Scaling refugee teacher inclusion models for enhanced agency and wellbeing

 

Refugee teachers serve varied and vital functions within their communities while under acute professional uncertainty due to their inability to acquire qualifications that will be recognized in the host country. The lack of training for refugee teachers can have a negative impact on their own motivation and agency, as well as on retention, teaching, quality and learning outcomes of refugee children and youth.

The overall objective of this research is to generate and mobilize evidence about how to effectively scale three models of national, regional and global inclusion of refugee teachers to enhance their agency and wellbeing. These innovations aim to provide recognition of teachers’ qualifications in Chad, Kenya and Zambia. Through the review and adaptation of the models, the project encourages the education sector to engage more with refugees themselves when building evidence and making decisions relating to teacher professional development, agency and wellbeing. The methodology is built on a participatory approach, positioning refugee teachers at the centre of the research.

The project aims to strengthen the capacity of school leaders and provincial and national ministries of education stakeholders to understand, implement and scale these innovations. Outputs will include policy briefs, implementation guidelines, peer-reviewed articles and a series of blogs. Lessons learned on scaling these innovations will be made available as an important reference point for the international education community in the lead-up to and during the next Global Refugee Forum in 2027.

This project is funded under the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Knowledge and Innovation Exchange, a joint endeavour between the GPE and IDRC to connect expertise, innovation and knowledge to help low- and middle-income countries build stronger education systems and accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goal on education.