Refugee education refers to educational practices that take into consideration the needs of students who come from areas of crisis and conflict with different types of refugee- and asylum-seeking backgrounds. The term is mostly used in a holistic manner that is sensitive to the diversity of experiences connected to forced migration, encompassing the academic, social and emotional needs of the student. Researching refugee education requires terms that are as specific and clear as possible. Yet no labelling, including that of refugees, is without contention. Roger Zetter (2007) argues that labels are discourse markers which underpin bureaucratic practices and convey a set of values and judgements. The danger of labelling is one of the reasons why the term refugee is avoided in much research. In Finland and in Sweden the term refugee can rarely be found in educational research or policy. However, formal legal terminology is central to an individual’s access to educational provision. What is important is that any categories, such as ‘refugee’, ‘migrant’ or ‘asylum seeker’ are not used as ‘empty vessels’ but instead, to illuminate the conditions that are needed to support the persons in question. This presentation conceptualises refugee education and provides short examples of its development in Finland and Sweden. We argue refugee education is honouring the rights of individuals as well as ensuring the best interest of society. This has been especially timely since 2015 when Europe saw 1.3 million individuals, including children, requesting asylum. As Essomba (2017, 207) argued, the events of 2015 made it clear that the right to education of refugee children is “currently being threatened and even violated in Europe”, in part due to disjuncture between rhetoric and policies on the one hand and practice on the other. Since 2022, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has forced millions more individuals to move within European borders. Some European countries believe that the crisis is temporary and thus, have organised temporary education provision for Ukrainian refugees, even as segregated schools in Ukrainian language. Others have made efforts to fully integrate Ukrainian children and youth into their national school systems. The practices of refugee education differ even in neighbouring countries, such as Finland and Sweden. We argue that high-quality education would allow refugees to be part of building sustainable futures globally, regardless of if the building takes place in countries of origin (when possible) or in transit or host countries.

Essomba, M. À. (2017). The right to education of children and youngsters from refugee families in Europe. Intercultural Education, 28 (2), 206-218. DOI: 10.1080/14675986.2017.1308659 Zetter, R. (2007). More Labels, Fewer Refugees: Remaking the Refugee Label in an Era of Globalization. Journal of Refugee Studies, 20(2), 172–192. https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/fem011