Building sustainable and decent refugee livelihoods through adult education? Interplay between policies and realities of five refugee groups

Dagar, P. (2024) Building sustainable and decent refugee livelihoods through adult education? Interplay between policies and realities of five refugee groups. British Educational Research Journal, 50(2), pp. 713-731. (doi: 10.1002/berj.3943)

Abstract

Most of the world's refugees live in Global South countries, where they struggle to find quality education and opportunities for decent livelihoods. This paper explores the underexamined yet highly relevant interlinkage between sustainable livelihoods and adult learning among urban refugees residing in three major cities in India. It speaks to the tight intersection of education, livelihoods and aspirations of five refugee communities: Afghan, Rohingya, Somali, Chin and Tibetan. Building on interviews, focus groups and participatory drawing sessions involving 66 refugee and staff respondents, the study highlights the refugees' extremely limited learning opportunities, which result in low skills and being forced to take discriminatory and undignified work in the informal sector. By integrating the capabilities approach with sustainable livelihoods, the paper argues for more diverse educational opportunities and a broader understanding of refugee livelihoods that goes beyond pure economics to encompass consideration of freedom and human dignity.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This research was supported by GCRF-SHLC College of Social Sciences funding at the University of Glasgow.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Dagar, Dr Preeti
• Authors: Dagar, P.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Education
• Journal Name: British Educational Research Journal
• Publisher: Wiley
• ISSN: 0141-1926
• ISSN (Online): 1469-3518
• Published Online: 19 December 2023
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2023 The Authors
• First Published: First published in British Educational Research Journal 50(2):713-731
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons licence