M a r t h a K . F e r e d e 2 0 1 8

HIGHER EDUCATION FOR REFUGEES

This paper was commissioned by the Global Education Monitoring Report as background information to assist in drafting the 2019 GEM Report, Migration, displacement and education: Building bridges, not walls. It has not been edited by the team. The views and opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and should not be attributed to the Global Education Monitoring Report or to UNESCO. The papers can be cited with the following reference: “Paper commissioned for the 2019 Global Education Monitoring Report, Migration, displacement and education: Building bridges, not walls”. For further information, please contact gemreport@unesco.org.

08Fall

Background paper prepared for the 2019 Global Education Monitoring Report

Migration, displacement and education: Building bridges, not walls

ED/GEMR/MRT/2018/P1/24/Rev2

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CONTENTSAcronyms.......................................................................................................................................................3

Terminology...................................................................................................................................................4

Abstract.........................................................................................................................................................5

Introduction...................................................................................................................................................6

Part1:Impetus,InternationalConventionsandenrolmentdata...................................................................61a.Whydoeshighereducationforrefugeesmatter?........................................................................61b.Internationaldeclarationsandconventions...............................................................................101c.Refugees’highereducationenrolmentdata...............................................................................11

PartII:BarrierstoHigherEducationforRefugees.........................................................................................162a.Missingqualificationsandevaluationofcredentials..................................................................172b.Interruptededucation/gapsinlearning....................................................................................182c.Limitedlanguageproficiency.......................................................................................................182d.Informationbarrier.....................................................................................................................202e.Prohibitivecostofhighereducation...........................................................................................212f.Hostcountrylimitedresourcestoexpandhighereducationtorefugees...................................222g.LegislativeChallenges..................................................................................................................232h.Insecurityinhostcountries.........................................................................................................24

PartIII:IncentivesandProgrammes.............................................................................................................253a.Alternativecredentialevaluationschemes.................................................................................253b.Hostlanguage-learninginitiatives...............................................................................................273c.Scholarshipschemes...................................................................................................................273d.Refugeepeer-to-peerinitiatives.................................................................................................333e.Onlineandblendedhighereducationforrefugees....................................................................343f.Initiativessupportingacademicsinneedofrefuge.....................................................................373g.CapacitybuildinginitiativesoffacultyandstaffatHEIs..............................................................393h.Resettlementthroughhighereducation.....................................................................................40

CaseStudy:WUSCStudentRefugeeProgramme..........................................................................................42

PartIV:Recommendations...........................................................................................................................47Policy.................................................................................................................................................47Research............................................................................................................................................49

Conclusion....................................................................................................................................................50

References...................................................................................................................................................52

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ACRONYMS

AY Academicyear

CEFR CommonEuropeanFrameworkofReference

Cara CouncilforAt-RiskAcademics

CLCC ConnectedLearninginCrisisConsortium

DAFI AlbertEinsteinGermanAcademicRefugeeInitiative

ERN EuropeanResettlementNetwork

HEI HigherEducationInstitution

IIE InstituteofInternationalEducation

ISCED TheInternationalStandardClassificationofEducation

MOOC MassiveOpenOnlineCourse

NARIC NationalAcademicRecognitionInformationCentresintheEuropeanUnion

NOKUT NorwegianAgencyforQualityAssuranceinEducation

SAR ScholarsatRisk

SDG SustainableDevelopmentGoals

SRP StudentRefugeeProgram

TOEFL TestofEnglishasaForeignLanguage

TVET TechnicalandVocationalEducationandTraining

UIS UNESCOInstituteforStatistics

UN UnitedNations

UNESCO UnitedNationsEducationScientificandCulturalOrganization

UNHCR UnitedNationsHighCommissionerforRefugees

UNICEF UnitedNationsChildren’sEducationFund

WUSC WorldUniversityServiceofCanada

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TERMINOLOGYAsylumSeeker

Anasylum-seekerissomeonewhoserequestforsanctuaryhasyettobeprocessed(UNHCR,2016a).

HigherEducation

Ingeneral,highereducationisconsideredasformaleducationthatfollowssecondaryeducation.Assuch,highereducationisalsoreferredtoaspost-secondaryortertiaryeducation.

For thepurposesof thispaper, I use the International StandardClassificationofEducation (ISCED)description(UNESCOInstituteforStatistics[UIS],2012).TheISCEDdistinguishesbetween:

• Short-cycletertiaryeducationprogrammesatISCEDlevel5(atleasttwoyears);• Bachelor’sorequivalentfirstdegreeprogrammesatISCEDlevel6(threetofouryears);• Bachelor’sorequivalentlongfirstdegreeprogrammesatISCEDlevel6(morethanfour

years);• Master’sorequivalentlongfirstdegreeprogrammesatISCEDlevel7(atleastfiveyears);• Doctorallevel-thesuccessfulcompletionofISCEDlevel7isusuallyrequiredforentryinto

ISCEDlevel8.

Tertiaryeducationandhighereducationareusedinterchangeably.

HigherEducationInstitutions(HEIs)

Referstouniversities,othereducationalestablishments,centresandstructuresofhighereducation,and centres of research and culture associatedwith any of the above, public or private, that areapproved as such, either through recognised accreditation systems or by the competent stateauthorities(UNESCO,1997).

Refugee

The1951UNConventionRelatingtotheStatusofRefugees,Section1(A)definesarefugeeas:“Apersonwhoowingtoawell-foundedfearofbeingpersecutedforreasonsofrace,religion,nationality,membershipofaparticularsocialgrouporpoliticalopinionisoutsidethecountryofhisnationalityandisunableor,owingtosuchfear,isunwillingtoavailhimselfoftheprotectionofthatcountry;orwho,nothavinganationalityandbeingoutsidethecountryofhisformerhabitualresidenceasaresultofsuchevents,isunableor,owingtosuchfear,isunwillingtoreturntoit”

(UnitedNationsGeneralAssembly[UNGA],1951).InlinewithUNHCR(2018a,p.61)definitions,“Therefugeepopulationalsoincludespeopleinrefugee-likesituationsthatincludesgroupsofpeoplewhoareoutsidetheircountryorterritoryoforiginandwhofaceprotectionriskssimilartothoseofrefugeesbutforwhomrefugeestatushas,forpracticalorotherreasons,notbeenascertained.”

ABSTRACT

Higher education holds many benefits for refugees. Yet, historically, their higher education

opportunitieshavebeenverylimited.Thispaperaddressesrefugees’accessto,andparticipationin,

higher education by examining factors that serve as barriers. It then specifies initiatives aimed at

increasing access. A case study based on original research delves deeply into how peer-to-peer

sponsorship holds great promise for increasing higher education access and durable solutions for

refugeeyouth.Thepapercloseswithrecommendationsforpolicyandresearch.

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INTRODUCTION

In 2016, less than 1% of refugee youth had access to higher education. A myriad of challenges

accountforthislowrate,includinglearninggapsduetointerruptedschooling,issueswithacademic

credentials,financialconstraintsandlimitedfluencyinthelanguageofinstruction.

Thispaperaddressesrefugees’accesstohighereducationinthreeparts;thefirstpartgroundsthe

issue by demonstrating the impetus for higher education for refugees, outlining the international

conventionsthatcall forrefugees’participation inhighereducationandprovidingenrolmentdata.

The second part outlines the various barriers to access. In the third part, the paper identifies

initiativesdesignedtoincreasehighereducationaccessforrefugees.Inthissection,adetailedcase

studyontheWorldUniversityServiceofCanada’s(WUSC)StudentRefugeeProgram(SRP)describes

auniqueinitiativethatoffersrefugeeyouthaccesshighereducationandtothedurablesolutionof

resettlement.Thepapercloseswithrecommendationsforpolicyandresearch.

PART1:IMPETUS,INTERNATIONALCONVENTIONSANDENROLMENTDATA

1a.Whydoeshighereducationforrefugeesmatter?

The benefits of higher education are best organised under those garnered at the individual and

societal levels. At the individual level, economists note advantages to education are particularly

robust with the completion of a bachelor’s degree. Higher education has been shown to be a

gateway to upward social and economicmobility by enabling access to higher-skilled, better-paid

positions,accesstowell-connectedsocialnetworks,andentryintothemiddleclass(Ma,Pender,&

Welch,2016).TheOECD(2011)foundthat in‘Brazil,theCzechRepublic,Greece,Hungary,Poland,

theSlovakRepublicandtheUnitedStates,menholdingadegreefromauniversityoranadvanced

research programme earn at least 80% more than men who have an upper secondary or post-

secondarynon-tertiaryeducation.InBrazil,Greece,Hungary,Ireland,Japan,theSlovakRepublic,the

UnitedKingdomandtheUnitedStates,womenhaveasimilaradvantage’(p.139).

Besides individual economic gains, personswith a bachelor’s degree aremore tolerant of others,

tendtohavelowerchildmortalityrates,andlivelongerandhealthierlives.Thepublicbenefitsofan

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educated population include a lowered burden on criminal and social services, increased political

engagementandincreasedtaxesfromahigher-earninglabourforce(Baum,Ma,&Payea,2013).

The private and public benefits of higher education appear to hold irrespective of immigration

status.Thepertinentquestionis;doeshighereducationmatterinparticularforrefugees,andifso,

why?

SUPPORTSDURABLESOLUTIONSFORREFUGEES

Access to primary and secondary education iswidely accepted to be critical to thewellbeing and

livelihoodofallchildren.However,highereducationforrefugeeshasonlycomeintofocusinrecent

years.Thisisdue,inpart,toUNHCR’s2012-2016EducationStrategythatforthefirsttime,included

highereducationforrefugeesasakeypriorityarea.Priortothis,itwasrarelyconsideredaspartofa

humanitarianresponsestrategy.

HighereducationholdsvalueforallthreeofUNHCR’ssolutions1forrefugees:

1)Repatriationintotheircountryoforigin2;

2)Integrationintocurrentcountryofasylum;

3)Resettlementintoathirdcountry.

Highereducationplaysan important role inadvancing refugees’ integration intohost societies, in

developing skill sets that canbe leveraged for entry into labourmarkers and towardpost-conflict

reconstructionincountriesoforigin. Forexample,astudyof5,000universitygraduateswhoheld

DAFI scholarships (UNHCR’s higher education scholarship programme)3 and had completed their

studiesinAfrica,Asia,theAmericasandEurope,foundthat78%ofthoseintegratedintotheirhost

countries and 93% of those who had repatriated were employed (Morlang & Watson, 2007).

Graduatescontributedtothehumanresourceneedsofthedevelopingcountrieswheretheywere

1Formoredetail,visithttp://www.unhcr.org/solutions.html2UNHCRprioritisesthepromotionofenablingconditionsforvoluntaryrepatriation.Theseshouldensurethatindividualscanexerciseafreeandinformedchoice,andtomobilisesupportforreturnees.UNHCRpromotesandfacilitatesvoluntaryrepatriationthroughvariousmeans.Safeanddignifiedvoluntaryrepatriationrequiresthefullcommitmentofthecountryoforigintohelpreintegrateitsownpeople.3ForadetaileddescriptionoftheDAFI,seepage28.

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hosted or repatriated and also supported these countries’ reconstruction and sustainable

development.Sincemanyheldleadershippositions,theyalsoservedasimportantrolemodels,4thus

amplifyingtheoriginalscholarshipinvestment(Morlang&Watson,2007).

SERVESAPROTECTIVEFUNCTION

Education,atalllevels,performsaprotectivefunction(UNHCR&UNESCO,2016).Highereducation

protects refugees frommarginalisation and abuse (Kirk & Sherab, 2016). According to Barakat &

Milton (2015), higher education can also help young men and women to remain hopeful and

resistant,protectingthemfromthepullandrhetoricofextremistgroups.

OFFERSAPOSITIVEIDENTITY

The1951UNConventionRelating to theStatusofRefugees, Section1(A)definesa refugeeas: ‘A

person who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion,

nationality,membershipofaparticularsocialgrouporpoliticalopinionisoutsidethecountryofhis

nationalityandisunableor,owingtosuchfear,isunwillingtoavailhimselfoftheprotectionofthat

country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual

residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it’

(UNGA,1951).

Thus,lossandfeararenotonlycentraltothedefinitionofrefugees,theirexperiences,butarealso

part of the dominant narrative and collective imagination of ‘refugee-ness’ (Zeus, 2011).5 When

they enter higher education institutions, refugees adopt the (additional) identity of student and

scholarandbenefitfromthepositiveconnotationsofthisidentification.Highereducationstudents

are often heralded the future innovators, thinkers and leaders of knowledge–based societies. In

essence,theidentityofstudentisnotheavywithlossbutratherhopefulwithpossibility.6

4Thiswasespeciallytrueforfemalerefugees,whoservedasmentorsforfemalesintheircommunity.

5Refugeesalsocrossotherbarrierssuchaslinguisticandculturalborders.Theyalsomoveacrossinternalbordersofidentity.Thedominantnarrative(oftendeficit-based)ofrefugeesplaysoutinmainstreammediaandthroughpoliticalrhetoric.6InanarticlebyYoung-Powell(2015)aSyrianasylumseekerinaGermanuniversitystated,‘Universityistheoneplacewhereyou’renotlabelled.’

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PROVIDESACCESSTOSOCIALANDECONOMICMOBILITY

Povertyisasignificantissueforrefugees.Forinstance,a2016WorldBankandUNHCRstudyfound

that the majority of Syrian refugees living in Lebanon and Jordan were vulnerable and living in

poverty.Thereportstatesthatin2014,

Sevenin10registeredSyrianrefugeeslivinginJordanandLebanoncouldbeconsideredpoor.This number increases to 9 in 10 refugees if the poverty lines used by the respective hostcountriesareconsidered.ThepovertyofSyrianrefugeesishigherinJordanthaninLebanon.In Jordan, there is also evidence that poverty among refugees has increased by severalpercentagepointsbetween2013and2015.(Vermeetal.2016,p.xvi)

As indicated earlier, higher education and particularly bachelor’s degrees, hold important private

and public benefits. By providing the opportunity to access to skilled, well-paid positions in the

labourmarket, higher education can provide refugeeswithmuch needed economic benefits. It is

also a way for refugees to foster supportive social networks of peers and community members,

whichisnecessaryforsuccessfulintegration.7

CONTRIBUTESTOTHEPUBLICGOODROLEOFHIGHEREDUCATION

Higher education has a ‘common public good’ role that extends beyond teaching and research.

DuringUNESCO’s(1991)secondconsultationofNGOsonTheRoleofHigherEducationinSociety,the

variousstakeholdersrecommendedthatinadditiontoexcellenceinteaching,trainingandresearch,

the social function of higher education should be guided by ‘the relevance of services offered by

highereducationinstitutionstotheperceivedpriorityneedsoftheirrespectivesocieties’(UNESCO,

1991).8

Providingaccesstorefugeesandasylumseekersispartofthepublicfunctionofhighereducation.At

thelocallevel,educatedrefugeesarebetterabletoadaptandintegrateintohostcommunitiesand

economies(incountrieswheretheyhavethelegalrighttowork).Inaddition,ifthosewhohavefled

are ever able to return to their country of origin with skills and the understanding of the

consequences of conflict, this has great value to rebuilding societies that prioritise peace. For

instance,Coffie(2014)foundthatofLiberianrefugeereturneesfromGhanaandGuinea,thosewho

7Detailsonhighereducation’sroleindevelopingsocialcapitalcanbefoundinthecasestudy(p.42)8UNESCOistheonlyUnitedNationsagencywithamandateinhighereducation.

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were able to access higher education opportunities during their period of exile, deployed their

professionsandskillstowardspeacebuildinguponreturningtoLiberia.

In sum, there is a clear impetus for providing higher education access for refugees. Next, the

conventionsthatunderpintheprovisionofhighereducationforrefugeesareoutlined.

1b.Internationaldeclarationsandconventions

Access to and provision of higher education for refugees finds support in several international

declarations,resolutionsandconventionsincluding:

• Article26oftheUniversalDeclarationofHumanRights:Everyonehastherighttoeducation.Educationshallbefree,atleastintheelementaryandfundamentalstages.Elementaryeducationshallbecompulsory.Technicalandprofessionaleducationshallbemadegenerallyavailableandhighereducationshallbeequallyaccessibletoallonthebasisofmerit(UNGA,1948);

• Article22oftheConventionRelatingtotheStatusofRefugees:ContractingStatesshallaccordtorefugeesthesametreatmentasisaccordedtonationalswithrespecttoelementaryeducation;andTheContractingStatesshallaccordtorefugeestreatmentasfavourableaspossible,and,inanyevent,notlessfavourablethanthataccordedtoaliensgenerallyinthesamecircumstances,withrespecttoeducationotherthanelementaryeducationand,inparticular,asregardsaccesstostudies,therecognitionofforeignschoolcertificates,diplomasanddegrees,theremissionoffeesandchargesandtheawardofscholarships(UNGA,1951);

• Article13.2coftheInternationalCovenantonEconomic,SocialandCulturalRights:Highereducationshallbemadeequallyaccessibletoall,onthebasisofcapacity,byeveryappropriatemeans,andinparticularbytheprogressiveintroductionoffreeeducation(UNGA,1966);

• Article28oftheInternationalConventionontheRightsoftheChild:Makehighereducationaccessibletoallonthebasisofcapacitybyeveryappropriatemeans(UNGA,1989);

• Article5e.VoftheConventionontheEliminationofAllFormsofRacialDiscrimination:StatesPartiesundertaketoprohibitandtoeliminateracialdiscriminationinallitsformsandtoguaranteetherightofeveryone,withoutdistinctionastorace,colour,ornationalorethnicorigin,toequalitybeforethelaw,notablyintheenjoymentofthefollowingrights[…]therighttoeducationandtraining(UNGA,1965);

• Article10oftheConventionontheEliminationofAllFormsofDiscriminationAgainstWomen:StatesPartiesshalltakeallappropriatemeasurestoeliminatediscrimination

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againstwomeninordertoensuretothemequalrightswithmeninthefieldofeducationandinparticulartoensure,onabasisofequalityofmenandwomen:(a)Thesameconditionsforcareerandvocationalguidance,foraccesstostudiesandfortheachievementofdiplomasineducationalestablishmentsofallcategoriesinruralaswellasinurbanareas;thisequalityshallbeensuredinpre-school,general,technical,professionalandhighertechnicaleducation,aswellasinalltypesofvocationaltraining(UNGA,1979);

• Article14.2oftheConventionontheEliminationofAllFormsofDiscriminationAgainstWomen:StatesPartiesshalltakeallappropriatemeasurestoeliminatediscriminationagainstwomeninruralareasinordertoensure,onabasisofequalityofmenandwomen,thattheyparticipateinandbenefitfromruraldevelopmentand,inparticular,shallensuretosuchwomentheright…(d)Toobtainalltypesoftrainingandeducation,formalandnon-formal,includingthatrelatingtofunctionalliteracy,aswellas,interalia,thebenefitofallcommunityandextensionservices,inordertoincreasetheirtechnicalproficiency(UNGA,18December1979);

1c.Refugees’highereducationenrolmentdata

AccordingtotheUNHCR(2016b),only1%ofrefugeeshaveaccesstohighereducation.Thisstatistic

wasfirstnotedinthe2016reportMissingOut:RefugeeEducationinCrisis.Whatistheevidencefor

thisoften-citedrate?UNHCRutilisedtwotypesofdata:1) internaldatacollectedthroughcountry

operations,atindividualrefugeeandhouseholdlevels;and2)externaldatafromUISstatistics,host

governments and information gathered from NGOs and civil societies. UNHCR extrapolated the

numbers to factor in situations where data collection was difficult and/or incomplete due to a

numberofchallenges.9

While on average only 1% of all refugees taken together worldwide have access to higher

education,thereisvariationatthecountrylevel.Forexample,in2014,whileonlylessthan2%of

SyrianrefugeeswereenrolledinTurkey,theywereashighas6%inLebanon,and8%inJordanand

Egypt(Cremonini,Loriska&Safar,2015).

9UNHCRhasindicatedthatgivenincreasedattentiononhighereducationandexpandedsupportprogrammesavailabletotheforciblydisplacedworldwideinrecentyears,itiscurrentlyengaginginadatareviewprocessandworkingwithresearchinstitutionstodetermineaccessandenrolmenttrends.

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Figure 1. Percentage of Syrians enrolled in tertiary education in four MENA countries, 2014(Cremonini,Lorisika&Safar,2015)

Tofurtherillustratethevariationinrefugees’highereducationenrolmentatcountrylevel,thissub-

sectionexaminesenrolmentdataforoneselectedcountryineachoftheregionsofAfrica,Asiaand

thePacific,Europe,MiddleEastandNorthAfrica (MENA),NorthAmericaandSouthAmerica.The

countries(Ethiopia,Australia,Turkey,CanadaandBrazil)wereselectedfor:1)hostinglargenumbers

ofrefugeesand2)havingreliableenrolmentdataavailable.10

REGION:AFRICA

Country example: Ethiopia

Ethiopiaisthesecondlargestrefugee-hostingcountryinAfrica,secondonlytoKenya.Attheendof

September2017, Ethiopiahosted883,546 refugeeswith99%originating from just four countries:

Eritrea,Somalia,SudanandSouthSudan(UNHCR,2018b).

In2016,approximately1,600refugeeswerestudyingindifferenthighereducationinstitutions(HEIs)

acrossthecountry.Approximately1,300(81%)oftheserefugeesweresponsoredbytheEthiopian

government and enrolled in state-owned universities. The German government-funded DAFI

Scholarship Programme supported the remaining 300 students. In addition, 2,638 adult refugees

10TheonlyexceptionisBrazil,whereenrolmentdatawasnotavailable.

0 2 4 6 8

10

Egypt Jordan Lebanon Turkey

Per

cent

age

Enro

lled

Country

Percentage of Syrians Enrolled in Tertiary Education in 4 MENA Countries (2014)

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were enrolled in technical and vocational education and training (TVET)with another 9,672 adult

refugeesenrolledinAdultFunctionalLiteracyandNumeracyprogrammes(UNHCR,2016b).

REGION:MIDDLEEASTANDNORTHAFRICA

Country example: Turkey

There are over 2.9 million Syrian refugees registered in Turkey, by far the largest host of Syrian

refugeesglobally(UNHCR,2017). In2011,earlyintheSyriancrisis, it isestimatedthattherewere

about4,000Syrian studentsenrolled inTurkishuniversities.However, in the2015-2016Academic

Year (AY) enrolmentmore than doubled to reach 10,000 students and increased again to 14,000

students in the 2016 -17 AY (Yavcan& El-Ghali, 2017). The 2016 enrolment of Syrian refugees in

Turkishhighereducationbydegreelevelshowsthatthemajoritywereenrolledinbachelor’sdegree

programmesandseveralhundredwerecompletingtheirdoctoraldegrees(Table1).

Table1.

SyrianStudentsinTurkishHigherEducationbyDegreeLevel2016-2017

Degreelevel NumberofStudentsEnroled

AssociateDegrees 1,102

BachelorDegrees 12,127

MastersDegrees 1,067

DoctoralDegrees 335

Total 14,631

Note.Reprintedfrom“HigherEducationandSyrianRefugeeStudents:TheCaseofTurkey”byYavcan,B.&El-Ghali,H.A.(2017),p.18.

REGION:ASIAANDTHEPACIFICREGION

Country example: Australia

UsingdatafromtheDepartmentofEducationandTraining’sHigherEducationStatisticsCollection,a

group of researchers at the University of Melbourne examined the 2009-2014 higher education

enrolmentofstudentsfromrefugeebackgrounds(Terry,Naylor,Nguyen&Rizzo,2016).Theyfound

that therewere3,506 studentswitha refugeebackgroundenrolled inAustralianHEIsasof2014.

StudentswithrefugeebackgroundsinAustralianHEIsdoubledfrom2009-2014,withapproximately

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73%undertakingfulltimestudies.Thedataalsoindicatedthatwhileahigherproportionofrefugee

studentsweremen, therewas gender variation by country of origin. For instance,more female

Iraqis of refugee backgrounds were enrolled thanmale Iraqis (176 versus 167) while there were

nearlyequalnumbersoffemaleandmalestudentsfromIranenrolled(251femalesand252males).

Bycontrast,372%moreSudanesemales(216)thanfemales(66)wereenrolled.

REGION:EUROPE

Country example: Germany

Refugees in Germany are increasingly enrolling in university courses. A survey conducted by the

German Rectors Conference (HRK), representing the heads of German universities among its

memberinstitutions,showedthatatotalof1,140refugeeswereenrolledforstudiesin2017,which

isfivetimesasmanywereinenrolledin2016.InAY2016,approximately12,000refugeesconsulted

courseandcareerguidanceservices.In2017,thisnumberdoubledto24,000.Syriansmadeuptwo-

thirds of prospective students, while the rest arrived from Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq (German

Rectors’Conference,2017).

The same survey found that approximately 5,700 refugees were enrolled in language and prep

coursesinthewintertermofthe2016-17AY,anincreaseof80%fromthe2016summerterm.The

GermanRectors Conference views this trend as a sign of the importance of scaffolding / support

programmesduringdegreecourses,aswellaspre-studypreparationandcounselling.

Interestingly,Germany’sFederalOfficeforMigrationandRefugeesreportedthataround13%ofall

refugeesenrolledindegreeprogrammesin2016alreadyheldahighereducationdegree.11

NORTHAMERICA

Country example: Canada

In Canada, the 2016 Canadian Census data shows that nearly one-third of refugees (31.5%) who

received their permanent resident status upgraded their educational credentials. For those who

arrivedasadults(18andolder)thisratewasabout22%,whichishigherthantheeconomicorfamily

categoryof immigrants.However,whileadulteconomicimmigrantswhoupgradedtheireducation

11 Entry into degree programmes are perhaps informed by the belief that a degree from the host countrywouldbemorevaluabletoenteringlabourmarketentry.

15

in Canada tended to complete a bachelor’s degree or higher, the vast majority of (71.1%) adult

refugees inCanadacompleteda tradesorcollegediploma.This suggests that financial constraints

and financial obligationsmay play a factor in decisions around the selection of higher education

programmes(StatisticsCanada,2017).12

SOUTHAMERICA

Country example: Brazil

SouthAmericancountrieshavebeenincreasinglyopeningtheirdoorstoresettlerefugeesoutsideof

theirregion.OneofthemostvisibleinitiativeswastheresettlementofPalestinianrefugeesinChile

andBrazilduring2007and2008(Ruiz,2015).

BrazilisthelargestcountryinSouthAmericaandreceivesmorerefugeesthananyothercountryin

theregion;asof2016,Brazilhostedabout2,100refugees.Bynationallaw,refugeeshaveaccessto

healthcare,educationandtherighttowork.Althoughnationaldataonhighereducationenrolment

ofrefugeesisnotyetavailable,in2017,weknowthatthereareinstitutionalinitiativestoincrease

access and enrolment. For instance, the Federal University of SantaMaria launched an initiative

focusedonvulnerablerefugeesandimmigrantswhohasrecentlyarrivedinBrazilbymakingiteasier

accesstovocational,technologicalandhighereducationdegreesforthisgroup.

Thissectionof thepaperhasarguedthat refugees’ inclusion inhighereducationholdsbenefitsat

the individual level, and for host and home societies. It has also outlined that refugees’ rights to

highereducationareenshrinedinnumerousinternationaldeclarations,resolutionsandconventions.

A review of enrolment data and trends in selected countries in five regions has revealed wide

variation.Nonetheless,globally,refugees’accesstohighereducationislow.Tounderstandtheirlow

ratesofparticipation,thenextsectionconsidersthebarriersthatrefugeesfaceinaccessinghigher

education.

12ForthefirsttimeinCanada’shistory,the2016CensusincludedinformationontheadmissioncategoryofimmigrantstoCanada.Thethreeimmigrationstreamsare1.Economic:educatedandskilledimmigrants2.Family:toreunifyfamilies3.Humanitarian:toprovidehumanitarianandcompassionaterefuge.

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PARTII:BARRIERSTOHIGHEREDUCATIONFORREFUGEES

A brief overview of higher education admissions is essential to understand the access barriers

refugees face. Until the 20th century, formal education, and particularly higher education, was

largely inaccessible except to wealthy males.13 The shift from elite to mass higher education

increased access to awider segment of society. At the same time,with industrialisation and the

knowledge-basedeconomy,thepurposeofhighereducationalsoshiftedfromapurely intellectual

andtheoreticalpursuittoonethathadvalue(humancapital)thatcouldbeexchangedinthelabour

market (Tilak, 2008). With the massification of higher education, institutions in some countries

turnedtotesting inthefinalyearofsecondaryschooltodetermineaptitudeforhighereducation.

Overtheyears,institutionsalsobeganaddinginterviews,personalstatementsandadditionalcriteria

todetermine‘goodfit’.14

Inorder toaccess tohighereducation, refugees, likeotherapplicants,arerequiredtoundergoan

admissions process to demonstrate their eligibility and aptitude for study. Although eligibility

requirements vary widely by country and institution, in general, HEIs have the following

requirementsforapplicants:

• Proofofcitizenship,residenceorimmigrationstatus;• Documentationofsecondaryschoolleveleducationcompletion(suchasadiploma);• Transcriptsofsecondaryschoollevelcoursesandgradesachieved;• Passingscoresonsecondaryleavingexams;• Universityentryexams;• EvidenceofLanguageproficiencyinthelanguage(s)ofinstruction;• Scoresonaptitudetests(e.g.SwedishScholasticAptitudeTest);• FinancialAidorpaymentforms(indicatingabilitytopay/financialaidneeded).

13Themassiveexpansionofhighereducationinthe20thand21stcenturieswasnearlyaglobalphenomenon,withdifferencesbyregionandcountry(Schofer&Meyer,2005).Forinstance,inEuropeitwasaprocessthatunfoldedduringmuchofthetwentiethcentury,whileinAfricathedemandforhighereducationescalateddramaticallyinthepost-colonialperiodofthe1960sand1970s.14Thisalsoservedtokeepthestatusquo(andlimitentrytocertaingroups).FormoreinformationreadKarabel,2005orGolden,2006.

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2a.Missingqualificationsandevaluationofcredentials

Thequalifications-relatedbarrierstorefugees’accesstohighereducationaretwo-fold.

First, refugeesmaybewithoutanydocumentaryevidenceofprior learning (credentials).Withthe

turbulent circumstances surrounding forced displacement, this is not surprising. Documents may

alsobelostorstolenduringthemigrationroute,inreceptioncentresandrefugeecamps.

Second, if refugees manage to flee with documentation, these credentials must be evaluated,

recognisedand/orequalised.Recognitionofcredentialsisacomplexissue-theprocessneedstobe

aligned with existing international and regional conventions, with recognition usually involving

quality assurance of the original studies and determination of the validity of incomplete studies.

Moreover,theevaluationandequalisationprocessrequireshumanandfinancialresourcesthatmay

notbeinadequatesupplyinhostcountries(UNESCO,2015).

Recognition and equalisation of credentials can prove to be especially difficult for refugees who

arrive from conflict zoneswhere institutions are looted, destroyed and/or being used formilitary

purposes.15

Inaddition,whenexileisaresultofgovernment-inflictedpersecution,governmentsfromrefugees’

countries of origins may be unwilling to offer support and substantiation of enrolment and

credentials. Forexample,Watenpaugh,Fricke,andSiegel (2013) found that theSyrianEmbassy in

Jordan, which was loyal to the Assad government, generally made their services unavailable to

Syrianswhohadcrossed into JordanwithoutaSyrianexitpermit.Moreover,even ifgovernments

are willing to provide information, if records were looted or destroyed, then the information no

longerexistsinareliableform.

15Forinstance,datafromtheGlobalCoalitiontoProtectEducationunderAttack(2018)finds:Widely-reporteddeadlyattackshaveoccurredinuniversitiesinPakistanandKenya,explosivesweresetatDhakaUniversityinBangladeshatleast35timesbetween2013and2015.

18

2b.Interruptededucation/gapsinlearning

Withtheclosingofschoolsduringconflictand/orwithyearsspentinexile,refugeescansufferfrom

interruptedschoolingandgapsinlearning.Manyrefugeesonlycompleteprimaryeducationorhave

partial secondary education. This issue is especially pronouncedwhen it is considered by gender.

UNHCRdata finds that refugee girls are less thanhalf as likely to enrol in secondary schools as

males. This, of course, limits their opportunities to enter tertiary education. UNHCR (2018b)

advocatesthateducation:

…reducesgirls’vulnerabilitytoexploitation,sexualandgender-basedviolence,teenagepregnancy and child marriage. According to UNESCO (2014), if all girls completedprimaryschool,childmarriagewouldfallby14percent. If theyall finishedsecondaryschool, it would plummet by 64 per cent. For refugee girls and women facing theincreasedrisksthatcomewithforceddisplacement,educationisparticularlyimportant.

Interruptededucationposesabarrier tohighereducation.First,a secondary schooldiploma is, in

nearly all cases, required to enter tertiary education. Second, the gaps in learning must be

addressed,prolongingthetimeittakestoenterorcompletehighereducation,addingcostandtime

forbothrefugeesandinstitutions.Third,thosewithsignificantlearninggapsmayfeelfrustratedor

unmotivatedduetorelatedtimeandcostissues.

2c.Limitedlanguageproficiency

Havinglittleornoproficiencyinthelanguage(s)ofinstructionisanotherbarriertohighereducation

access. To demonstrate the scope of the issues, Table 2 lists the official languages of the five

countrieswheremostrefugeesoriginateandtheofficiallanguagesofthefivecountriesthathostthe

highestnumbersof refugees for2015.Except forArabic, there is littleoverlap in the languagesof

countriesoforiginandthehostcountries.

In Kenya,whichhosts approximately 486,000 refugeesmainly fleeing fromSomalia, South Sudan,

Congo and Eritrea, proof of proficiency in English or Kiswahili, the languages of instruction in

universitiesandcolleges,isrequired.InWestAfrica,GhanaandGuinearequireproficiencyinEnglish

and French, respectively, for admission to universities, which partially explains English-speaking

Liberianrefugees’higheraccesstoHEIsinGhanaascomparedtoinGuinea(Coffie,2014).

19

Table2.

Languagesoftopfivecountriesoforiginsofrefugeesandtopfiverefugeehostingcountries(2015)

InGermany, thecountryhosting themost refugees inEurope,proofof the languageat Level2 in

Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang (DSH) or Level 4 in Test Deutsch als

Fremdsprache(TDN)isaperquisiteforuniversityadmission.

ToprefugeeCountriesofOrigin

Language(s)ofCountryofOrigin TopRefugeeHosting

CountriesLanguage(s)ofHostingCountry

Syria Arabic is the official languagewith dialects Levantine in thewest and Mesopotamian in thenortheast. Kurmanji,avarietyofKurdish, is spoken in theKurdishregions.

Turkey Turkish is theofficial language.Kurmanji (in the south east),Arabic and Zazaki are alsospoken.

Afghanistan Pashto and Dari – are bothofficial and most widely spoken.The government has alsorecognised five other languagesfor their regional importance:Hazaragi, Uzbek, Turkmen,Balochi,andPashayi.

Pakistan Urdu is the national languageand English is the officiallanguage.Inaddition,Punjabiisspoken in the province ofPunjab.Sindhiismainlyspokenin theprovinceof Sind.Pashtuis spoken in North-WestFrontier Province (NWFP) andBalochi: Mainly spoken in theprovinceofBaluchistan.

Somalia SomaliandArabicaretheofficiallanguages.

Lebanon Arabicisthenationallanguage,and French and English arewildlyspoken.

Sudan Sudanese Arabic and along withthe tribal languages are spokenincludingNubian language in thefar north spoken by Nubians ofMahas,DongolaandHalfa.

Iran Persian is the official languageand is spoken by 53% of thepopulation.

Azerbaijani and other Turkicdialects, Kurdish, Gilaki andMazandarani, Luri, Arabic andBalochi2%arealsospoken.

SouthSudan The official language is English.The indigenous languages withthe most speakers are Dinka,Nuer,Bari,andZande.

Ethiopia

Amharic (official), Oromo,Somali and Tigrinya are thewidelyspokenlanguages.

20

InItaly,Sweden,Austria,andFrance–countrieswithhighasylumclaimsinEurope–refugeesmust

showproofofC1levellanguageproficiencyinItalian,Sweden,Austrian-GermanandFrenchaspart

oftheadmissionsprocess.16Atthisadvancedproficiencylevel,oneshouldbeableto:

• Understandawiderangeofmoredemanding,longertexts,andrecogniseimplicitmeaninginthem;

• Expresshim/herselffluentlyandspontaneouslywithoutmuchobvioussearchingfortherightexpression;

• Uselanguageflexiblyandeffectivelyforsocial,academicandprofessionalpurposes.He/shecanproduceclear,well-structured,detailedtextoncomplexsubjects,showingcorrectuseoforganisationalpatterns,connectorsandcohesivedevices(CEFR,2018;BritishCouncil,2018).

Language also limits higher education access in an indirect manner. Language is essential for

integrationandtothebuildingofsocialnetworks,whicharekeysourcesof informationaboutthe

educationsysteminthehostcountry(Watkins,2012).

2d.Informationbarrier

Anotherbarrierfacedbyrefugeesisa lackofknowledgeorunderstandingofthehighereducation

system in their host country. This can be exacerbated by a lack of availability of information and

counselling services. This is particularly true for the 85% refugees in developing nations (UNHCR,

2018b;Watenaughetal.,2013).

WhilenumerousnewinitiativesmakeuseoftheInternettodisseminateinformationwidely,limited

Internet access, particularly in rural settings and developing countries, represents a significant

barriertothisapproach.Forexample,KirkandSherab(2016)reportthatonly2.5%ofSyrianyouth

in Jordanhadaccessed the Jami3til Initiativeonlinedatabaseoffered inArabicbyUNESCO in July

2015.CreaandSparnon(2017)alsofindthatlackofaccesstotechnologyandtheInternet,aswellas

cultural and linguistic mismatches between Western-oriented online education and students’

backgrounds, present hurdles to students attempting to access higher education in developing

countries.

16C1isthefifthlevelintheCommonEuropeanFrameworkofReference(CEFR).C2isconsideredfullmastery.

21

2e.Prohibitivecostofhighereducation

The cost of higher education is a barrier to higher education access. Tuition fees vary widely by

country, and by type of institution - such as public or private and/or diploma or degree granting

institutions.Inthe2013/2014AY,EnglandandUnitedStates,withfeesof8,000USD/year,hadthe

highesttuitionratesforpublictertiaryinstitutions(OECD,2016). Insomecountries,suchasBrazil,

Denmark, and Finland, there are no tuition fees. However, the cost of higher education extends

beyond tuition. The additional costs include studymaterials, health insurance and food over the

periodofstudy.Thus,evenwhentherearenotuitionfees,therearestillothercoststoconsider.

SelectedcountriestakenfromUNHCRdataonthe2017DAFIscholarshipcostsshowlargevariability

inhighereducationcostsacrosssub-SaharanAfrica(seeTable3).WhileEthiopiahadascholarship

costof685USD,Botswana’swas6,548USD.Ethiopia’sgovernmentsubsidisestuitionforrefugees,

whileBotswana,asaresultofresourceconstraints,doesnotdoso(UNHCR,2018b).

Table3.

DAFIProgrammeinSub-SaharanAfrica(SelectedCountries)

Country Female Male BudgetAvg.scholarship

cost(USD)

Benin 2 2 20,775 4,155

Botswana 4 4 52,383 6,548

Cameroon 45 105 329,966 2,200

Chad 45 91 382,174 2,810

Ethiopia 182 547 499,096 685

Niger 1 8 42,653 4,739

SouthAfrica 60 82 614,736 4,329

Uganda 151 287 818,471 1,869Note.Adaptedfrom“TheOtherOnePerCent.RefugeeStudentsinHigherEducation:DAFIAnnualReport2017”byUNHCR(2018b),p.28.

Tuitionfeesalsodifferwidelybystudents’residencystatus.Publicinstitutionsdifferentiatebetween

lower ‘home fees’ for citizens and permanent residents and higher ‘international fees’ for other

students.Certaincountrieswaivetuitionfeesforrefugees,whileothercountriesofferthehomefee

tuitionrate,andothersconsiderrefugeesasinternationalstudents.Forexample,Watenpaughetal.

(2013)foundthattheUniversityofJordan(apublicHEI)chargedrefugeesforeignstudentfeesthat

22

made the school nearly as expensive as private universities in Jordan. Meanwhile, Coffie (2014)

foundthatrefugeesinGhanaianuniversitiespaidtuitionfeesthatwereapproximatelydoublethat

ofdomesticstudents.17

Notonlytheactualcost,buttheopportunitycostofhighereducationforrefugeesmustalsobe

considered. Inaddition to thepotentialdebt, losingoutonearningsover the fouryearsof study,

couldbeapricethatrefugeesconsidertoohightopayfortheremotebenefitsoffutureearnings.

This is compounded by findings that show that many refugees feel an immense pressure to

financially support their families and feel an urgency to work. Even those whomanage to enter

higher education studies oftenwork part-time or even full-time, in order to send remittances to

supportsiblings,parentsandotherswhoremaininrefugeorasylumcontexts(Ferede,2014).

2f.Hostcountrylimitedresourcestoexpandhighereducationtorefugees

Eighty-fivepercentofrefugeesarehostedindevelopingregions.Inmid-2017,refugeesfromSouth

Sudan were hosted in the world’s least developed countries – including Sudan, Uganda, Kenya,

DemocraticRepublicofCongo,TheCentralAfricanRepublic,andEthiopia(UNHCR,2018b).

Developing countries that struggle to educate their own citizens with scarce resources can be

overwhelmed.Theymaynothavethemeanstoabsorbrefugeesintheirhighereducationsystems.

In many countries in the Global South hosting refugees, there are limited numbers of available

institutions,facultyandresources(suchaslibrarybooks,computers,anddesks).

Ofallcountries,Turkeyshelteredthegreatestnumberofrefugees,hosting3.5millionbymid-2017,

followed by Pakistan (1.4 million), Lebanon (998,900), Iran (979,400), Germany (970,400),

Bangladesh(932,200)andSudan(906,600).DatafromUNESCOInstituteofStatistics(UIS)identifies

educationexpendituresinthetopfiverefugeehostingcountries(seeTable4).

17Moreover,asylumseekerswhoarestillintheprocessofreceivingadecisionontheirasylumclaimareoftenconsideredtobeinternationalstudentsandwouldneedtopayinternationalfees.

23

Table4.

PercentageofEducationExpenditureofTotalGovernmentSpendinginTopRefugeeHostingCountries(VariedYears)

Hostcountry %EducationExpenditure

Turkey 13.13(2014)

Pakistan 12.5(2017)

Lebanon 8.58(2013)

Iran 19.3(2016)

Germany 11.1(2014)

Note:“%EducationExpenditure”reportedaspercentoftotalgovernmentspending,datafromUIS(2018).

EducationspendingbypercentageofgovernmentexpenditureinPakistanislargerthaninGermany.

However, the education budget of the country is smaller. Thus, when we look at spending per

student at the tertiary level, Pakistan at (1,367.26 USD) spendsmuch less than Germany (17,148

USD)(UIS,2018).

2g.LegislativeChallenges

Institutional ordinances and regulations can make it difficult for higher education institutions to

provide access and support for refugees. For example, a 2016 survey conducted by the Swedish

Council for Higher Education (2016) identified a variety of legislative and ordinance barriers as

limitingandrestrictive18forrefugees’accesstohighereducationinSweden.Afewarenotedhere:

1. Accessandeligibility

o Language:Thereisarequirementofstep3Swedishforeligibility,eventhoughitmaynotbenecessaryforthesubject

2. Tuitiono HigherEducationOrdinanceprohibitsasylum-seekers’righttoparticipateinfreehigher

education

3. Recognition/validationandpriorlearningo Therulesforpriorlearningareunclear

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4. Lackofresources,contracteducation,otherformsoffunding

o TherulesaboutwhichorganisationsmayfundeducationarerestrictiveOtherlegislationinthehostcountrycanexacerbatemanyofthebarriersrefugeesfaceinaccessing

HEIs. For instance, laws that prevent refugees from working hinder their ability to finance their

education.Inaddition,legislationthatrestrictsfreedomofentryandexitfromrefugeecampslimits

refugees’ access to services to assist with application processes, and their ability to attend, if

accepted(Coffie,2014;Watenaughetal.,2013;Zeus,2011).

2h.Insecurityinhostcountries

Insecure conditions of violent conflict, personal safety or authoritarian regimes in host countries

represent a challenge to refugees’ access to higher education. Coffie (2014) found security

constraints affecting refugees and nationals alike in Guinea to be the main factor resulting in

Liberian refugees’more limited access to higher education in Guinea than in Ghana. In addition,

DahyaandDryden-Peterson(2017)describehowsexualassaultagainstwomen inDadaabrefugee

camp inNorthernKenyadecreasewomen’s freedomofmovement and, therefore, their ability to

access higher education opportunities. Moreover, the 2007 DAFI report also cited ‘deteriorating

situations’ in fiveWestAfricancountriesas the reason for closing theseDAFIprogrammes,as the

opportunities for refugee students to attendHEIs ‘became almost inexistent’ (p. 25). Indeed, the

DAFI policy and guidelines indicate that when UNHCR selects host countries to offer DAFI

scholarships, theyconsider “anenvironmentofpolitical stability”among their criteria, stating, ‘an

environment of political stability is a prerequisite for successful DAFI implementation’ (UNHCR,

2009,p.11).

25

PARTIII:INCENTIVESANDPROGRAMMESThis section examines various initiatives that have been developed in order to address the

challengesandbarrierstorefugees’accesstohighereducation.

3a.Alternativecredentialevaluationschemes

As indicated, missing education credentials and/or lack of proof of prior learning has a negative

impacton refugees’ access tohigher education. Establishing a recognitionprocedure for refugees

without suchdocumentation isessential, since it: 1)Providesamethod for institutions toensure

thatapplicantsarequalified;2)Enablesrefugeesandthoseinrefugee-likesituationstoprovetheir

competenciesandpreparednessforhighereducation.

Internationalandregionalconventionsestablishvariousnations’commitmenttotherecognitionof

qualifications,withspecificclausesthataddressthoseinrefugee-likesituations,including:

• Article7oftheRevisedConventionontheRecognitionofQualificationsconcerningHigherEducationintheEuropeanRegion(CouncilofEurope,1997);

• Article7oftheAsia-PacificRegionalConventionontheRecognitionofQualificationsinHigherEducation(UNESCO,2011);

• ArticleIII.2,paragraph5,oftheRevisedConventionontheRecognitionofStudies,Certificates,Diplomas,DegreesandOtherAcademicQualificationsinHigherEducationinAfricanStates(UNESCO,12December2014);

• TheDjiboutiDeclarationonRegionalConferenceonRefugeeEducationinIGADMemberStates(IntergovernmentalAuthorityonDevelopment,2017)andtheNairobiDeclaration(UNESCO,2018)inwhichAfricanStatescommittedtoestablishingcertificationrecognitionschemes,particularlyhighlightinginclusionofrefugeesandreturnees;

• ThelaunchofUNESCO’sGlobalConventionprojectadvocatingforafairandjustevaluationprocessthatplacestheburdenofproofontherecognitionauthority,andaimstobuildtheevaluationcapacityofinstitutions.

In addition to these conventions, organizations and higher education institutions worldwide are

introducingalternativerecognitionprocedurestomaketheprocessmoresystematised,streamlined

andconsistent.

26

InEurope,ENIC-NARIC19recommendsafairandtransparentevaluationprocessandhasalsosetup

support for institutions that require assistancewith the credential evaluationprocess. Part of the

additionalstepsinvalidatingpriorknowledgeinclude:

• Examinationstoallowrefugeestodemonstrateknowledge,competenciesandskills;• Aninterviewwithacommitteeofexpertsforadditionalcontextualinformation;• Swornstatementsbyapplicants.

The Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education (NOKUT) has developed a two-step

processtoalternativecredentialing.Thefirstphaseisthecreationofaneducationalportfoliowith

supportingevidence.Thesecondincludesanevaluationinterview.NOKUTdevelopedthisprocessby

firstconductingapilotin2004withOsloUniversityCollegeandNarvikUniversityCollegewherethey

evaluated 20 candidates from Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, and the former Yugoslavia, all with

engineeringbackgrounds.Outofthese20,fourcandidatesreceivedrecognitionoftheirdegreesas

equivalent to a three-year Norwegian bachelor’s degree, 12 candidates received recognition as

having one or two years of higher education, and four did not receive any recognition of higher

education(Egner,2015).

BasedonasuccessfulpilotofNOKUT’salternativequalificationsassessmentprocess,theCouncilof

Europehas launched the EuropeanQualificationsPassport forRefugeesProject. Partners include

UNHCR, the Greek Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs, the Italian Ministry of

Education,UniversitiesandResearch, theConferenceofUniversityRectorsof Italy, theNorwegian

Ministry of Education and Research, and qualification recognition centres in Armenia, Canada,

France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Norway and theUK. The passport,while not legally

binding,isastandardisedandstructureddocumentthatidentifiesskillsetsandqualificationsmeant

toassistrefugeestoaccesshighereducationandemployment.

19ENIC:EuropeanNetworkofInformationCentresintheEuropeanRegionNARIC:NationalAcademicRecognitionInformationCentresintheEuropeanUnion

27

3b.Hostlanguage-learninginitiatives

Language proficiency is needed not only for successful integration into host societies but also to

access educational opportunities. The following are a few examples of initiatives aimed at

addressingthelanguagebarriertohighereducationaccess.

Since2016, through itsERASMUS+programme, theEuropeanCommissionhas supported100,000

refugeestoaccessOnlineLinguisticSupport(OLS).Itprovidestraininginavarietyoflanguagesand

isfreeofcost.

Babbel,aprivatecompany,providesonlinelanguagelessons.Since2016,ithaspartneredwiththe

Senate of Berlin, Kiron Open Higher Education and Hoffnungsträger Foundation to facilitate

language learning courses by providing €1million worth of language courses to various refugee-

focused projects. Since the majority of refugees with whom they work have at least a basic

knowledge of either English or French, the courses in German are actually provided in English or

French,ratherthanArabic.Babbelalsotrainsvolunteerlanguageteachersforface-tofacelessonsat

refugeecentres.

Since 2015, the University of Grenoble has provided one-month trainings in French language to

refugees and asylum seekers settled or accommodated in the region through its ‘Passerelle

Solidarité’(SolidarityLink).Thisfour-monthtrainingisforrefugeesandasylumseekerswhowantto

continuetheirstudiesinFranceandincludesFrenchclasses,Frenchcultureclassesandmethodology

classes.ThetrainingisdesignedtohelpstudentsenterahighereducationprogrammeinGrenoble

oranywhereelseinFrance.

3c.Scholarshipschemes

Scholarshipsaimtoaddressthecostofhighereducation.Sincethemajorityofrefugeesarehosted

in developing countries, scholarship initiatives for this vulnerable group are part of achieving this

28

target.20 Scholarships either partially or fully address the cost of higher education by covering

tuition,relatedcostsorboth.Ingeneral,scholarshipscanbegroupedunderfourcategories:

1.SCHOLARSHIPSTHATTARGETREFUGEESINSIDECOUNTRYOFFIRSTASYLUM

Thesescholarshipsareintendedforrefugeesstudyinginthecountryoffirstasylum.Assuch,nearly

all of these scholarships are countries in the Global South, where the majority of refugees are

hosted. Theoldest, andmostoftenusedmodel forother scholarshipsproviders, isUNHCR’sDAFI

programme.

DAFI Programme21

For 25 years, UNHCR and the German Government have offered the Albert Einstein Deutsche

AkademischeFlüchtlingsinitiative(DAFI)scholarshipprogramme,intendedtoassistrefugees’access

to higher education. Since its launch in 1992, the DAFI programme has assisted 14,000 young

refugees in 50 countries, the vastmajority ofwhich are in theGlobal South. In 2017 alone, the

DAFI programme supported over 6,700 studentswho studied in 720 institutions (see Table 5 for

detailsoftheDAFIprogrammefrom2015-2017).

The DAFI programme awards scholarships through a selection process that begins with widely

publicised calls for applications. In 2017, approximately 36% of applicants were shortlisted and

interviewedbyamulti-partnerselectionpanel.Ofthose,60%wereofferedaDAFIscholarship.

In 31 of the 50DAFI countries, refugees have the same access conditions as nationals such as in

Botswana,Cameroon,Chad,Ecuador, the IslamicRepublicof Iran,Mozambique,Nigeria, Tanzania

andZambia.UNHCRnegotiateswithgovernments forreducedfees forrefugeestudents, including

DAFI scholars, as it has successfully done in Ethiopia, Rwanda, Sudan, and Yemen. Other times,

20Thehighcostofhighereducation,particularlyaffectingyouthindevelopingcountries,isreceivingincreasedattentioninglobaleducationplanning.SDG4,target4.baimsto,by2020‘substantiallyexpandgloballythenumberofscholarshipsavailabletodevelopingcountries,inparticularleastdevelopedcountries,smallislanddevelopingStatesandAfricancountries,forenrolmentinhighereducation,includingvocationaltrainingandinformationandcommunicationstechnology,technical,engineeringandscientificprogrammes,indevelopedcountriesandotherdevelopingcountries.’21ThetextandtablearebasedonUNHCR’spublication,TheOtherOnePerCent.RefugeeStudentsinHigherEducation:DAFIAnnualReport2017.http://www.unhcr.org/publications/education/5bc4affc4/other-percent-refugee-students-higher-education-dafi-annual-report-2017.html

29

specific arrangements are made. For instance, in 2017 the UNHCR and the Ministry of Higher

EducationinIraqagreedthatDAFIstudentsundertaking5-yearcourses, includingmedicine,would

haveonetuition-freeyear.

TheDAFIprogrammeextendsbeyondfinancialsupport.Thescholarshipschemecoverstuitionand

related study costs such as accommodation, food, fees and subsistence allowances.Moreover, it

includes remedial and language support and support to aid retention, such as psychosocial

counselling.

In2016,UNHCRandtheDAAD(GermanAcademicExchangeService)decidedtocooperateglobally

tofacilitateaccessto,orcontinuationof,highereducationstudiesinthefiveSyriancrisiscountries

Turkey,Lebanon,Jordan,IraqandEgypt.Doingso,thetwoorganisationslinkedtheresourcesoftwo

projects:theDAFIprogrammewhichfocusesonbachelor’sdegreestudiesandtheHOPESprojectof

theDAADwithitsconsortiumpartners,whichfocusesonmaster’sdegrees.

30

Table5.

DAFIGlobaloverviewofdevelopments2015-2017

Year 2015 2016 2017

Numberofstudents 2,321 4,652 6,723

Percentfemale 42% 44% 41%

Graduated 364 449 547

Newlyadmitted 678 2,718 2,582

#countriesofstudy 40 37 50

Top5countriesofstudy

297Ethiopia232Iran187Uganda146Kenya143Pakistan

825Turkey512Ethiopia428Iran358Lebanon293Egypt

818Turkey729Ethiopia721Jordan490Pakistan438Uganda

Top5countriesoforigin

428Afghanistan

363Somalia


326SyrianArab
Republic


277DRoftheCongo


179Sudan


1,790SyrianArab
Republic


712Afghanistan


454Somalia


325DRoftheCongo


311Sudan


2,528SyrianArab
Republic


942Afghanistan


667Somalia


475SouthSudan


404Sudan


Topfieldsofstudy 436Commercialand
Businessadministration

373Medicalandhealth-
relatedscience

247Socialand
behaviouralsciences

206Engineering

186Educationscience
andteachertraining

845Medicalandhealth-relatedscience

807Engineering

800Commercialand
Businessadministration

448Socialandbehaviouralsciences

317Humanities

1,271Medicaland
health-relatedscience

1,217Commercialand
Businessadministration

962Engineering


780Socialand
behaviouralsciences

542Humanities

31

2.SCHOLARSHIPSFORREFUGEESPROVIDEDBYHIGHEREDUCATIONINSTITUTIONS

Many institutions support refugees directly. For instance, the UNHCR-Refugee Higher Education

Program(RHEP)supportsrefugeesinJapantocompleteafour-yearundergraduatedegreeateight

institutionsinthecountry.Students'tuitionfeesandotherstudyexpensesarefundeddirectlyby

theuniversitieswhomayalsoofferadditionalstipends(UNHCR,2018b).

3.SCHOLARSHIPSSUPPORTINGFEMALEREFUGEES

In Australia, Claudette Elaro Refugee Women’s Scholarship accepts applications from female

studentsofrefugeebackgroundslivinginAustraliaforfiveyearsorless.Thesewomenmustreside

inNewSouthWales,andattendaninstitutionapprovedbySettlementServicesofAustralia.

Anotherscholarshipforfemalestudents,butthatisviableworldwide,istheInternationalFederation

of UniversityWomen’s Hegg Hoffet Fund for DisplacedWomen. It is offered to female graduate

students(andinspecialcases,undergraduatefemales)whohavebeendisplacedasaresultofwar,

political upheaval or other serious emergencies, including refugees. GWI’s Hegg Hoffet Fund also

providesshort-termgrantsforrefreshercoursesforre-entryintothecandidates’professionalfield

(or if that is not possible, training courses leading to some other employment), and for language

trainingandothercoursestoassistwithintegrationintotheirnewcountries.Inadditiontofinancial

assistance,GWI’snationalandlocalgroupsalsoproviderefugeeswithmoralsupporttohelpthem

toadjusttolifeinadifferentcountry.

4.SCHOLARSHIPSFORSYRIANREFUGEES

Bymid-2015,overfourmillionSyriansfledthecountry.Manyscholarshipshavebeenestablishedto

support Syrian refugees access higher education. For instance, the Institute of International

Education(IIE)hascompliedaSyriaConsortiumforHigherEducationinCrisisthatlistshundredsof

colleges and universities worldwide that provide scholarships specifically for Syrian students. In

2016, the EU announced 400 scholarships for Syrian refugees and Japan has accepted 150 Syrian

refugees to their schools (as exchange students). In Canada, universities have partnered with

community-basednon-profitLifelineSyriatoraise27,000CADpertargetedrefugeefamily.Ryerson

University alumni raised 4.5 million CAD through 102 sponsorships that will go on to help 150

refugee families (Ryerson University, 2018). Many of the 80 public institutions in Canada offer

similar initiatives. Furthermore, to increase accessibility to scholarship information, UNESCO

32

launched the Jami3ti Initiative (‘My University’ Initiative) in July 2015 (Kirk & Sherab, 2016). The

Jami3ti InitiativeisanonlinedatabaseinArabicofscholarshipopportunitiesandresourcestohelp

studentsbetterunderstandtheapplicationprocess.Thiswebsiteconsolidatesthewidelydispersed

scholarship information into a single, searchable platform, proving invaluable to Syrian refugee

studentswithapproximately2,000opportunitieslisted.

SCHOLARSHIPCLEARINGHOUSES

Toaidallrefugeeslocatescholarships,severalorganizationsalsoprovideclearinghousethatcompile

opportunitiesforasylum-seekersandrefugees:

UNHCRScholarshipPortal

UNHCR’sTertiaryEducationteamlaunchedascholarshipportalofferingpracticaladvicefor

prospectivestudentsandtechnicaladvicetoscholarship.

TheRefugeeCenter

TheRefugee Center offers listings of scholarships open to refugees and immigrants in theUnited

States.

EuropeanUniversityAssociation’sRefugeeWelcomeMap

By January 2017, EUA Refugees Welcome Map had collected approximately 250 initiatives from

highereducationinstitutionsandrelatedorganisationsin31countries.

StudentActionforRefugees(STAR)

STARlistsscholarshipsviableinhighereducationinstitutionsintheUnitedKingdom.

VINCElist

The VINCE list Includes scholarships with many other initiatives at integrating and supporting

refugeesinavarietyofareas,includingwithhighereducation.

33

3d.Refugeepeer-to-peerinitiatives

Peer-to-peerinitiativesrefertoprogrammesinwhichyouthworktosupportfellowyouthwhoare

similartothem(e.g.countryorregionoforigin)toaccessorpersistinhighereducation.

SYRIANYOUTHEMPOWERMENT

In 2016, four Syrians in thediaspora founded Syrian Youth Empowerment (SYE) tohelpdisplaced

Syrian students continue theirhighereducation.Theorganisationhasaworkingbudgetof12,700

USD over two years with a grant from Blossom Hill Foundation and individual donations. The

organisation supports displaced Syrian students bymentoring them through the institutional and

scholarship application processes. Vetted mentors who are in or have completed their tertiary

education serve asmentors. For the 2018-2019 Academic Year (AY), out of the 36 studentswho

applied to enter universitywith support of SYEmentors, eightwere female.Of the 32whowere

accepted,threedeferred.Outoftheremaining29,23receivedscholarships,whileoneispending(a

differentcycleasatransferstudent).Forthe2018-2019AY,SYE-supportedstudentsreceived10.752

MillionUSDinscholarships(4,032,000USDthefirstyearand6,720,000USDthesecondyear).The

intendedmajorsofthe2018cohortarelistedinTable6.

Table6.Majorsforthe2018-2019SYEEnteringClass

Architecture/InternationalRelationsBehaviouralNeuroscienceChemistryCivilEngineeringComputerScienceComputerScience/Photography

ComputerScience/TheoreticalphysicsComputerScience/ArtificialIntelligenceComputerScience/InformationTechnologyManagementEngineering/BusinessPhysicsPolitics/MarketingPre-medBiologySociologySoftwareEngineer/ComputerScience

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3e.Onlineandblendedhighereducationforrefugees

CONNECTEDLEARNINGINCRISISCONSORTIUM

TheConnectedLearninginCrisisConsortium(CLCC)isanetworkofuniversities,NGOs,andblended

learningprovidersthatcombinesonlineandface-to-faceinstructiontoofferlearningprogrammesto

refugees in their home environments. By 2017 over 7,000 students had participated in the CLCC

programmes(UNHCR,2018b).

UNHCR and the CLCC have identified blended learning as important to bringing learning

opportunitiestorefugeesandareworkingonunderstandinghowaccesstohighereducationcould

be scaled up through online and blended learning especially in low-resource environments. The

consortiumworks in part by identifying innovativemethods and disseminating good practices to

meetthedemandforhighereducationforrefugees.

Tothisend,theCLCChasdevelopedaQualityGuidelinesPlaybook thatprovidesrichresourceson

the provision of connected learning, including case studies. The intention of this Playbook is to

improve future programme designs and implementation by sharing knowledge of the types of

blended learningprogrammesthatCLCCmembershave implementedsincetheearly2000s (CLCC,

2017).

Table7.

ConnectedLearninginCrisisConsortiumMembers(2017)

• AustralianCatholicUniversity• ArizonaStateUniversity• Centreity• INASP• InstituteforInternationalEducation• JesuitRefugeeService• JesuitWorldwideLearning• KenyattaUniversity• Kepler• Kiron• MIT• Mosaik

• OpenUniversityUK• OpeningUniversityforRefugees• PurdueUniversity• SouthernNewHampshireUniversity• UNHCR• UniversityofBritishColumbia• UniversityofGeneva-InZone• UniversityofNairobi• University of Ottawa – Community

MobilisationinCrisis• WorldUniversityServiceofCanada• YorkUniversity

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BORDERLESSHIGHEREDUCATIONFORREFUGEES

BorderlessHigherEducationforRefugees (BHER)Project isadevelopment initiativehousedat the

CentreforRefugeeStudiesatYorkUniversitythatprovidesuniversityprogrammestorefugeesand

localhoststudentsinDadaabKenyausingablendedlearningmodel.TheBHERconsortiumincludes

fivepartners:KenyattaUniversity,MoiUniversity,UniversityofBritishColumbia,YorkUniversityand

WindleInternationalKenya.

In 2010-2012, the BHER model was designed through research grants from Social Sciences and

HumanitiesResearchCouncilofCanadaandMasterCardFoundation.Sinceitslaunchin2013,ithas

receivedfundingfromGlobalAffairsCanada,OpenSocietyFoundations,UNHCRKenyaandprivate

donations.

BHER coordinates with Canadian and Kenyan universities to offer internationally recognised and

accreditedacademicprogrammesat the levelof certificate,diplomasanddegrees to refugeeand

localpopulations;italsosupportsonsiteandonlineprogrammedeliverythroughtheBHERLearning

Centre located in Dadaab. The delivery of one certificate and two diploma programmes are in

teacher education at the primary and secondary level and six degree programmes in education,

healthandliberalarts.

Credit transfer among various university programmes allows for “stackable” credentials. Students

are able to earn a certificate or diploma at each level of study, incrementally building towards

earningadegree.Since2013,a totalof256students (56 female)havecompleted their certificate

anddiploma studies in educationat theprimary and secondary level. Since September2016, 107

studentsofCohort1haveengagedinoneofthefourundergraduatedegreesineducation,healthor

geographyofferedbyYorkUniversity,KenyattaUniversityorMoiUniversity,with80nowretained.

About 90%of these students (ofwhom19% arewomen) are on track to graduate by the end of

2018.

InSeptember2017,86studentsofCohort2startedstudiesinoneofthedegreeprogrammesinthe

educationfieldofferedbyYorkUniversityorKenyattaUniversitywith77nowretained.About80%

of these students (of whom 12% female) plan to graduate from one of the programmes by

December 2019 after the completion of the current grant from the Government of Canada. The

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genderbreakdownoftheprogrammeis36.7%femalesince1978andwas45%femaleforthe2017-

2018AY.Theprogrammeisaimingfor50%femaleparticipationnextyear.

KIRONOPENHIGHEREDUCATION

Kiron Open Higher Education is a German-based non-profit organisation that has two strands of

delivering courses. In one strand, refugees who lack documents or other requirements to enter

higher education in their host country can take Kiron designed Massively Open Online Courses

(MOOCs) on platforms such as Coursera, Edx, FUNorOpen Classrooms. Kiron calls these courses

‘micro credentials.’ In addition, Kiron includes language and preparatory courses to complete the

onlinecourses.

In the second strand, students who have the required documents and language to enter higher

educationinstitutionsareabletoparticipate.Inthiscase,Kironprovidesapplicationsupportandthe

transfer of 60 Kiron credits to the course of studywith partner universities. The programme also

providesbuddyprogrammes,mentorship,counsellingandstudentguidance.In2017,Kironheldits

pilotphaseofguidingstudentsthroughtheapplicationprocess.

In2018,therewere3,200studentsonKironcampuses,with56universitypartnersineightcountries

(see Table 8). Disciplines are limited to business, economics, computer science, mechanical

engineering, social work and political science. Kiron is currently developing two study tracks for

students in Jordan and Lebanon where they can transfer to partner universities to study for a

bachelor’sdegreeincomputerscienceorbusiness&economics.

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Table8.KironStudentDemographics(2018)NumberofStudents Total Male Female

3,300 2,739(83%) 561(17%)Majors

BusinessandEconomics 30.00% 28.73% 36.08%ComputerScience 36.74% 38.88% 26.46%MechanicalEngineering 9.15% 10.12% 4.64%PoliticalScience 10.51% 10.87% 8.93%SocialWork 13.60% 11.41% 23.88%

CountryofResidence Germany 38.31%

Turkey 12.71% Jordan 9.10% Indonesia 6.33% Kenya 5.70% France 5.67% Other 22.19%

CountryofOrigin SyrianArabRepublic 41.43% Afghanistan 9.21% Somalia 6.06% Iraq 3.56% Sudan 3.56%Note.Databycountryoforiginandresidencebygenderwasnotmadeavailable.

3f.Initiativessupportingacademicsinneedofrefuge

Academicswhoareunder threathavealsobecomeakey concernofhighereducation.Beloware

twoprogrammesthatsupportthispopulationgroup.Byprotectingacademicsfromregionsofcrisis,

theseprogrammescanallowforHEIstoberestoredtofunctional levelswheninstructorsarelater

abletoreturntotheirhomeinstitutions.SustainingandrestoringHEIsinconflict-affectedregionsis

keytoensuringaccesstohighereducationforyouthwhoarecurrentlyrefugeesorasylumseekers

(Barakat&Milton,2015).

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SCHOLARSATRISK

Scholars atRisk (SAR)beganat theUniversityofChicagoin1999and launched itsnetworkwitha

majorinternationalconferenceinJune2000.SincethenScholarsatRiskhasprovidedsanctuaryand

assistancetomorethan300academicseachyear.Itprotectsthesescholarsbyarrangingtemporary

research and teaching positions at institutions in their network. A key advocate of academic

freedom,italsoinvestigatesandspeaksoutagainstattacksonhighereducationcommunities.

In2002,SARpartneredwithIIEandtheIIEScholarRescueFund.TheFundprovidedfellowshipsto

SARscholarsfacinggravethreatssothattheymayescapedangerousconditionsandcontinuetheir

academicworkinsafety.

CARA

Council for At-Risk Academics (CARA) is a UK based organisation that provides urgent support to

academicsatrisk,thoseforcedintoexile,andthoseintheirhomecountrybutindanger.CARAisthe

leadingorganisationdoingthisworkinEurope.Itisuniqueinitsfocusonhelpingthosewhoarestill

in immediate danger, rather than already in exile, and in providing 2- or 3-year award packages,

rather than short stipends. Funding is provided by a number of foundations, such as Harbour

Foundation and the Murdoch charitable trust; the institutions also contribute in kind and offer

servicesprobono.

Over 115universities make up the CARA UK Universities Network, including Cardiff University,

University of Cambridge, University of Essex, University of London, Glasgow School of Art, and

UniversityofLiverpool.

In 2006, CARA launched the Iraq Programme (2006-2011) through its office in Amman, Jordan. It

undertookcooperationactivitiesdesignedtohelprebuildIraqiresearchandteachingcapacitiesby

bringingacademics inIraqtogetherwiththoseinJordanandelsewhere,withtheircounterparts in

theUK.

In 2009, the Zimbabwe Programme became CARA’s second regional programme, created in

responsetoan increaseofacademics fleeingZimbabwe,amidreportsofadramaticdecline inthe

quality of higher education. The programme offered grants and fellowships to pay for vital

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equipment and supplies, and in 2012 established a ‘Virtual Lecture Hall’ at the University of

ZimbabwethatallowedZimbabweanacademicsinexileandotherstoconnectinrealtime.

In2016CARA launched itsSyriaProgramme inorder toprovidesupport toacademicsaffectedby

theSyriacrisiswithSyrianacademicsinexile,inTurkey,Lebanon.Inthe2016/17‘pilotphase’,with

theactiveparticipationofUK,Turkishandotheruniversities,CARAorganisedworkshops inTurkey

on English for Academic Purposes (EAP) and Academic Skills Development (ASD), to lay the

foundations for futureresearchcollaborations. The firstSyriaProgrammeFellowswerehostedby

UK universities on short-term research visits, and UK and Syrian academics and others worked

togetheronresearchtohelpestablishthetruestateofhighereducationinSyria,beforeandsince

2011, togetabetter senseofhowexiledSyrianacademics couldbehelped toprepare to return,

whenitissafetodoso.

An 18-month second phase of the programmewas launched in late 2017 and includes EAP, ASD,

Research IncubationVisits andaCARA-CommissionedResearchProject– supplementedby anew

fifth strand, a research funding initiative.The aim of the CARA Syria Programme is to nurture

importantdisciplineclusters,whileallowingSyriancolleaguestodevelopaninvaluableinternational

resourceonwhichtodrawinthetaskofrebuildinghighereducation inSyria.Thesecondphase is

funded primarily by a grant of 850,000 USD from the Open Society Foundations and its Higher

EducationSupportProgram.

3g.CapacitybuildinginitiativesoffacultyandstaffatHEIs

Staffand facultyatHEIsalsorequirecapacitybuilding tounderstandhowtobestsupport refugee

learners.Twosuchinitiativesthatfocusoninstitutionalactorsare:

INHERE

The Higher Education Supporting Refugees in Europe (InHere) project is another Erasmus +

programme with the purpose of making access to European institutes of higher educationmore

accessible for refugees and to help them integrate the host communities. The programme was

implemented by the Union of Mediterranean Universities (UNIMED), in partnership with the

European Universities Association (EUA), Campus France, the University of Barcelona and the

UniversityofLaSapienza.

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HIGHEREDUCATIONSUPPORTPROGRAM

OpenSociety’sHigherEducationSupportProgramworkswithgranteesandpartnersinEurope,Asia,

Africa,andtheMiddleEast,theHigherEducationSupportProgramsupportsinnovativeteachingand

research, intellectual freedom, the expansion of marginalised groups’ access to higher education

(includingrefugees),andgoodpracticesinuniversitygovernance.

3h.Resettlementthroughhighereducation

Resettlement into a third country through admission to higher education has gained interest in

recent years. For instance, in 2017 the JICA-managed Japanese Initiative for the Future of Syrian

Refugees(JISR)Programmeadmitted19refugeestudents(formaster’sdegreestudies)fromJordan

and Lebanon into Japan higher education institutions. Since family members can accompany

students,atotalof36personswereadmittedintoJapan.JISRaimstoaccept20studentsperyear

from2017-2021.Theprogramme intends forstudents toreintegrate into theircountriesoforigin,

butiftheyareunable,thereareopportunitiesforresettlement.

EUROPEANRESETTLEMENTNETWORK

Looking for new approaches to resettlement, the European Resettlement Network (ERN) has

examined the feasibility of higher education and scholarships as a complementary pathway of

refugeeadmissiontoEurope.22ERN’sminimumrecommendationsarethatinitiatives:

A.Protectagainstrefoulement;

B.Upholdtherighttoapplyforasylum;

C. Do not jeopardise the safety and security of refugees by undermining their legalstatusandrights;

D.Ensurethatparticipatingstudents’economicneedsaremetduringtheprogramme,includingprotectionagainsthardshipordestitution;

22FormorereadEuropeanResettlementNetwork’s(2018),StudentScholarshipsforRefugees:ExpandingcomplementarypathwaysofadmissiontoEurope.http://www.resettlement.eu/sites/icmc/files/ERN%2B%20Student%20Scholarships%20for%20Refugees%20-%20Expanding%20complementary%20pathways%20of%20admission%20to%20Europe_0.pdf

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E. Ensure that the programme does not adversely affect students’ psychological andsocial wellbeing and that access to health- and psycho-social care is provided forthosewhoneedit;

F.Ensurestudentsarefullyawareandconsenttoalltherelevantdetailsregardingtheeffect on their rights and responsibilities of participation in the scholarshipprogramme, departure from the country of previous asylum, and stay in a newcountry;

G.Ensuretherighttoremainlawfullyinthecountryofscholarshipbeyondtheperiodofstudyintheeventthatreturnorre-entrytothepreviouscountryofasylumortothe country of origin is not possible, including the possibility to convert refugees’visasintoworkorothervisatypes.

(EuropeanResettlementNetwork,2018,p.37)

LIFELINESYRIA

In2015,inthecityofToronto,threeuniversities:UniversityofToronto,YorkUniversity,andOCAD

University joined the Ryerson University-led Lifeline Syria Challenge to offer a response to the

growinghumanitariancrisisinSyria.Sincethen,ithasgrownto248sponsoringgroups.

Whenitlaunched,thisnetworkofToronto-baseduniversitieshadagoaltofacilitatethesponsorship

ofover300SyrianrefugeesacrossCanada, throughtheCanadianPrivateSponsorshipofRefugees

programme.Teamsofvolunteers,includingstudents,staff,faculty,alumniandcommunitymembers

were motivated to raise funds and commit their time to support the refugee families upon

arrival. This initiativehasenabled studentson campus tooffer their skills andknowledge tohelp

facilitate the integration of these resettled families by developing an online portal to share

information and delivering workshops for families on relevant topics. A number of additional

initiatives at these institutions have taken shape, providing opportunities to engagemore of the

Canadianpublic inthewelcomingofformerrefugees,ontheirpathwaytointegrationintheirnew

communities.

In 2018, Lifeline Syria has sponsored 1,074 Syrians through 248 Private SponsorGroups andwith

8,060,600CADinsponsorshipfunds(RyersonUniversity,2018).

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CASESTUDY:WUSCSTUDENTREFUGEEPROGRAMMEDrawing on an original data, this case study outlines how it is possible not only to offer higher

educationaccesstorefugeesbuttoalsoofferapathwaytoresettlementandintegration.23

Since1978,Canada’sWorldUniversityServiceofCanada(WUSC)StudentRefugeeProgramme(SRP)

has resettled over 1,800 refugees from 39 countries of origin into over 80 college and university

campuses. This initiative is described in depth below, as it demonstrates how a programme

supportingrefugees’accesstohighereducationcanutiliseseveralofthestrategiesdescribedinthis

section: host language learning, scholarship schemes, capacity building for higher education

institutions,peer-to-peerinitiatives,andresettlementthroughhighereducation.

TheSRPisprimarilyastudent-drivenendeavourmobilisedbygroupsofstudents,faculty,andstaff

on local university campuses across Canada. Students at Canadian higher education institutions

actively sponsor refugee students through Local Committees / Constituent Groups. These

committeesraise fundsandawareness fortheprogram,engageotherstudents,holdreferendums

throughStudentUnionsandprovidetheday-to-daysocialandacademicsupporttoSRPstudents.

WUSC is able to do this work because of Canada’s Private Refugee Sponsorship Program under

whichseveralgroupsmaysponsorrefugees.OneofthesegroupsisSponsorshipAgreementHolders

(SAH) - incorporated humanitarian, religious, ethnic, community or service organisations with a

specialaffiliationandcontractwiththeMinistryofCitizenshipandImmigrationCanadatosponsor

refugees. Since 1981, WUSC, as a humanitarian organisation, has been one of about 80 such

Sponsorship Agreement Holders who are permitted to sponsor refugees in various local

communities through the use of Constituent Groups.24 WUSC SRP currently accepts applications

fromrefugeesinJordan,Kenya,Lebanon,andMalawi.

23Theinformationinthiscasestudyisadaptedfromalongeranalysis(Ferede,2013)

24InthecaseofWUSC,LocalCommitteesatuniversitiesandcollegesactasitsConstituentGroups,allowingthemtosponsorrefugeesontotheircampuscommunities.Likeotherprivatesponsors,WUSCagreestoberesponsibleforprovidingfinancialandresettlementsupportfortherefugee’sfirstyearinCanada.Ingeneral,theamountoffinancialsupportthatsponsoringgroupsarerequiredtoprovideapproximateslocalsocialassistanceratelevelsthatvarybyregion,byfamilysizeandageofdependents.

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A2013studyfoundthatthebenefitsforrefugeeyouthincludefindingawayoutofdifficultrefugee

campconditions,havingaccess tohighereducation,developingskills towardsacareerandhaving

the opportunity to become a Canadian citizen (Ferede, 2014). An internal 2007 evaluation report

found that sponsored students also become civically engaged, support development in the home

regions,andtendtojoinsocietygroupsandassociations(WUSC,2007a).

Theprogram’s benefits also extend toCanadian youth.Volunteers tended to vote at higher rates

than the Canadian average and be more politically engaged. They also reported developing

communication,mentoring, andnegotiating skills becauseof their involvement in SRP.Moreover,

teachers in refugee camps indicated that the program had a positive impact on high school

graduationssincestudentspersistedinthehopesofapost-secondaryeducationandeligibilityinto

thehighlycompetitiveWUSCprogram.

Process of Bringing the Student Refugee Program to a Canadian Campus

IttakesapproximatelytwoyearsofplanningandfundraisingforaLocalCommitteetoadvancefrom

expressinginterestinsponsoringarefugeetohavingthemarriveontheircampus.Fromtheonset,

WUSCheadofficesupportsLocalCommittees intheirsponsorshipeffortsbyprovidingprocedural,

promotionalandfundraisingguidancethroughbookletsandpostedonlinetextandvideoresources.

During this planningphase, students are strongly advised to involve faculty or staff as advisors in

order to ‘ensure long-term sustainability’. In addition, Local Committees need to also engage and

developstrongrelationshipswithvariousuniversitydepartmentsandoffices,suchastheAdmissions

Office, President’s Office, International Student’s Office and the Students’ Union. During the

implementationphase,theseofficesplayakeyroleintheadmissionsprocessofrefugeeapplicants,

in facilitating institutional waivers on tuition and housing and providing assistance with

documentation.Sincethesupportofinstitutionalleadershipandstaffiscrucialtothesuccessofthe

program on a particular campus, Local Committees spend initial conversations explaining the

program,gauginginterestandbuildingtrust.Iftheyhaveuniversitysupport,LocalCommitteesthen

conductcampus-wideandcommunityawarenesseventstopromotetheplightofrefugeesandthe

significanceoftheprogram.

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LocalCommitteesareresponsible forraisingthefundsneededforthesponsorshipofonerefugee

student for a minimum of 12 months. Using a sample budget set by WUSC as a guideline

(approximately 20,000 - 30,000 CAD per refugee student), Local Committeemembers first assess

their financial capacity before developing a fundraising strategy. This usually includes holding

referendumsthroughtheStudentUnionwherethestudentbodyvotesonproposedtuitionlevies–

mandatory fees - that will go toward the cost of sponsorship. Sometimes, pending on faculty

support, members can also make an appeal for faculty levies or payroll deductions. Successful

acquisition ofwaivers on tuition, residence,meal plans, and textbooks through various university

offices, can reduce the overall cost. Committees may also approach off-campus individuals,

businesses,andorganisationsforcashorin-kinddonationstowarditemssuchasclothes,bicyclesor

computersforthesponsoredstudent.Finally,afterraisingawareness,engagingtherequiredparties,

andsecuringthenecessaryfunding,thecampusLocalCommitteeisreadytosubmitasponsorship

plantoWUSC.

Theprogrammehas tremendous variationat the institution level. Someuniversities are seasoned

sponsors, while others are new. For instance, Local Committees at University of Alberta have

sponsored students since 1988. Meanwhile, the first refugee student was not sponsored onto

University of Ontario’s Institute of Technology until 2012. Tuition levy support also differs

significantly.Data from2010-2011 indicatesaper-student levyof15.00CADatAlgomaUniversity

but1.00CADatMcGillUniversity.Yetbecauseofthelargedifferenceinthenumberofstudentswho

attend these institutions, Algoma’s Local Committee raised 15,145 CAD from levies while McGill

raised30,000CAD.ThemajorityofLocalCommitteessponsoronestudentperyear.Others,suchas

those at theUniversity of British Columbia and Dalhousie, sponsormultiple students annually. In

addition,most refugeeyouthare financially supported for12-months,while thoseatahandfulof

institutions,suchasSimonFraserandWilfredLaurier,aresupportedovermultipleyears.According

toSeniorProgramOfficers,strongsupportfromuniversityleadershipandLocalCommittees’success

withsecuringsustainablefunding,accountforthesedifferences.

The Selection, Admission, and Arrival of Refugee Students

The majority of the 1,216 youth sponsored from WUSC from 1978-2011 originate from African

countries (over 85%). Surges in the countries of origin of sponsored students tend to correspond