Enrolling Refugee Children in School

Every child has the right to education

The Convention on the Rights of the Child guarantees education to every child, and most host countries extend compulsory schooling to asylum-seeking and refugee children on the same terms as nationals. Missing documents are an obstacle to solve, not a legal bar.

Time out of school compounds quickly. Enrol provisionally now and complete the file later.

1. Start with the local authority, not the school gate

In most systems the municipality or district education office assigns places. Bring your asylum applicant card or registration paper, any proof of address, and whatever school records you have.

2. What to do when documents are missing

• No birth certificate: many countries accept a registration document, a UNHCR
• attestation, or an age-assessment procedure.
• No school transcripts: ask for a placement test. Schools can assign a grade level
• based on assessment rather than paperwork.
• Names spelled differently across papers: ask for the spelling to be recorded once,
• consistently, and used everywhere afterwards.

3. Ask explicitly for language support

Language of instruction is the single largest barrier to progress. Ask what exists: preparatory or "welcome" classes, in-class language assistants, after-school tutoring, and translated communication with parents. Request it in writing if you can.

4. Learn while you wait

• Kiron Open Higher Education — free online higher education for displaced learners
• UNHCR Learn / Learning Passport — curriculum-aligned material in several languages
• Local NGO homework clubs and library reading programmes

5. Watch for the quiet problems

Bullying, unrecognised trauma and grade placement far below a child's real ability are common and fixable. Ask for a school counsellor meeting in the first term, not the last.

Keep reading

• The First 72 Hours After Crossing a Border
• What the Data Says About Refugee Employment