Arab Educational Information Network

This report presents the findings derived from a comprehensive longitudinal comparative study conducted over a period of five years. The study aimed to investigate the educational experiences of refugees in three distinct countries: Lebanon, Turkey (officially the Republic of Türkiye), and Australia. Specifically, our research focused on examining the aspects of schooling, including teaching and learning practices, language provisions, and school performance, within the context of refugee children attending schools in these countries, which offer varying types of settlements and consequently, different education provisions. The education provisions in each country were heavily influenced by the type of legal settlement provided to refugees. For instance, Lebanon adopted an emergency model of education to accommodate its 500,000 school-aged Syrian children. In contrast, Australia extended permanent settlement to 12,000 specifically selected Syrian refugees, integrating them into mainstream schools. Meanwhile, Turkey underwent a transition in its education and refugee policies, shifting from emergency provisions to longer-term solutions. Our primary objective was to explore how educational policies implemented in emergency settings, as opposed to those applied in permanent settlements, shape the schooling experiences and outcomes of refugee students. (Publisher's abstract)