Unpacking the industry of refugee education and research towards an equitable theory and practice

Education of refugee children and Education in Emergency has come under the spotlight over the past 20 years while gaining greater momentum with the Syrian crisis. Lebanon currently hosts one million Syrian refugees while suffering a chronic economic crisis. It has also been the ground of vibrant and evolving educational policies and provisions aimed at widening access to schooling for Syrian refugees whilst strengthening the national educational systems. Through a ‘policy ethnography’ (Dubois, 2009), the proposed study analyses the evolution of the education response, the rationales and interests of the different local and international parties including UN agencies and donors and impact on the schooling outcomes of refugees and host communities. The research aims to provide much needed evidence that can inform our thinking and understanding around effective and sustainable education policies and provisions in contexts of emergency and conflict.