Knowledge is gold, but for some a hidden treasure
In the last decades of the 20th century, children and adolescents have been displaced from their homes or native countries and numerous national government-funded education systems have collapsed as a result of war-related financial or overall crises. These children, affected by war, have found themselves in a dire situation and in great need for quality education – which is probably the factor of utmost importance in building their social future on rock-solid and stable foundations.
The main component of achieving this goal would be the restoration of access to schooling, which is in many countries restricted due to financial constraints. In areas where meeting the education standards of refugee populations is an extremely heavy burden for the funding organizations, external assistance is required. Governments and government-funded educational programs are obliged under international law to enable and promote the access to education of refugee children in the countries of asylum. Yet, some host governments have violated these laws in the past and decided not to permit refugee schooling and education, like Zaire in the 1990s, which stated that Rwandese refugees should not have access to schooling.
Refugees are disconnected from their own country's Education Ministry, school system, and examination boards. There have also been other instances of political, administrative and legal obstacles to the education of refugees and children, affected by war, in the post-conflict areas. The total number of refugee students who attend host country schools, either on their personal initiative or with external funding, is not known. UN agencies and non-governmental organizations are assisting with the education of refugees in national schools financially in over 40 developing countries at primary, secondary and tertiary level.
