© UNHCR/Eduardo Soteras Jalil
Close to half of all refugee children – 48 per cent – remain out of school.
At pre-primary level, the average gross enrolment rate for the academic year 2020 to 2021 for reporting countries was 42 per cent.
For primary level, the corresponding rate for reporting countries was 68 per cent. For secondary level, it was 37 per cent, illustrating that significant structural barriers remain for refugee learners to access post-primary education.
At tertiary level, enrolment rates for the same period were at 6 per cent. This increase, of 3 percentage points since 2019, represents a transformational change for thousands of young people and their communities.
Of the 20.7 million refugees under our care, 7.9 million are refugee children of school age. Their access to education is limited, with almost half of them unable to attend school at all.
The New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants pinpoints education as a critical element of the international refugee response. Furthermore, Sustainable Development Goal 4 aims to deliver “inclusive and quality education for all and to promote lifelong learning”.
UNHCR partners with governments and international organisations to ensure quality protective education for refugee children and young people everywhere. Together with your help, they can learn how to rebuild their lives.
Education is a basic human right, enshrined in the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child and the 1951 Refugee Convention.
Education protects refugee children and youth from forced recruitment into armed groups, child labour, sexual exploitation and child marriage. Education also strengthens community resilience.
Education empowers by giving refugees the knowledge and skills to live productive, fulfilling and independent lives.
Education enlightens refugees, enabling them to learn about themselves and the world around them while striving to rebuild their lives and communities.
Teaching About Refugees
Professional resources and teaching materials for primary and secondary school teachers.
'Staying the course' - The challenges facing refugee education
Secondary education – the crucial yet critically under-resourced stage for refugees towards improved prospects in life.
Refugee Education Statistics: Issues and Recommendations - A joint paper by UNESCO-UIS and UNHCR
A comprehensive review of data sources to uncover the reasons for the shortage of data on refugee education.
Education Access for the Forcibly Displaced: during and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic
An assessment of forcibly displaced learners in education activities and their return to school in the aftermath of the pandemic in select countries.
Publications and external links I
- Coming Together For Refugee Education: Education Report 2020 (PDF)
- COVID-19 – Refugees Return to Schooling Guidelines (PDF)
- Supporting Continued Access to Education During COVID-19 (PDF)
- Supporting Continued Access to Education During COVID-19. Emerging Promising Practices. (Issue 2/ PDF)
- Framework for Reopening Schools Supplement-From Reopening to Recovery-Key Resources (PDF)
- Her Turn: It's time to make refugee girls' education a priority
- Refugee Education 2030: A Strategy for Refugee Inclusion (PDF)
- Education 2030: A Strategy for Refugee Education (French Version/ PDF)
- The Global Cost of Inclusive Refugee Education (PDF)
Publications and external links II
- UNHCR Humanitarian Education Accelerator (HEA) Learning Synthesis (PDF)
- COVID-19: Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Schools: A safe return to schools for refugee children and youth, 2020 (PDF)
- How to ensure everyone can continue learning amid the coronavirus situation. Connected education: resources, considerations & guidance (PDF)
- Education in Emergencies coordination – Harnessing humanitarian and development architecture for Education 2030 (PDF)
- Emerging lessons from country experiences of reopening schools (PDF)
- UNHCR-UNESCO-EAA Policy Paper - What a waste: Ensure that migrants and refugees' qualifications and prior learning are recognized (PDF)