Private Actors and the Promise of Educational Opportunity for Syrian Refugees

• In Event: 16.060 - Roundtable Session 3
  In Roundtable Session: 16.060-3 - Current Issues in International Educational Policy and Politics

Abstract

This study investigates the growing role of private entities as both educational funders and providers in conflict-affected contexts and in the global quest to advance educational opportunity for refugee children. Through a mapping and case study analysis of private engagement in the education of Syrian refugees, the study examines the types of private actors and partnerships, the nature of, and rationales for, their involvement in Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey. Despite urgent implications for educational equity, access, quality and rights, little empirical research has been conducted to understand the roles of private entities in the education of refugees. This study contributes to this end, by extending theoretical debates on privatization in education and practical considerations for education in emergencies.

Authors

• Zeena Zakharia, University of Massachusetts - Boston

• Francine Menashy, University of Massachusetts - Boston

• Sheetal Bachegowda, University of Massachusetts - Boston