ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the purpose of education in the region, exploring the significance of cultural reproduction, the role of identity in everyday life, and investigating the links between demands for ethnically specific education and the wider territorial conflict. The overall political and security environment necessitate consideration and, as such, the role of identity protection will be central to the investigation of education practice and management in the region. Therefore the focus on societal security allows for the education system to be viewed through the lens of ethnic identity protection, viewing education policy, access and practice in terms of cultural preservation, minority rights and ethnic survival. A general definition of an ethnic group is a community of people who engage in shared social practices that reinforce their sense of identity. The current dilemma of education in many countries is how to create unity and national identity while celebrating the ethnic diversity of the population.
