THE68% of refugee children are enrolled in primary school. But the percentage drops sharply to 37% for secondary school, while only 6% of refugees – up from 1% a few years ago – have access to academic studies. This data from over 40 countries is highlighted in the new report “All Inclusive: The Campaign for Refugee Education“ by UNHCR, which shows how refugees lag behind their non-refugee peers in enrollment at all levels of education.
The conference “Initiatives in Refugee & Migrant Education”
In the last two years, marked by the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, the number of refugees in the world has exceeded 100 million, making this population even more vulnerable. Among the rights that often cannot be guaranteed is that of education.
“We have been committed for years to protect this right which represents an investment in development, human rights and peace as well as in the people who will rebuild their countries when they can return home safely” he declares Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, announcing the conference “Initiatives in Refugee & Migrant Education”. From Monday 26 to Wednesday 28 September, at the Gregorian University in Rome, the conference will be an opportunity for discussion between universities, teachers and education professionals, NGOs and international agencies. The challenges faced by refugees and refugees and their educational opportunitiesto trace together a path of collaborative ideas.
Bernice, a Congolese refugee student in South Africa
Among the various interventions there is also the testimony of some refugee students, to whom UNHCR guarantees the right to study through the UNICORE project, University Corridors for Refugees, which issues visas for study purposes and scholarships in third countries.
Among these young refugees who have the opportunity to continue their studies in the country that offers them protection, there is Bernice, a 24-year-old Congolese refugee in South Africa, where she graduated in Electrical Engineering.
From refugees to graduates
“I have lived here for 16 years, I remember very little of my life in Congo. But I still have nightmares when I think of the day we were forced to flee to save ourselves. I consider myself lucky because I am one of the small percentage that has obtained the right to education. But it wasn’t easy: my brother had to drop out of high school to support my mother and allow me to attend school.
If from that first day of third grade in South Africa I got here, graduated from the University of Johannesburg, I have to thank my family, but also the United Nations High Commissioner for RefugeesHe declares with the contentment still impressed in his eyes for the DAFI scholarship which allowed her to devote herself entirely to her studies, without having to work to support herself.
Specialization in Cagliari, thanks to the UNHCR
A milestone that represents a new departure: Bernice, in fact, supported by the UNICORE project, which will also provide her with support in her insertion into the local social fabric, has come to Italy not only to tell her experience during the conference “Initiatives in Refugee & Migrant Education ”, but will remain here to specialize in Computer Engineering, Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence at the University of Cagliari.
“I will testify how UNHCR saved my life by offering me the opportunity to fulfill a dream in a male-dominated industry. I hope I can set an example for other refugees, showing that nothing is impossible if we strongly believe in it and have the right people by our side, ”he says, confiding in his passion for technology.
The importance of the right to education
“The world is evolving rapidly and, in my small way, I would like to make my contribution to this technological development – adds – albeit distant from my loved ones, I will have the opportunity to specialize and, who knows, maybe carry on the research on the NIR Vein Detectora device capable of detecting veins to facilitate blood sampling, on which I started working in Johannesburg ».
Networking, scholarships and training courses are the tools for which the young student thanks UNHCR asking to ensure the right to education for as many refugees as possible. Especially to girls who, in their own countries, would be prohibited from attending school.
The denial of this right was at risk of living in the first person Nilab, an Afghan girl of the same age who, after taking refuge with her family in Ukraine, following the war, was forced to further migrate to Germany.
Students taking notes in class
Nilab’s dream fulfilled away from Afghan limitations
“Fortunately – he declares – my family has always supported me in my study, motivating me to make my dreams come true. Together with them, due to the precarious situation in Afghanistan, at 16 I arrived in Ukraine, where, after overcoming the inevitable cultural, financial, religious and linguistic obstacles, I was able to attend high school, starting to firmly believe in the dream of becoming a dentist“.
And so it was: today, Nilab graduated in dentistry, thanks to a DAFI scholarship granted by the UNHCR, with which, among other things, she collaborates as a translator of English, Persian and Russian.
The double forced migration
She too will speak at the conference organized in Rome sharing her double experience as a refugee. “MI would have believed I was forced to migrate from the country that welcomed me, allowing me to fulfill myself – she comments – but, in the face of the war, we found refuge in Germany. S.we were welcomed by a family who made their apartment available. Everything is new for me here, I have to learn the German language and, above all, look for a job ».
The professionalism to share with your community
The young Afghani does not contain gratitude she hopes to make her professionalism available to her community where women are still not allowed to receive treatment from male dentists.
«In my small way, I hope to be able to contribute to guaranteeing the right to health. Just as UNHCR guarantees us refugees the right to education, a precious asset through which we can improve our lives, but also that of our families and communities. For this reason, I ask for an increase in the number of scholarships for refugee students, offering all the tools to build a satisfactory and independent future “ concludes Nilab. Sharing UNHCR’s optimistic outlook to achieve the target of 15% enrollment of refugee students in university by 2030.
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