18 Jun 2020
Spotlight

Supporting Teachers and Students in Refugee Settings

The number of people displaced by war, persecution, or violence has reached its highest point since World War II. According to the most recent United Nations High Refugee Agency estimate, there are almost 80 million refugees and internally displaced people in the world today.

Refugee TeacherThis displacement can often disrupt the education of school age children and confound the educations systems in countries that receive them. Teachers are an important resource for children in refugee and emergency settings; understanding how to retain and motivate them is a critical, yet little-studied, issue.

Applied research in refugee communities such as Algeria and Ethiopia highlight some of the education challenges faced by refugees today. AIR has worked diligently with United Nations' partners to explore substantive frameworks for education research, intervention design, and regional policies that would mobilize resources in more effective ways to leverage refugee teachers and create greater access to education for children displaced by war.

Related Projects

Project

Impact Evaluation of the No Lost Generation/Min Ila Cash Transfer Program for Syrian Refugees in Lebanon

The sudden influx of Syrian refugees into Lebanon created an education crisis in Lebanon that affects Syrian and vulnerable Lebanese children. AIR and the UNICEF Office of Research–Innocenti are leading an independent impact evaluation of Min Ila, a cash transfer program for displaced Syrian children in the governorates of Mount Lebanon and Akkar., and designed to address the income-related barrier to school attendance alongside existing interventions addressing non-income constraints.

Related Work

30 Jun 2018
Report

Evaluation of No Lost Generation/“Min Ila,” a UNICEF and WFP Cash Transfer Program for Displaced Syrian Children in Lebanon

Lebanon hosts 1.5 million Syrians who have fled conflict in Syria, as well as 34,000 Palestine refugees from Syria. Over half of the school-aged children in this population are not enrolled in a certified education program. AIR designed and implemented an impact evaluation of the No Lost Generation ("Min/Ila") child-focused cash transfer program; this report shares the findings from that evaluation.
4 Feb 2016
Commentary

What Can Be Done for Syria's Refugees?

In response to the Supporting Syria in the Region conference in London, Susy Ndaruhutse of the Education Development Trust and AIR's Amy West call for a doubling of aid for education resources in the region from 2 to 4 per cent of all humanitarian aid. In What Can Be Done for Syria's Refugees, Ndaruhutse and West argue that increased pledges are not enough, and that we must re-learn the lessons of the Marshall Plan.
9 Mar 2014
Commentary

Syrian Refugees Need More Than Food

In this commentary, AIR expert Amy West discusses the need for education and job skills training for displaced Syrian youth, a need that will require the help and cooperation of education ministries, donors, government officials, and others from multiple countries.
21 Apr 2014
Video

Long Story Short: Why Is Education So Critical for Syrian Refugee Youth?

The Syrian crisis has disrupted the education of Syrian youth and confounded the education systems in countries receiving them. In this 90-second video interview, Amy West, principal project specialist at AIR, explains why education is so critical for Syrian refugee youth.
11 Dec 2015
Report

Teacher Retention in Refugee and Emergency Settings: The State of the Literature

Teacher quality is recognized as a primary driver of variation in student learning outcomes, particularly in refugee and emergency settings, but few studies have examined the factors that motivate or demotivate teachers in these contexts. This article examines secondary source materials from academic experts and gray literature from United Nations agencies and nongovernmental organizations to identify seven key areas that affect teacher retention in refugee and emergency settings.
14 Dec 2015
Journal Article

Underresourced, Undervalued, and Underutilized: Making the Case for Teachers in Refugee and Emergency Contexts

Teachers are a critical resource for children in refugee and emergency settings. This article explores field research conducted in Algeria and Ethiopia, finding that cost-effective policies and technical responses that begin to address teacher retention challenges will affect student achievement, reinvigorate teaching forces, and attract new teachers to serve in even the most difficult contexts.

Further Reading