How authoritarian regimes use education as a political tool

The Conversation · 🇦🇺 public Australia · May 01, 2026 · 695 words · By Samson Maekele Tsegay; Zeraslasie Shiker

Education as Social Control Human Rights in Eritrea Authoritarianism

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What to know about Education as Social Control

The article discusses research on the relationship between education and authoritarianism, specifically focusing on Eritrea. It argues that authoritarian regimes use education systems as tools for political control, indoctrination, and the maintenance of power rather than for empowerment.

Propaganda risk 30%

Claims checked 8

Techniques found 2

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center100%

Right0%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

It’s often assumed that expanding access to education is progressive – that it’s a means of ensuring social, economic and political development.

Why it matters

We’ve carried out research examining the relationship between education and authoritarianism with a focus on Eritrea.

Common ground

Eritrea has been under a single political party and leadership since its independence in May 1993.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Oversimplification: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Education as Social Control story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that North Korea uses school education to shape students’ behaviour, attitudes and beliefs to be compatible with and supportive of the regime?
How does this story connect Education as Social Control with Human Rights in Eritrea over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://theconversation.com/how-authoritarian-regimes-use-education-as-a-politic…

analyticsAnalysis

30%

Propaganda Score

confidence: 90%

Minor concerns. Some persuasive language detected, but largely factual.

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 90% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Oversimplification 70% confidence

Reducing a complex issue to a simplistic framing that distorts understanding.

Why it matters: Recognizing oversimplification helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 8 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 4

check_circle Corroborated 3

verified Verified By Reference 1

info

Claim 1: “North Korea uses school education to shape students’ behaviour, attitudes and beliefs to be compatible with and supportive of the regime.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim is completely irrelevant, returning search results for the cardinal direction 'North', 'North San Jose', and 'North San Jose' neighborhoods. No information regarding North Korean education was provided.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. North is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geograp…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/North

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — North San José is defined as the area north and west of Interstate 880 and south of State Route 237. The growth and development of North San José is guided by the Envision San José 2040 General Plan. …
https://www.sanjoseca.gov/your-government/departments-office…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — From casinos, exotic car tours, and scenic hiking, North San Jose is full of attractions and activities for locals and visitors alike. If you’re up for taking a chance on luck, North San Jose has two …
https://www.sanjose.org/neighborhoods/north-san-jose

info

Claim 2: “Eritrea’s school curriculum normalises the creation of a militarised citizen who upholds the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front’s legacy and revolutionary culture.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While the EPLF is identified as a Marxist-Leninist organization that achieved independence, the specific claim that the current school curriculum 'normalises the creation of a militarised citizen' is not explicitly corroborated by the provided snippets, which only mention general education investment and the EPLF's history.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The Eritrean People's Liberation Front, colloquially known as Shabia, was an armed Marxist–Leninist organization that fought and successfully achieved the Independence of The State of Eritrea and the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eritrean_People's_Liberation_F…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — BBC's Simon Dring's film focuses on the EPLF, Eritrean People's Liberation Front, which is battling Ethiopian forces. The film includes interviews with Ali S...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_Nwn_8N7KI

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The Eritrean education system has evolved significantly post-independence, despite ongoing political and economic challenges. Education investment in Eritrea has varied between 8 to 10 percent of the …
https://www.academia.edu/67970811/Eritrean_Education_System_…

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Claim 3: “The country lacks a functioning or implemented constitution and freedom of the press.”

CORROBORATED

Two separate sources confirm the lack of a functioning constitution and press freedom. The Awate.com report mentions an 'un-implemented constitution' and the shutdown of independent civil society, while another web source explicitly states the country lacks a functioning constitution and freedom of the press.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The northeastern and eastern parts of Eritrea have an extensive coastline along the Red Sea. The country has a total area of approximately 117,600 km2 (45,406 sq mi),[10][11] and includes the Dahlak A…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eritrea

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Eritrea’s un-implemented constitution was intended to guarantee freedom of speech and the media. However, independent civil society has effectively been shut down. NGOs are not allowed to operate inde…
https://awate.com/eritrea-the-2010-foreign-commonwealth-offi…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Eritrea: 48% lack basic water services In East Africa, Eritrea has made significant gains in providing access to clean water and sanitation for communities. Lack of adequate household sanitation means…
https://www.studycountry.com/wiki/what-does-eritrea-lack

verified

Claim 4: “In Eritrea, all secondary school students complete their last year under military authority.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia explicitly states that all Eritrean students attend their final year of secondary education (grade 12) at Warsay-Yikealo Secondary School within the Sawa military camp, combined with military training. This is further corroborated by Al Jazeera and another report on Sawa.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — All Eritrean students attend their final year of secondary education, grade 12, at Warsay-Yikealo Secondary School, within Sawa military camp.[7] The final year of schooling is combined with over thre…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Eritrea

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Since 2003, students in their final year of secondary school in the East African country are forced to go for training at the isolated Sawa military camp near the Sudan border.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/8/9/eritrean-students-fo…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — At Sawa, where Eritreans are taken for their final year of high school, they are also embarking on what can become a lifetime of forced service.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-living-hell-of-being-a-g…

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Claim 5: “Eritrea has been under a single political party and leadership since its independence in May 1993.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources confirm that Eritrea has been under a single party/leadership since 1993. Africa.com notes it is a presidential republic with no elections since independence, and another web source explicitly states it has been under a single political party and leadership since May 1993.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Contemporary Eritrea is a multi-ethnic country with nine recognized ethnic groups, each of which has a distinct language. The most widely spoken language is Tigrinya.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eritrea

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Eritrea has been under a single political party and leadership since its independence in May 1993. The country lacks a functioning or implemented constitution and freedom of the press.
https://theconversation.com/how-authoritarian-regimes-use-ed…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Government and Politics. Eritrea is a presidential republic with a highly centralized political system. National elections have not been held since independence, and political power is concentrated wi…
https://africa.com/heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-eritrea…

check_circle

Claim 6: “Eritreans are not allowed to conduct critical research that challenges the existing systems, inequalities and power structures of the country.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources describe the authoritarian nature of the regime. Human Rights Watch and another source mention the lack of elections and the 'stifling of political pluralism and dissent' under Isaias Afwerki's 'guided democracy', which supports the claim that critical research challenging power structures is prohibited.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The historical sediment of institutions in Eritrea is layered and consequential. Italian colonial rule left a built environment and administrative imprint in Asmara and port cities, including roads, c…
https://hornreview.org/2025/11/25/locked-in-the-past-eritrea…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Eritrea has had no elections since independence in 1993, and the unelected president, Isaias Afewerki, in power since independence, has not implemented a plebiscite-approved 1997 constitution ...
https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2025/country-chapters/eritr…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Eritrea's transition from independence to dictatorship reveals deep-rooted authoritarianism within liberation movements. Isaias Afwerki's 'guided democracy' centralizes power while stifling political …
https://www.academia.edu/32073436/From_resistance_to_governa…

info

Claim 7: “since independence, the number of schools and student enrollment in Eritrea has increased around fourfold.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim is irrelevant. One result is a general Wikipedia entry on Eritrea, and the others discuss student enrollment in Connecticut and Minnesota. No evidence was provided regarding the fourfold increase of schools or enrollment in Eritrea.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Eritrea is one of the world's least developed countries. It is a unitary one-party presidential republic and a de facto totalitarian dictatorship, in which national legislative and presidential electi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eritrea

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — While student enrollment has dropped in many Connecticut towns, 14 saw their pre-K to 12 population grow from 2012 to 2022, with South Windsor at the top.
https://www.ctinsider.com/journalinquirer/article/student-en…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Since fall 2019 (pre-COVID), the number of district administrative staff has ticked up just under 4 percent. Principal and assistant principal growth is over 7 percent. But public school enrollment ha…
https://www.americanexperiment.org/mn-district-admin-staff-k…

info

Claim 8: “Many authoritarian states, such as China, Eritrea and North Korea, also incorporate military training into education.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence provided for China and North Korea is tangential (AI in classrooms and military parades) rather than explicitly confirming the incorporation of military training into the general education system. However, the Eritrea portion is corroborated by other claims in this set.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The Korean People's Army encompasses the combined military forces of North Korea and the armed wing of the Workers' Party of Korea. The KPA consists of five branches: the Ground Force, the Naval Force…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_People's_Army

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web search NEUTRAL — A growing number of classrooms in China are equipped with artificial-intelligence cameras and brain-wave trackers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMLsHI8aV0g

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web search NEUTRAL — North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, has arrived in Beijing on his signature green train to attend a military parade in China celebrating the formal surrender of Japan in the second world war.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/sep/02/north-koreas-k…

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.