Whoever teaches learns in the act of teaching, and whoever learns teaches in the act of learning. By Paulo Freire in Pedagogy of Freedom.
People teach and learn at the same time, but what happens if people do not have a place to transmit, receive and share knowledge and opinions? I speak of a place, destined for education and teaching, a place where social interactions between equals are essential, a place in which one learns, thinks, discusses, and grows. Education feeds curious minds, teaches critical thinking and discovers the world around us.
Millions of refugee children do not attend school. The school, that space I was talking about before. In the report ‘Strengthening the Education of Refugees in Times of Crisis’, written by UNHCR, it is mentioned that 3,7 of 7,1 million refugee children and adolescents of school age do not attend school. This means that more than half of this population does not have the opportunity to develop the skills, competencies, and knowledge necessary to grow personally and educationally as well as to prepare their future. “Millions of refugee children and youth are missing out on a fundamental human right: the right to quality education” is mentioned in the report.
Being a refugee means to run away from your country to seek asylum elsewhere, another country, another continent. These people experience a journey towards the unknown, that is, towards a new educational and political system. It is necessary to invest in refugee education in order to avoid the growth of people who cannot live independently, who may have difficulty finding a job and, above all, who may experience some social rejection.
On the other hand, children and youth out of school are more likely to be exposed to violence, trafficking, being forced to work, and so on. I am talking about the future of human beings, which should be fair, full of opportunities, out of violence. Is not this reason enough to give education the importance it deserves?
Education should be one of the main priorities in a crisis or emergency situation due to war, a natural disaster, persecution, among others. We know that it is a complicated process since the decision to prioritize education depends on governments, policymakers, among other stakeholders. Besides, clear collaboration and cooperation between communities, countries, businesses and non-governmental organizations are necessary. In addition, there is a big gap between refugees and non-refugees in terms of access to education, which must be closed and for this, it is necessary to raise awareness in society about the real problem that these people suffer from day-to-day, as well as the collaboration and willingness of senior officials from the host countries.
Finally, referring to the Paulo Freire phrase shown above, any human being should have the chance to enjoy a space where he or she can learn, teach and grow. Education should not wait. Education must prepare children and young refugees for the world of today and tomorrow as it is being done with the rest of the children in the world.
