Adolescents in refugee and IDP camps have the potential to be a transformative,
constructive force in community development both within the camp and during
the reconstruction process. It is also possible, however, that they can serve as a
source of destruction and re-ignite dwindling conflicts. Available educational
opportunities are critical to determining how adolescents participate in postconflict
outcomes.
The availability of educational opportunities for youth such as
accelerated primary education and post-primary resources is limited in part
because of the weak language used in the Convention on the Rights of the Child
(CRC). Primary education is “compulsory and available free to all” whereas
secondary and vocational education is “encouraged” (UNHCR, 1989). Because
of this weakness, donors focus less on secondary and vocational education,
which is geared toward older children. Lack of funding contributes to the sharp
decline in school enrollment beyond the forth grade (see figure 3). Furthermore,
females are at a disadvantage from the first grade onward when, according to a
survey conducted by the Women’s Commission of 500 projects in 113 countries,
boys’ enrollment is approximately twenty percent higher than girls’ (see figure
3)[1]. Additionally, while providing decent work opportunities for youth is
listed as one of the development goals of the Millennium Development Goals
project (MDG), achieving universal primary education has a deadline for
completion of 2015. Often, these two ambitions are in competition due to limited
funding.
Once children reach adolescence they are frequently required to aid in
household chores, generate income and care for younger siblings. They are
rarely given a voice in community decisions or in choices affecting their wellbeing
such as whether to go to school, ways to generate income or whether to
marry. Essentially, young people aged 12-24 have few positive roles within most
refugee communities and very limited constructive outlets through which they
are able to develop into productive, healthy members of society, prepared to aid
in the rebuilding of a community in exile. Neglect of this age group compounds
their already vulnerable position and leaves them open for recruitment into
military service, prostitution, or young marriage. On a community level, lack of
opportunity for youth hampers reconstruction efforts and increases the
likelihood of a return to conflict as economic growth remains stagnant (Lowicki,
2000). In order to prevent this from occurring, humanitarian agencies need to
work together to provide educational programs that will allow youth to have a
constructive role in the community.
The first part of this paper discusses the unique challenges and demands
faced by youth in refugee and IDP situations, illuminating consequences for
failure as well as the need for meaningful action. The second section examines
the barriers to access faced in promoting educational opportunities for
adolescents. The final segment looks at the work of Jesuit Refugee Services (JRS),
the International Rescue Committee (IRC), and the Refugee Educational Trust
(RET) in order to gain awareness of the different approaches to youth education.
Methodology
This study employs several methods to understand the factors that limit
adolescent access to education in refugee and IDP situations, as well as the
ramifications of these barriers to access both for the individual and the
community. Research of secondary sources has been done to understand
competing viewpoints of education in these circumstances, as well as the projects
currently being supported by various organizations. Five phone interviews with
international Non Governmental Organization (NGO) staff were conducted to
gain a deeper understanding of different agencies’ perspectives on education and
to be able to compare the different approaches being used to address this crisis.
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