Ukraine and beyond: Lessons in refugee education

Since February 2022, the war on Ukraine has disrupted the education of millions. More than half of Ukrainian children had to flee their homes, and over 1,800 education institutions have been damaged. The next months will determine how many of these children can access education in their host communities across Europe. Globally, nearly half of all refugee children are out of school.

While the attention on Ukrainian children grows, advocates are questioning the double standard facing refugee children from Syria, Afghanistan, Rohingya, and other places. Some worry resources will be shifted away from other humanitarian crises that are already under-funded. Yet others believe promising responses by European host communities presents an opportunity to improve policies globally and advance innovative practices for refugee children.

On 21 June, we co-hosted a virtual event with Brookings Center for Universal Education to explore critical issues in refugee education today. Our speakers discussed key questions including:

• Are host countries prepared to deliver education to millions of refugee children from Ukraine?
• What are the roles of teachers and civil society in response to the crisis?
• What are the lessons learnt in other countries hosting large numbers of refugees?
• How can our experiences in refugee education help inform more sustainable, systemic solutions?

This webcast is the first in a Brookings-Yidan Prize event series on the future of education in the 21st century. Together, we are exploring timely topics in education likely to have deep implications for decades to come. 

This event is cross-posted on the Brookings Institution website.