A Classroom Is More Than a Classroom

The 2025 UNHCR Education Report reveals a steep narrowing of opportunity as refugee children grow older: enrolment stands at 67% in primary school, falls to 37% in secondary school, and reaches only 9% in higher education. These figures show that access cannot be measured simply by whether a child enters a classroom. The real question is whether that child can remain, progress, and imagine a future beyond displacement. UNHCR

Education Above All adds a human dimension to this data. In emergencies, schools offer protection, trusted relationships, psychosocial support, and a sense of normalcy. They can also reduce the risks of child labour, early marriage, exploitation, and permanent dropout. Flexible approaches, including community spaces, radio, and digital learning, demonstrate that education can continue even when conventional classrooms disappear. Education Above All

Together, these findings reshape how I understand education access. A school is not merely where refugee children recover interrupted lessons; it is often the first place where they can redesign a future interrupted by conflict. Protecting that space should therefore be treated not as an optional stage of humanitarian aid, but as an immediate and life-sustaining responsibility.