CALL TO
ACTION
A young student at school in Paraguachon, Colombia, that welcomes Venezuelan refugee and host community children. © UNHCR/VINCENT TREMEAU
Refugee enrolment in school will not improve without a combined and coordinated effort at all levels of society – governments, businesses, schools and universities, charities, and members of the public.
GOVERNMENTS
- Allow refugees to enrol in schools under the same conditions as nationals
- Include refugees in national education systems; ensure they follow national curricula
- Give refugees access to school without documentation or certification
- Design policies and allocate budgets for refugee education in national plans
- Ensure refugees can sit for national exams and earn recognized qualifications
- Ensure refugee girls have equal access to education
- Ensure host communities also benefit from education funding
SCHOOLS
- Ensure refugee children feel welcome
- Provide language courses for refugees who do not speak the language of instruction
- Offer catch-up programmes to refugees who have been out of school for months or years
- Establish a dialogue with the families of refugee children and engage them in school life
- Give teachers the relevant training to integrate and educate refugee children
- Educate other children about the lives and experiences of refugees and the forcibly displaced
UNIVERSITIES
- Offer scholarships and other awards to refugee students
- Create and develop connected learning programmes
- Support and partner with universities in the top refugee-hosting countries
- Encourage student groups to welcome and support refugee students
BUSINESSES
- Offer internships, apprenticeships, training and job opportunities to refugees
- Partner with UNHCR to invest in refugee education initiatives
- Offer technological expertise to boost education projects
- Fund and provide in-kind resources
DONORS
- Embed education funding in core planning for all refugee operations
- Fund education programmes that follow formal national curricula rather than parallel courses of study
- Ensure reliable multi-year funding
- Support teacher training, including refugee teachers
- Invest in school infrastructure and supplies
PUBLIC
- Support the work of UNHCR and its partners through donations
- Lobby governments to support the inclusion of refugees in national systems
- Help refugees learn new languages and skills
- Volunteer with NGOs that support refugees
