Since February 2022, the war on Ukraine has disrupted the education of millions—as more than half of Ukrainian children have left their homes, and over 1,800 education institutions have been damaged. The next months will determine how many of these children are able to access education in their host communities across Europe. Globally, nearly half of all refugee children are out of school. Millions of Syrian, Afghan, Rohingya and other refugee children are unable to access education. In this—and all crises—host communities must be prepared, national policies responsive, and funding available.
The initial education response by countries hosting Ukrainian refugee children has primarily been promising, leading refugee education advocates to question the double standard facing children from other countries. They also worry resources will be shifted away from other already underfunded humanitarian crises. Others have posited that the favorable response by European host communities presents an opportunity to improve refugee education policies globally and advance more innovative practices.
On June 21, the Center for Universal Education and the Yidan Prize Foundation will co-host a virtual event to explore critical issues in global education today. Join Maysa Jalbout, Erum Mariam, Viktoriia Gnap, Zarlasht Halaimzai, and David Edwards as they address key questions including: Are the European countries neighboring Ukraine prepared to deliver education to millions of refugee children? What are the roles of teachers and civil society in responding to the crisis? What could Europe learn from other countries hosting large numbers of refugees? How could education responses for Ukrainian, Rohingya, Afghan refugees and others help inform the development of more sustainable system-level solutions?
This webcast is the first in a Brookings-Yidan Prize event series on the future of education in the 21st century. Together, the two organizations are exploring emerging and timely topics in education likely to have deep implications for decades to come.
Viewers can submit questions via email to events@brookings.edu or via Twitter at #BrookingsYidanPrize.
