Without home, without homeland. Without school, too? : the right to inclusive education of refugee children

Abstract

Each year the number of displaced people grows rapidly creating an urgent humanitarian situation in most places of the world. Among them a huge amount is children, children who are helpless and most of the times hopeless for their future. Education stands out as their only way of dreaming and feeling safe again after all the atrocities they experienced in their home-country, but also during their “journey” to a better place. International Human Rights Law recognizes the right of refugee children to education, without discrimination of any kind based on race, color, decent, sex, language, religion, and national or ethnic origin. Despite the existing provisions, we are facing a significant risk of leaving a whole generation uneducated. This paper focuses on the right to education of refugee children, which is a high priority nowadays, and expands its scope by trying to find out if these children also have a right to inclusive education. It provides an academic and media literature review, as well as an examination of the legal provisions. Finally, by focusing on the case of Greece, it discusses the current refugee situation there and the problems that are noticed in refugee education, examines the existing laws and policies adopted for an inclusive education system and highlights the importance of education for these children.