In this presentation, I will problematise the widely believed role of education in promoting societal advancement and critically discuss how education can create and exacerbate conditions of violent conflicts in politically and socially fragile environments. Drawing upon my decade-long work in Nepal, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Thailand, I will present an analytical framework that enables researchers, practitioners and policy makers to appreciate multidimensional interactions between education, conflict and peace. I would argue that educational processes in conflict-affected societies should underpin critical political consciousness, enabling teachers and learners to exercise their agency to create transformative learning spaces that harness the peacebuilding role of education. National and international actors involved in peace negotiations should prioritise education as a vehicle for conflict transformation and sustainable peace.