Resumen de Bridging the 10% Gap: The Need for Blended Learning Approaches for Refugees, Migrants, and International Protection Applicants
According to the recent data from the UNHCR, there are currently 79.5 million forcibly displaced people around the world.As of 2022, 5% of refugees have access to higher education compared to only 1% in 2019 (UNHCR Tertiary education,2022). The UNHCR aims to achieve 15% enrollment of refugee learners in higher education by 2030 (UNHCR, 2019). Onemajor barrier to achieve this goal is access. Digital learning could play a crucial part in providing access to education whilealso being a cost-effective and scalable approach. However, a study by Castaño-Muñoz et al. (2018) showed that digitallearning tools alone were considered “exclusionary” rather than “inclusionary” by refugees and migrants. Refugees andmigrants still regard ‘traditional’, on-campus mode of delivery to be more ‘useful’ (Castaño-Muñoz et al., 2018). A blendedlearning approach to education that combines online education and opportunities for community engagement with traditionalclassroom-based methods could be key to addressing barriers. Blended learning initiatives, incorporating well-designedonline experiences, targeted towards supporting the complex needs of refugees, migrants and international protectionapplicants are the need of the hour and could be determinant to fostering inclusive education throughout Europe.
