotel in Brighton, UK, in 1984 by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) was designed to kill then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her Cabinet. Five people were killed and over 30 injured in the bombing however the IRA’s primary target, Thatcher, was unharmed. Following the bombing an IRA press release claiming responsibility deemed the operation a semi-failure adding "Today we were unlucky, but remember we only have to be lucky once - you will have to be lucky always."The same can be said of education in preventing violent extremism. One individual slipping through the net could have extreme consequences, potentially affecting hundreds or thousands of lives. In the ‘War against Terror’ focus is on surveillance, intelligence, weaponry, technology, staff and the elimination of threats. Education on preventing violent extremism holds but a sliver of the budget. Why is this? Perhaps governments and national security agencies accept that radicalization cannot be eradicated and the pragmatic and best use of resources is countering the threat rather than a utopian dream to completely eradicate violent extremism.Some programmes such as the United Kingdom ‘CONTEST’ and ‘PREVENT’ have claimed victories. Around 7,000 people per year in the UK are referred for initial assessment. In around 65% of cases, it is decided other services such as mental health, education, policing, local authorities and others are better placed to support these individuals. However, according to human rights groups such as ‘Liberty’ and Amnesty International this programme requires teachers, doctors, social workers and others to monitor/report people suspected vulnerable to extremism. Throughout time terrorist groups have conducted their own and arguably successful ‘education’ campaigns. Mass media and the internet globalized the messages. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) produced the online magazine ‘Inspire’. The Summer 2010 issue contained an article "How to make a bomb in the kitchen of your mom", advising how to make a pressure cooker bomb using common materials. The Boston Marathon bombing of 15 April 2015 carried out unilaterally by the Tsarnaev brothers followed the article’s bomb-making instructions. No publicly available source specifies an amount of the anti-terrorism budget allocated solely to education-focused programs such as Prevent-based educational interventions. While the Prevent strategy involves education and intervention efforts, its funding is nested within broader counter-terrorism and social intervention budgets, not separately reported. Is education the Cinderella of preventing violent extremism and being overlooked?