Development Studies

Online higher education has been a critical element in the lives of refugees trying to create a better future for their families and community (Kekwaletswe 2007; Crea and McFarland 2015; Giles 2018). Education programs in refugee and humanitarian contexts have been inadequate for a variety of reasons such as: a lack of resources and poor infrastructure, shortage of trained teachers, overcrowding, lack of funding from national governments and NGOs (LWF, 2015). In the last 10 years we have seen an influx of educational institutions and Northern-based universities partnering with development organizations to provide online higher education to bridge the gaps in quality education (Kirk 2006). There have been studies that speak to the potential of higher education for refugees from the perspective of development organizations. However, little has been said from the perspective of refugees themselves about their educational experiences in their local contexts. There are major differences ...

This thesis examines the therapeutic aspect of education that can be pivotal in the rehabilitation of refugee children. The focus of the research is on Turkey and the lack of attention that has been paid to the rehabilitative benefits that education provides for the traumas experienced by Syrian refugee children. Turkey and Non-governmental organizations working in Turkey to help with the Syrian refugee crisis have not made enough of a priority in addressing the widespread trauma the Syrian refugee children have experienced. We argue that education can be used as a method of rehabilitation for the traumas Syrian refugee children have experienced. We also show in this thesis the lack of priority, and funding towards education, and mental health programs during a humanitarian crisis. Furthermore, we show that addressing the traumas of Syrian refugee children is essential in preventing a potentially lost generation of Syrian refugee children. Preventing a lost generation of Syrian chil...

This thesis examines the therapeutic aspect of education that can be pivotal in the rehabilitation of refugee children. The focus of the research is on Turkey and the lack of attention that has been paid to the rehabilitative benefits that education provides for the traumas experienced by Syrian refugee children. Turkey and Non-governmental organizations working in Turkey to help with the Syrian refugee crisis have not made enough of a priority in addressing the widespread trauma the Syrian refugee children have experienced. We argue that education can be used as a method of rehabilitation for the traumas Syrian refugee children have experienced. We also show in this thesis the lack of priority, and funding towards education, and mental health programs during a humanitarian crisis. Furthermore, we show that addressing the traumas of Syrian refugee children is essential in preventing a potentially lost generation of Syrian refugee children. Preventing a lost generation of Syrian children is vital because it is these children who will be tasked with rebuilding Syrian society. However, we show in this thesis that the benefits from education extend from just educating the next workforce. We highlight in this thesis that education helps to provide Syrian refugee children with a sense of normality, provides an escape from the traumas they have experienced, and build a support network of peers. In our recommendations, we advise that Turkey needs to make education for Syrian refugee children more of a priority, so Syrian refugee children do not result in a lost generation. April 30, 2019 To Dr. Kirrily Freeman, thank you for introducing me to the idea of a lost generation which inspired my thesis. To my fellow International Development Studies honours classmates, thank you for your academic input and willingness to always discuss and edit our paper together. To Abeer Al Salihi, thank you for your work with Syrian refugee youth in Canada, your work in the community was my main motivation for writing my thesis on this important topic.