Securing the ukrainian children’s refugees´ right to education: main barriers and challenges

Abstract

The full-scale invasion of Ukraine forced many children to flee their country and look for a safe harbour abroad. Once a safe shelter was found, the Ukrainian families looked for ways to secure their children’s right to education. Although many efforts have been made to facilitate their access to this right, many barriers and challenges persist. On one side, the host countries’ barriers, along with the Ukrainian family’s decision to enrol in Ukrainian online learning platforms, jeopardise the children´s right to education and the quality of educational provision. Due to this, we argue that online education needs specific premises to be effective, and that is difficult to achieve in the conditions of Ukrainian refugee children and families, therefore, it should be combined with onsite education because the children’s inclusion in educational systems offers more benefits, protection and gives them the knowledge and skills to live a productive, fulfilling and independent life in the future. We propose a holistic approach that combines both online and onsite schooling, along with targeted support and interventions, that can be most effective in meeting the diverse needs of refugee children and ensuring their access to quality education.