Surving School: Education for refugee children from Rwanda 1994-1996

Education has only recently been considered as an essential right for refugee children. Education is often the one hope for refugees, allowing them to integrate more easily into their countries of origin or engage productively in their country of asylum. Yet the provision of education for refugees has been a contentious subject - recipient countries often oppose it to prevent long-term settlement, aid agencies often do not give it a high priority and the donor community is often unaware of its critical importance for the survival of refugees. This book outlines two case studies - Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) - on education for refugees fleeing the genocide in Rwanda. It investigates the often difficult process of establishing education programmes against turbulent political and social backgrounds. This book highlights the conflicting roles that governments and agencies have played in the process of addressing the educational needs or refugee children and the often limited role played by the refugees themselves in this process. Critical issues affecting education for refugees as a whole are explore and valuable recommendations are made which could guide the future development of education in emergency situations.