Abstract:
Every year, over a hundred thousand refugees are resettled in many OECD countries, including Australia, Canada, the United States, and Germany. A significant portion of these refugees are young people who have had limited to no educational opportunities before resettlement, making timely access to quality education critical. However, despite efforts to expand educational access, some refugee groups, such as those from sub-Saharan African countries, still fall behind in engagement and outcomes. Against this backdrop, drawing on the capability approach to social justice, this presentation emphasises the importance of recognising the unique conditions of refugee youth and how their life-course trajectories might influence their educational aspirations, navigational capacities, and outcomes.
Specifically, the presentation argues that refugees have educational capability when (a) they are able to shift their doxic aspirations to reasoned goals, (b) they have substantive opportunities to be well-educated, (c) their conversion ability is not constrained by internal and external conditions, (d) they can escape the trap of conditioned choices, and (e) they have a strong navigational capacity to understand the educational and career landscapes in their host society. The implications for policy and practice are profound. Equity requires ensuring not only access to education but also the real freedom individuals have to pursue and achieve educational outcomes they value. To this end, there is a critical need to shift from a narrow focus on merely providing access to a broader emphasis on addressing subjective conditions and objective structures that mediate refugee youth’s educational opportunities, experiences, and outcomes.
Specifically, the presentation argues that refugees have educational capability when (a) they are able to shift their doxic aspirations to reasoned goals, (b) they have substantive opportunities to be well-educated, (c) their conversion ability is not constrained by internal and external conditions, (d) they can escape the trap of conditioned choices, and (e) they have a strong navigational capacity to understand the educational and career landscapes in their host society. The implications for policy and practice are profound. Equity requires ensuring not only access to education but also the real freedom individuals have to pursue and achieve educational outcomes they value. To this end, there is a critical need to shift from a narrow focus on merely providing access to a broader emphasis on addressing subjective conditions and objective structures that mediate refugee youth’s educational opportunities, experiences, and outcomes.