Education Brief 1: Education and Protection

Education is a basic human right enshrined in a wide range of internationally recognized conventions and declarations, including the 1951 Refugee Convention. Education plays a central role in UNHCR’s refugee protection and durable solutions mandate.Protecting refugees means ensuring that their rights, security, and welfare are recognized and safeguarded in accordance with international standards, and their non-discriminatory right to assistance and services, including education, is realized. Providing quality educational opportunities in refugee contexts means that displaced children and youth can benefit from the protection of an accountable social service in which they have the time, opportunity and support to evolve into key actors in their own protection. Quality educational programming contributes to the development of important content knowledge, as well as the critical thinking, problem solving and analytical skills that make academic knowledge useful in daily life.

Participation in primary, secondary, tertiary, catchup, accelerated and other types of formal and non-formal education programmes can also foster social cohesion, provide access to life-saving information, address psychosocial needs, and provide opportunities to link with or establish referral mechanisms for psychosocial issues specific to displaced children and youth. Participation in full-cycle quality educational programming can provide long-term, dependable, safe environments for some of the most vulnerable within refugee populations. Participation and accomplishment in education increases opportunities for self-determination and provides a sense of purpose, normalcy and continuity in otherwise unsettled environments. The knowledge, skills and experience acquired in educational programming are key to building resilience for all possible durable solutions. Educated children and youth stand a greater chance of becoming adults who can participate effectively in civil society in all contexts.