Home Press Room Op-eds, Letters & Articles

Whole generations of refugees may miss out on the chance of education

From Ms. Jenny Perlman Robinson to the Editor of the Financial Times:

Sir, James Fontanella and Tom Burgis have it right: refugees do indeed need lessons for life ("Investing In Young People 2008", Special Report, January 25), and in many refugee settings, education is sorely lacking. While the situation for young children is bad, it is even more dire for older children and adolescents, who have often missed years of schooling. With the majority of refugees being displaced for an average of 17 years, there is a serious risk of whole generations missing out on educational opportunities.

In northern Uganda, many people have lived in squalid camps for almost 20 years, and less than 5 per cent of secondary school-age students attend school. In southern Sudan, where people are returning home after being displaced for more than 20 years, less than 25 per cent of an estimated 2.2m school-age children are enrolled in primary school. The situation is worse for older children. With literacy rates of only 15 per cent, efforts to rebuild the region are severely challenged.

It is vital that the United Nations, western governments, refugee-hosting countries and non-governmental organisations pay increased attention to the educational needs of refugees both while they are displaced and when they return home.

Jenny Perlman Robinson,
Protection Program Officer, Children and Youth,
Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children,
New York, NY 10168, US