Like many people in the 1910s, my grandmother lived through tumultuous times. In an era of conflict and seismic change, she knew what it was like to endure war, famine and poverty.  

It was an exceptional feat, therefore, to have made sure that her son, my father, received an education – in the process becoming the very first person from his village to graduate from college. Whether pursuing my own schooling, my career as an entrepreneur or my philanthropic work, I in turn have always been inspired by her unshakeable belief in education as the greatest force for human progress. 

The times, places and contexts may be different, but this report on refugee education tells the story of people facing similar adversities. In many ways it is a story of hope – the refugees who were able to go to school and on to college, who found safety and stability there, and who went on to pass exams and get jobs. They are now better able to stand on their own two feet and enrich their communities, or to become leaders in their academic or professional fields – or, indeed, to become teachers and mentors, enabling others to travel the same path as they did. That story is one of education transforming lives. 

But there is another story here – one of young refugees whose ambitions have been thwarted, the children and youth who lie behind the statistics showing the large numbers who have not gone to school. Not because they did not want to, but because they didn’t have the chance.  

My own journey from running a business to getting involved in charitable work was deeply inspired and influenced by my family. But it was also made possible by the many others who support education. We needed teachers, administrators and communities. We needed classroom blocks, textbooks, school transportation. We built on generations of accumulated knowledge and insight, but we also benefitted from new thinking and new technology. Today’s students benefit hugely from computers and the internet, while artificial intelligence will transform educational systems in ways we are only starting to comprehend.  

In short, education must be a collective endeavour. As a consequence, it has collective rewards. We must recognise how much we all stand to gain if children acquire the skills and knowledge to tackle the huge challenges of our time, ranging from poverty and inequality to conflict and climate change – challenges, incidentally, that refugees experience directly. 

Young, creative minds will help us find solutions to these issues. In this rapidly changing and challenging world, they will create and grasp opportunities we have only begun to imagine. 

But this will happen only if we make it happen, removing the obstacles and finding solutions. And that requires collaboration across all sectors and geographies, at all levels, combining pragmatism, vision and innovation – and turning it all into action. 

My grandmother would look at young refugees today and understand, in ways that most of us cannot, what they have gone through. And if she was to speak over the decades to address the many different people and organisations who must work together so that every child gets the education they deserve, she would reflect: what are we waiting for? 

By Dr Charles CHEN Yidan

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Read the full UNHCR Education Report 2025 here.
Photo credit: UNHCR/Syd Fin