Refugees Need Access to Higher Education

Ita Sheehy, Senior Education Advisor for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), advocates in University World News for more higher education opportunities for refugees. At a time when the number of refugees, asylum-seekers, and internally displaced people worldwide has, exceeded 50 million, there are high risks of entire generations losing access to education—especially higher education, which is perceived as a luxury. "Yet, higher education for refugees is important both for individuals and for society, not least in terms of rebuilding lives and fostering leadership in both protracted settings and peaceful post-conflict reconstruction," writes Sheehy.