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​The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) stated that 5.8 million refugee children were out of school worldwide in 2025, warning that escalating funding cuts threaten to deprive millions more of education and reverse years of progress in refugee education.
​In its latest annual education report titled "Pathways to the Future: Education, Opportunity, and Self-Reliance", the agency explained that out-of-school refugee children accounted for 44% of the total 13.1 million school-aged refugee children globally.
​UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih noted that during his own years as a refugee, education provided opportunities that displacement might otherwise have denied him, helping him rebuild his life and shape his future.
​"Education is protection," Salih said, adding that it is also a pathway to opportunity and self-reliance. He warned that cuts to education funding, amid severe pressure on humanitarian and development aid, threaten to reverse decades of collective investment and close off opportunities for a generation of young people.
​According to the report, transitioning to secondary education remains one of the greatest challenges for refugee students. Primary school enrollment among refugee children reached 65% in 2025, compared to just 32% in secondary education.
​The report highlighted that the transition to secondary school is particularly challenging for refugee girls, as the gender gap widens sharply in secondary education due to poverty, protection risks, early marriage, and other pressures forcing increasing numbers of adolescent girls to out.
​Conversely, refugee enrollment in higher education reached a record 11% in 2025, up from 9% in 2024, with more than 450,000 refugees enrolling in higher education for the first time—the highest level recorded to date.
​UNHCR noted that this increase keeps the agency and its partners on track toward the target of raising refugee higher education enrollment to 15% by 2030 by expanding access to universities, vocational training, connected learning opportunities, scholarships, and third-country education pathways.
​The report emphasized that higher education can bring transformative change for refugee women and girls by providing skills, qualifications, employment opportunities, and economic independence, though it noted that significant disparities in access persist.
​Refugee enrollment in higher education in more than 80% of reporting countries remained below national averages over the past year. In low-income and conflict-affected countries, tertiary enrollment among refugees stood at just 2%, compared to 13% among nationals.
​UNHCR stressed that investing in refugee education also requires strengthening national education systems that serve both refugees and host communities, noting the need for adequate teachers, classrooms, learning materials, and funding to ensure successful inclusion.
​The agency called on the international community and development partners to protect education funding and invest in the national systems of host countries.
​Salih concluded that ambition must go beyond merely keeping children in classrooms, emphasizing that displacement "should not determine the limits of a child's life". He added that a child equipped to learn today will be better prepared to contribute and support themselves in the future—whether returning home, building a future in a host country, or pursuing opportunities elsewhere—stressing that the collective responsibility is to ensure children receive that chance.
​Source: Rum News Agency