A narrative review of adult education in war-torn Afghanistan, Iraq, and Palestine from equity and decolonial perspectives

Conflicts, wars, violence, and human rights violations have had a devastating impact on nearly 108.4 million people globally in 2022, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. This paper investigates adult education in conflict zones, examining how warfare disrupts educational continuity through the intersecting lenses of equity and decolonisation. Using a critical narrative literature review focused on three war-affected contexts Afghanistan, Iraq, and Palestine this paper explores adult education practices and challenges in these settings. This paper provides an overview of the conflict contexts in these regions and an analysis of the literature through equity and decolonial lenses. It concludes with recommendations for future research and practice, emphasising the need for decolonised, contextually grounded, and equity-oriented approaches to inform more contextually grounded, locally accountable, and equity-oriented adult education research and practice in conflict-affected contexts.