Rethinking Inclusion: Power, Policy, and Teacher Agency in Refugee Education

Group Submission Type: Formal Panel Session

Proposal

Refugee children face numerous challenges that disrupt their education and hinder their psychosocial wellbeing and growth. These difficulties are often exacerbated by structural violence, including poverty, discrimination, and statelessness, as well as psychological violence like social exclusion. These challenges become even more pronounced when refugee children reside in transit countries with unfamiliar languages and cultures, further impeding their social, emotional development, and sense of belonging (Saldiray & Maydan, 2023). Nonetheless, education remains a fundamental human right that can provide refugee children with a secure environment, a sense of normalcy, and the opportunity to acquire knowledge and skills for self-reliance (INEE, 2019).
This panel critically examines various dimensions of refugee education, bringing together global policy analysis, local teacher experiences, and inclusive pedagogical practices for refugee teachers supporting learners with special educational needs. By engaging critical theoretical perspectives, we collectively explore the tensions between global refugee education policies and their practical implementation in Uganda and Lebanon. Our aim is to uncover the hidden dynamics shaping refugee education and to emphasize the need for more context-specific and inclusive approaches that address both structural and relational dimensions of inclusion.
All three presentations draw on critical theories to interrogate the power dynamics and frameworks embedded in refugee education policies and practices. By bringing examples from global perspectives (first presentation) and local practices in Uganda (second presentation) and Lebanon (third presentation), we seek to deconstruct dominant narratives of inclusion and education reform, which often reinforce existing inequalities rather than dismantle them. Our analyses in this panel are further informed by our collective professional and personal experiences in education in emergencies (EiE), educational development, and program implementation with refugees.
Specifically, the first presentation sets the foundation by examining the discourse of UNHCR’s global refugee education strategy—Refugee Education 2030: A Strategy for Refugee Inclusion—and how problem definitions and paradigm constraints can limit policy options and outcomes. The second presentation focuses on Uganda, where both refugee and national teachers work in refugee education contexts. By highlighting the cultural and traditional factors influencing teacher agency, this research sheds light on how teachers navigate their roles in complex, constrained environments. The third presentation brings attention to inclusive pedagogical practices in a non-formal educational program in Lebanon, engaging refugee educators. By using a bottom-up approach, this presentation challenges traditional top-down policies that prioritize structural access over the more humanizing aspects of education.
Together, these presentations offer a multi-dimensional analysis of refugee education, from global policy frameworks to local teacher experiences and classroom practices. By critically engaging with the concept of inclusion, this panel highlights the tensions between global policies and practical implementation. It emphasizes the need to rethink refugee education policies and practices, urging policymakers, educators, and international organizations to move beyond rhetoric and work toward meaningful, context-sensitive solutions that support both refugee students and the teachers who educate them.

Sub Unit

• Education in Conflict and Emergencies SIG

Organizer

• Elnaz Safarha, University of Maryland College of Education

Chair

• Zeena Zakharia, University of Maryland College Park

Individual Presentations

• Beyond the Surface: A Critical Discourse Analysis of UNHCR’s global refugee education strategy - Langan Courtney, University of Maryland College Park

• Supporting When Not Supported: Policy Inconsistencies and Teachers’ Coping Mechanisms in Refugee Education in Uganda - PASCAL PAX ANDEBO, University of Maryland College of Education

• Re-conceptualizing Inclusive Education: An Exploration of Refugee-led Education for Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in Lebanon - Elnaz Safarha, University of Maryland College of Education; Zeena Zakharia, University of Maryland College Park