Regional Policies for Access to Higher Education: IGAD in Perspective

Abstract

This chapter explores what regional institutions, like the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), are doing to promote access to quality higher education for refugees, returnees, and host communities. The chapter examines existing policies, identifies gaps, and recommends needed policy changes to facilitate access to quality, equitable, and relevant higher education. The period covered by the study is from 2017 to 2023. The methodology used is a desk review of policy and discourse analysis, with narrative accounts of what IGAD and its member states aspire to do, what is missing in making higher education accessible to refugees, and what corrective measures should be done at both regional and nation level given the growing number of learners in the displacement-affected communities in the region. The analyses focus on policies or education sector development strategies. The findings reveal that, though education in general and higher education in particular has been identified as one of the fundamental areas of interventions, when it comes to refugees, higher education is rarely a priority. The chapter specifically appeals to the international financial institutions to create a regional window of opportunities of funding for regional organizations, including IGAD, and emphasizes displacement-affected communities in their funding.

1. Introduction

To state the obvious, education is one of the fundamental rights. This right has been enshrined in the Universal Declaration of the UN. The Declaration provides that “Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the early and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit” [1]. With respect to refugees, the 1951 UN Refugee Convention urges all signatory member states and stakeholders to make education one of the social services to be provided. However, in practice much emphasis was placed largely on primary and secondary education. Tertiary education was seen as luxury for refugees and IDPs. The reasons for this underemphasis on the tertiary sector may be economic but they may also reflect the underlying assumption that refugees would return to their countries of origin within a short period of time, hence would only need primary education. But as time went on, it became clear that refugees stayed in the host countries for decades; rendering the question of returning bleak if not impossible.

By 2021, the percentage for refugee tertiary education was 3% [2]. Recently, however, the UNHCR reported that “In 2023, 7% of the refugees had access to higher education compared to 5% in 2020, while the global average to higher education enrollment among non-refugees stands at 42%” [3]. The UNHCR also indicated that about 15% refugees will have access to tertiary education by 2030. This is a prediction based on its strategic plan adopted in 2019. The figure for Africa for tertiary education access by the displacement affected population is far lower than the global average; and the problem of access in the IGAD region, where most of the refugees, returnees, IDPs and marginal host communities are located, is exceedingly high.

This chapter examines regional policy instruments, education sector development plans, and costed plans for the implementation of regionally agreed commitments to promote access to higher education in the IGAD member states. By the same token, the chapter also identifies gaps in policies, strategies and other response mechanisms with the aim of generating policy recommendations, enhanced advocacy mechanisms, and high-gear diplomacy at national, regional, and international levels. The heart of the argument of this chapter is that it is difficult, if not impossible, to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in general and SDG4 in particular, without inclusive access to higher education by refugees, returnees, IDPs and hard to reach host communities.

2. Review of the available legal/policy instruments

This section highlights the relevant continental, regional, and international policy instruments that are directly or indirectly referring to the access to and quality of education for refugees in Africa in general and the IGAD region in particular. As we have seen above, Article 22 under Public Education of the 1951 Refugee Convention of the UN commits states parties to the Convention that:

1. The Contracting States shall accord to refugees the same treatment as is accorded to nationals with respect to elementary education.

2. The Contracting States shall accord to refugees treatment as favorable as possible, and, in any event, not less favorable than that accorded to aliens generally in the same circumstances, with respect to education other than elementary education and, in particular, as regards access to studies, the recognition of foreign school certificates, diplomas and degrees, the remission of fees and charges and the award of scholarships [4].

The Convention become operational in 1954. These two provisions are the basis of the required actions agreed to effect regarding refugees’ education. However, while the commitments refer largely to primary education, they are less explicit on access to higher education. Instead, they focus more on recognition of the educational attainments of refugees they acquire in the host countries when they go back to their countries of origin or to third country destinations. What is more, the Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa (the Refugee Convention) of the Organization of African (OAU) adopted in 1969 does not mention educational rights of refugees. However, the Convention refers to the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, the 1951 Refugee Convention, and the 1967 Protocol relating to that Convention, as legal bases for its own Convention. Therefore, the Convention recognizes the basic rights enshrined in these instruments, which implicitly acknowledges the right to education [5]. However, because education does not come out clearly, it can be stated that OAU was less focused on education in general leave alone higher education. In fact, the OAU Convention is much more concerned with the humanitarian, security and welfare of the refugees than their future development and self-actualization through education and skills-building.

On the other hand, the African Charter on People and Human Rights adopted in 1981 and entered into force in 1986, under Article 17 paragraph 1, recognizes the right to education as one of the basic human rights. Yet, Charter never mentions refugees [6]. The African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, adopted in 1991 but entered into force in 1999 (9 years later, longer than any legal instrument), recognizes fundamental rights of children. It specifically talks about the imperatives of ensuring access to education. Paragraph (c) of Article 23 urges states parties to that Charter to “make higher education accessible to all on the basis of capacity and ability by every appropriate means” [7]. This is the first ever direct reference to higher education even though the paragraph does not refer to refugees. Despite this limitation, refugee children are the subject of Article 11 of the same Charter [7]. In addition to this, the African Youth Charter urges member states to develop a full range of youth-focused programs aimed at holistic development of the youth on the continent. Article 13 on Education and Skills Development recommends that a broad spectrum of education and skills building steps should be taken. To highlight some of the relevant paragraphs of the African Youth Charter, which are especially important to access to and quality of tertiary education are articulated under sub-Article 4. These include:

1. Make higher education equally accessible to all including establishing distance learning centers of excellence;

2. Allocate resources to upgrade the quality of education delivered and ensure that it is relevant to the needs of contemporary society and engender critical thinking rather than rote learning;

3. Introduce scholarship and bursary programs to encourage entry into post-primary school education and into higher education [for] outstanding youth from disadvantage communities, especially girls;

4. Promote the equivalency of degrees between African educational institutions to enable the youth to study and work in states parties;

Sub-paragraph 5 of the Charter emphasizes to ensure that “Youth are determined to transform the continent in the fields of science and technology” [8], whereas paragraph 6 urges that “States parties should encourage youth to conduct research”. In this connection, the Charter states that “an African discoveries day should be established along with mechanism of awarding prizes at continental level” [8].

Agenda 2063 prioritizes education, science, technology and innovation to transform Africa. Under the first aspiration, paragraph 10, the Heads of State and Government state that “We aspire that by 2063, Africa shall be a prosperous continent…[with] Well educated and skilled citizens, underpinned by science, technology and innovation for a knowledge society is the norm and no child misses school due to poverty or any form of discrimination” [9]. In paragraph 14 of the same Agenda, African leaders assert that “Africa’s human capital will be fully developed as its most precious resource, through sustained investments based on universal early childhood development and basic education, and sustained investments in higher education, science, technology, research and innovation, and the elimination of gender disparities at all levels of education. Access to post-graduate education will be expanded and strengthened to ensure world-class infrastructure for learning and research and support scientific reforms that underpin the transformation of the continent” [9]. This commitment is very important in that it stresses the desirability of enhancing access to higher education. However, the Agenda does not mention refugees and displaced people even if it puts strong emphasis on access and quality education, in general and higher education, science and technology for all. On the one hand, the due articulation of these areas as engines of Africa’s socioeconomic transformation and sustainable development is a welcome gesture. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG4, committed the international community to “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all” [9]. The SDGs are partly a reflection of the African common position articulated in the Agenda 2063 as it followed the adoption of the latter in 2013.

Similarly, the Science, Technology, and Innovation Strategy for Africa (STISA) [10] considers higher education, innovation and technology as important solutions to Africa development. STISA was followed by the AU Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA) adopted in 2016 is duped as CESA 16–25 [11] referring to the 10-year period that the Strategy was designed to serve, from 2016 to 2025. On higher education, CESA 16–25, underscores that “Virtually all development players now concur that for any meaningful and sustainable economic growth to be realized and sustained, tertiary education must be centrally placed in the development agenda of nations” [11]. Accordingly, ICESA 16–25, gives considerable attention to the issues of access, quality and relevance of higher education including Technical Vocational Training and Education (TVET). However, both strategic documents never mention the issue of access to higher education among refugees and displaced people. The experts engaged in developing the strategy seemed that they were not aware of the needs of the special category of people including refugees. This has become a pattern in almost all continental policies or strategic instruments. This shows how, until 2017, refugees or other displaced people were out of the continental education, science and technology radar. The first significant reference to refugees regarding the education sector’s development is in the Dakar commitment to Education for All. Under Improving Access and Quality, the Dakar framework urges all stakeholder to “Develop alternative, non-formal strategies to reach disadvantaged children, youth and adults, and others such as refugees and internally displaced people who are excluded from normal educational opportunities” [12]. Still, here, too, the stress was on optional interventions, hardly on refugees or IDPs, though the framework references refugees, IDPs, etc., as a passing remark. On the other hand, the omission of refugees and other displacement-affected people is pattern that is recurring in many policies or strategy documents; and deplorable enough.

3. Changes in emphasis on access to tertiary education by displacement-affected people since 2017

Since the adoption of the UN Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF), the continent and the IGAD region witnessed significant changes in refugees’ access to education and training at all levels, including tertiary education. The CRRF, adopted in September 2016, urges all stakeholders that education should be one of the priority areas when responding to the problems of refugees. In what seems a justification to the CRRF, UNHCR on its website stated that “At the heart of the CRRF and GCR is the idea that refugees should be included in the communities from the very beginning. When refugees gain access to education and labor markets, they can build their skills and become self-reliant, contributing to local economies and fueling the development of the communities hosting them” [13]. In a reflection on the CRRF, Hanssen opined that “Education is likely the low-hanging fruit. Using scholarship money provided by states of the Global North to allow refugees to study at those countries’ universities is a relatively easy matter, although, as is the case with all scholarships, only a few students would benefit” [14]. Scholarship is mostly a means of access to tertiary education. In this connection, it is interesting to note that the international community has begun to realize that access to higher education is equally important for refugees in addition to humanitarian responses as well as the earlier emphasis on primary education. Congruent with this realization, the UNHCR, through the CRRF has led to the adoption of national and regional policies to provide durable solutions, including education, to the multidimensional problems of refugees. The first regional response in Africa to these problems was that of IGAD.

4. The IGAD regional response to refugees’ access to tertiary education

The IGAD response to education for refugees emanated from the Nairobi Declaration and Plan of Action of the Special Summit of IAGD Heads of State and Government in March 2017 [15]. Section IV (4) of the Nairobi Declaration on Durable Solutions for Somali Refugees and Reintegration of Returnees in Somalia urges member states and partners to “Enhance, with the support of the international community, education, training and skills development for refugees to reduce their dependence on humanitarian assistance and prepare them for gainful employment in host communities and upon return” [16]. The roadmap and plan of action for the implementation of the Nairobi Declaration tasks IGAD, among others, to organize a regional ministerial conference on the “First thematic [issue] on Refugee Education” [16]. Accordingly, IGAD organized the first regional conference of ministers in charge of education, in December 2017, which adopted the Djibouti Declaration (DD) and its Plan of Action. As we have seen above, the thrust of the Nairobi Declaration has been the Somali Refugees and returnees. The Djibouti Declaration drastically shifted the emphasis by focusing the response to be on all the refugees, returnees and host communities in all member states of the region. The full title of the Declaration is Djibouti Declaration on Regional Conference on Refugee Education in IGAD and its theme Regional Quality Standards and Inclusion into National System for Refugee Children in line with the CRRF, SDG4, and Agenda 2063 on Education speaks a lot on the regional emphasis to refugee education and education in emergencies in its entirety.

By adopting the DD, the IGAD ministers in charge of education committed themselves, among other things, to “Take collective responsibility to ensure that every refugee, returnees, and members of the host communities, have access to quality education in a safe learning environment within our respective countries without discrimination” [16]. The DD identifies five key priorities including (a) regional quality standards, (b) regional skills development for refugees, (c) inclusion of refugees into national education systems, (d) accreditation and certification of education programs, and (e) financing, partnership and monitoring in support of refugee education. Under the latter priority, the ministers called upon all stakeholders to “Strengthening the capacity of the IGAD Secretariat to coordinate and monitor the commitments of Member States towards quality education and learning for refugees, returnees, and host communities. This includes the establishment of the regional platform of the Ministerial Committee on Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation (ESTI)” [17].

The implementation Action Plan adopted during the same Conference and annexed to the DD stresses higher education. Pragraph 9 of the Action Plan underscores the need to “Support increased refugee access to secondary education as a way to increase student throughput [sic] to higher education” [17]. As part of ensuring access to higher education, the Plan of Action also urges both IGAD and partners to “Reinforce the IGAD universities network’s capacity to monitor cross-border provision of higher education opportunities and strengthen linkages between Member States” [18]. This is to be complemented with strengthening of the TVET facilities as “…alternative pathways to higher education for youth” [18]. Obviously, this policy initiative, especially its emphasis on higher education as well as TVET, is a clear indication of the region’s willingness to respond to the tertiary education needs of refugees, returnees, and marginal host communities. It is a major break from the past underemphasis on higher education and overemphasis on primary education. Therefore, as set out in both the DD and its implementation plan, IGAD has been coordinating, facilitating, and monitoring progress in realization of the DD at national, regional, and international levels. Guided by the Declaration and its Plan of Action, the IGAD secretariat developed within a year two enabling policy tools: (a) the Regional Education Policy Framework and (b) the IGAD Regional TVET Strategy adopted by the 2nd Conference of IGAD ministers in charge of education in December 2018. Both are integral parts of the realization of the DD but they also differ from it in mandating IGAD to deal with education at all levels for both the displacement-affected communities and the mainstream population of the region. With the latter in mind, the Regional Education Policy Framework contains eight priority areas. These are (a) Pre-primary Education and Early Child Development; (b) Primary and Secondary Education; (c) Tertiary and Higher Education; (d) Science, Technology, Innovation and Indigenous Knowledge; (e) TVET and Post-Secondary Training; (f) Teacher Development and Lifelong Learning; (g) Education for Refugees, Returnees and IDPs; (i) Gender and Education [18].

However, even if the Regional Policy covers the development of education for the population of the region in general, refugees, returnees, IDPs and host communities are given special emphasis as highlighted above. Among others, the Regional Education Policy urges the IGAD Secretariat, in collaboration with partners, to “Establish the IGAD Council of Higher Education (ICHE) to advise Member States on matters pertaining to higher education policies, strategies and programs” [19]. The ICHE was established as recommended and is doing the work it is expected to do. As outlined in the statute of ICHE, it will:

• Coordinate and harmonize higher education programs, curricula, qualification frameworks, and skill portfolios in the region;

• Provide direction and advisory services to policy organs of IGAD on the development of higher education, science, technology, and innovation;

• Commission studies to assess the development of the higher education sectors in all disciplines; Engage in high level and sustained diplomacy, advocacy and publicity toward mobilizing adequate resources;

• Promote quality, relevance, and effectiveness of higher education programs in the region;

• Provide support to the capacity building efforts of universities, both public and private, in member;

• Identify centers of excellence in different sectors and strengthen cooperation between and among these centers.

These mandates include the development of higher education, science, and technology for all citizens of the region irrespective of their nationality or status. Regarding refugees, returnees, host communities, and IDPs, ICHE is given an additional mandate of advising IGAD on Regional Scholarship launched in 2021. This scholarship program is intended to mainly benefit refugees, returnees, and other displacement-affected populations as part of IGAD’s durable solution to displacement in the region.

One of the challenges identified by the Djibouti Declaration is validation and recognition of refugee educational credentials. In order to help member states solve this problem, IGAD has developed a regional qualifications framework. The framework is intended to help member countries develop their respective national qualification frameworks. The only country in the region that has both a national qualification framework and an Agency to oversee its implementation is Kenya. Kenya served as an example of how a comprehensive qualification framework can be had and the expertise to work on IGAD’s regional qualifications framework. Apart from formulating a regional qualification tool, IGAD is building the capacity of member states in their efforts to formulate and adopt their own. Almost all countries have now started developing national qualifications frameworks. The completion of these instruments is hoped to simplify the recognition process of the learning outcomes of all IGAD citizens including refugees and returnees.

5. The state of policies and policies strategies in IGAD member states on access to tertiary education by refugees, returnees, and host communities since 2017

5.1 Djibouti

Djibouti is one of the most important members of state of IGAD. First, the latter is Headquartered in Djibouti and its advocacy for inclusive education for refugees and other displacement-affected communities is essential. Second, as the name implies, the Djibouti Declaration (DD) was adopted in Djibouti because that country hosted the first ever regional ministerial conference on education for refugees, returnees, and host communities as part of its continued commitment to advance the theme. Relative to the size of its population, Djibouti hosts about 35,000 refugees and asylum seekers. Many undocumented urban migrants constitute the mobile population of Djibouti.

Djibouti is a party to the CRRF and the Djibouti Declaration, both of which underscore the imperatives of access to education by refugees, returnees, and host communities. Education in Djibouti is free and open to all irrespective of their nationality and status. However, the major obstacles for refugees that hindered their access to higher education is language of the curriculum. Djibouti is the only French speaking country in the IGAD region. Most refugees come from Somalia, Ethiopia, and Yemen. Refugees from Yemen take lessons in Arabic, whereas those from Somalia, Ethiopia and other countries were receiving lessons in English. The curriculum in English came from Kenya. Refugee students had a problem of accessing higher education, often related to language barriers and difficulty of getting certificates from Kenya because the latter would not recognize certificate from examinations it did not administer. Moreover, experts from the Kenyan ministry of education indicated that there were subjects in the Kenyan curriculum which refugee students were not taking. However, this problem was resolved by a government decree that allows students to sit for a national examination. It enabled refugee students to pass the examination and to join tertiary education. Now there are more than 80 refugee students who are pursuing their studies at Djibouti University. While education is free in Djibouti, students should pay registration fees. IGAD managed to pay these fees for refugees this year under its regional scholarship scheme as part of the DD’s commitment on access to inclusive education initiative, tertiary education included. According to the report of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), Djibouti has incorporated refugees into its EMIS and education sector development plans in its effort to translate the Djibouti Declaration into action [19].

5.2 Ethiopia

The Ethiopian Government has been incorporating refugees, returnees, and host communities into its education system, in line with both the CRRF and the Djibouti Declaration. Ethiopia also indicated that this category of learners is captured in their EMIS for the last 6 years. Moreover, the VI Education Sector Development Programme (ESDP VI) 2020/21–2024/25 describes refugees as important elements of the education sector in the country. The document states that: Ethiopia is the second largest refugee-hosting country in Africa, with more than 628,500 refugees (EMIS, 2019), of whom more than 60% are school-age children. Ethiopia has a long history of supporting refugee populations, including the development of a 2015–2018 National Refugee Strategy aligned with ESDP V. The refugee law adopted and revised in early 2019 has granted refugees the same right of access to pre-primary and primary education as Ethiopian citizens; and access to secondary and tertiary is provided within the limits of available resources [20].

During the 2019 Global Refugee From (GRF) Ethiopia pledged to increase enrollment at higher education level by 25%. The country commits itself to “Increase enrolment in primary, secondary and tertiary education to all qualified refugees without discrimination, within available resources” [21]. The commitment of providing access to primary, secondary, and tertiary education has been recurring still today. Ethiopian pledges have been presented at the second Global Refugee Forum in December 2023. Therefore, tertiary education is one of the government’s declared development priorities. How far has been achieved in providing access to higher education and how many refugee students benefited from this opportunity, remains to be seen.

5.3 Kenya

The government of Kenya considers education as a public good which should be accessible to anyone. The 2010 Constitution of the country provides that “Every child will be entitled to free and quality education, regardless of their social condition, gender, regional background, and disabilities” [22]. This provision is quite consistent with the international and regional commitments and goals to which Kenya is a member. Moreover, the National Education Sector Strategic Plan (2018–2021) [23] recognizes the education needs of conflict-affected communities inclusive of refugees. The response programs of the Education Sector Plan commits the government to “Develop a criterion for including refugees and foreign learners into the NEMIS (National Education Management Information System)” [24]. In addition to, the sector development plan, Kenya has adopted its strategic plan of particular response for refugees, returnees and host communities focusing on education. The plan specifies the measures to be taken in the coming 3 years in promoting access to higher education, among others. Such an encouraging policy direction could or should apply to all refugee students from preprimary to tertiary education. It also should embrace interventions aimed at the professional development of refugee teachers. The latter not only appear in national registers of training and further education opportunities. Their certificates of educational achievement should be recognized and get access to higher education of their choice.

5.4 Somalia

The 2018–2022 Education Sector Strategic Plan of Somalia mentions refugees in a number of places. It does so mainly in relation to the voluntary return of refugees from Dadaab, Kenya, and the locations they are resettled. However, the Strategy also talks about the education needs of the returnee children, especially the problems related to the shift from Kenyan curricula to the Somali one. Nevertheless, that document rarely refers to access to higher education for refugees or IDPs among the priorities, though it reports that 6951 IDPs have access to tertiary education during the Strategy’s pre-preparation period. Paradoxically, the Strategy envisages, among other things, establishing a functioning EiE unit in the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Higher Education [24].

The 2022–2026 National Education Sector Strategic Plan and the 2022 Education Sector Analysis of the Ministry “… laid out various plans in response to sustaining educational services during emergencies and coordination and cooperation between the government and education partners, international organizations and donors” [25]. The ESSP outlines the specific figures to be integrated in the system by the end of the plan period as “Enrolling 75,000 students in adult education classes with 50% female, including 3,500 learners from refugee, returnee and IDP communities and 1,500 learners with special needs”. For this reason, the Somali education authorities call upon national, regional, and international partners to increase funding to meet the growing demand for education among the returnees, refugees, and IDPs. Nevertheless, like in other IGAD member states, the focus of the Somali costed plan for the implementation of the Djibouti Declaration happens to be pre-primary, primary, and secondary education. The latter specifically refers to learners of 14–18 years of age. The 2022–2026 ESSP aspires to raise the number of GER in higher education from about 95,000 to 300,000 students. It also aims to provide 2400 and 1200 scholarships to international and local students, respectively [26]. The document is not clear whether these scholarship opportunities benefit secondary school or university students.

5.5 South Sudan

Following Somalia, South Sudan is one of the countries of origin of for refugees. Returnees and IDPs also constitute a significant proportion of the displaced population. At the moment, the country receives both refugees and returnees from the conflict-plagued Sudan. As of April 2023, the country is one of the destinations of an influx of refugees from its northern neighbor.

South Sudan implements its Education Sector Strategic Plan (2017–2022). In South Sudan, education is structured into General Education and Instruction, on the one hand, and Higher Education, Science, and Research, on the other. However, the Education Sector Plan focuses on largely pre-primary, primary and post-primary education. The latter mainly refers to TVET, not necessarily tertiary education. Regarding learners from the displacement-affected communities, the “Plan … addresses the needs of displaced populations, including the approximately 264,000 refugees from Sudan and DRC, and the more than 1.5 million internally displaced persons IDP)” [27]. This figure reflects the pre-April 2023 Sudan refugees and does not capture those refugees and returnees following the conflict in Sudan after April 2023. Therefore, one needs to observe the limitations of the Education Sector Strategic Plan. First, it lacks emphasis on refugees’ access to tertiary education. This is like other member states of IGAD as discussed elsewhere. Second, it does not capture the current influx of refugees from Sudan for the obvious reason that the Sector Plan covers the period 2017–2022. For this reason, it is imperative to consider access to tertiary education and to bring on board the needs of the new refugees/returnees from Sudan.

5.6 Sudan

Until the outbreak of the war in Khartoum last April 2023, Sudan was host to millions of refugees and IDPs from neighbouring countries. Access to education for refugees is said to be free in Sudan. The General Education Sector Strategic Plan for 2019/20–2021/22 indicated that of the 4.8 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, 1.7 million are education needs. Out of this number 56% are IDPs, 7% refugees, 5% returnees, and 32% vulnerable residents [28]. The Sector development plan further states “Acknowledging that this is a right guaranteed by international Convention and affirmed by the domestic legislation, it is important that the education sector reviews the situation and, in its plan, set out strategies to be implemented to ensure that the refugees are accorded the right to basic education” [29]. Nevertheless, the Strategic Plan admits that only a few refugee learners are enrolled at school, most of them at the pre-school and primary levels. The Strategy shows refugee GER for the year 2017, but it registered data only up to grade 8. There is no information about tertiary education. What are the planned interventions to facilitate access to refugees and IDPs?

Under Policy Priority 3, increasing access to and equity in formal basic education, the Strategy, identifies “supporting children with vulnerable backgrounds including refugees as one of the intervention areas.” It also states that regarding refugee schools, efforts will be made to capture refugees, IDPs and other displacement-affected communities into the EMIS.

In addition to registration of such schools, the plan will support integration of refugee/IDP/asylum seekers’ specific questions to the data collection system to track availability of schools for refugees and asylum seekers; track attendance and participation of refugees, IDPs and asylum seekers in education; track the status of teaching force for refugee schools – availability of teachers and their qualification. In line with the Djibouti declaration, the plan will establish equivalency methods for student placement where refugees have adequate academic understanding of Arabic [30].

This follows, the spirit of the Djibouti Declaration to avoid language barrier by making learning possible with the language of the host country. The problem with it, however, is that it does not give emphasis to access to tertiary education.

5.7 Uganda

The Education Sector Strategic Plan (2017/18–2019/20) of Uganda provides an articulation of the education needs of displacement-affected communities. It commits the government to do everything to enhance “Participation of Disadvantaged Persons in Primary, Secondary and TVET: - Develop and implement programs that increase the participation of girls, women and the disadvantaged persons such as PWDs [People with Disablities], disadvantaged communities, persons with special learning needs, conflict hit areas, refugees and the disaster hit; in education and skills development programs” [31]. It also reiterates the imperative of addressing the education requirements of refugees. It states that “Provision of education to refugees and host communities: - Develop and implement response programs for provision of quality education to refugees and the host communities” [31]. Of all the IGAD member states, Uganda was the first country to develop a multiyear costed plan for the implementation of programs on education for refugees and host communities. The first Ugandan Education Response Plan (EPR I) was developed for the period 2018–2020, and this response plan was the first national response mechanism to refer to the Djibouti Declaration as one of the legal contexts for its own activities. Here is what it says:

As part of the General Assembly commitments, IGAD Heads of State committed to take the lead in addressing several sectoral problems. At the Djibouti Declaration, of refugee education convened in December 2017, the member states committed themselves to establish regional minimum education standards on access and delivery of quality education for pre-primary, primary, secondary, higher education including TVET and education for people with special needs, to benefit refugees, returnees and host communities in order to maximize learning outcomes. used as a model for the other IGAD member states to develop their respective national costed response plans with the support of IGAD and partners [32].

Since 2021, Uganda has been rolling out its second education response plan (ERP II). The Ugandan ERP II has an 8% of the costs allocated to TVET and higher education, which mean a significant progress though inadequate [33]. It is very interesting to note that the Directorate for higher education is a member of the streeting committee of ERP II, and it should be for this reason that the document gives reference to higher education. But the question remains as to how much the refugee education response covers access to tertiary education. I will return to this question in another section.

6. Policy/strategy gaps in refugees access to tertiary education

As the foregoing analysis of the international, regional and national policy and strategy documents show, access to tertiary education among refugees, returnees, IDPs and marginal host communities is not taken as a priority area. This could be a deliberate or inadvertent omission. It could be deliberate because a country must prioritize its programs based on resource availability. This may be a rationalization due to the pre-occupation that refugees, returnees, and IDPS need general education, if possible, up to secondary level. The inadvertent omission may be a result of the experts focusing on primary and secondary education, being oblivious of tertiary education. This is the author’s own take on the issue.

7. Summary and conclusion

As discussed in the forgoing sections, access to education has been considered as a fundamental right to both refugees and host communities. However, emphasis on levels of education vary from policy to policy and from country to country. In some of the policies or strategies, while education is regarded as a basis for sustainable development, higher education is missing. Even in policies or strategies where higher education is considered, access to the same level of education among refugees, returnees, IDPs and host communities is almost non-existent. This void, deliberate or inadvertent, has created a vacuum in practice. It is therefore imperative for regional organizations, like IGAD, to bridge this gap in policy or strategy and in the implementation of agreed commitments. The recommendations in the section that follows could help accomplish the task.

8. Policy recommendations

To solve the problem of access to education at the tertiary level, it is necessary to have a special policy and advocacy effort at the regional level. For this reason, IGAD, in partnership with member states, national stakeholders, regional and international partners, should work diligently to provide policy and advocacy spaces. Therefore, the chapter proposes the following recommendations.

First, IGAD should lead the process of developing a policy framework and an implementation strategy with monitoring and evaluation tools.

Second, IGAD should facilitate the strategy’s implementation through vigorous advocacy to mainstream tertiary education among displacement-affected communities.

Third, national, regional and international partners should provide adequate funding for the effective realization of the proposed intervention policy and strategy. This should be a concrete partnership with clearly costed interventions. The cost of tertiary education for refugees, returnees, and IDPs must be worked out at both regional and national levels.

Fourth, member states should give high priority to higher education needs of refugees, returnees, IDPs (wherever the latter applies), and should allocate adequate internal funds and work with theirs partners at all levels to mobilize needed resources. Member states should bear in mind that without inclusion of this category of population, they cannot achieve the SDGs.

Fifth, efforts should be made by member states to capture tertiary education for displacement affected communities. This will allow these member states to determine the budgetary requirements to educate refugees, returnees, and IDPs at tertiary level.

Sixth, both IGAD and member states should undertake regular monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of programs intended to benefit refugees, returnees and IDPs from tertiary education.

These recommendations should be improved regularly as countries and IGAD implement the response strategy.