Refugee Students in Spain: The Role of Universities as Sustainable Actors in Institutional Integration

Abstract

This article examines the role of institutions-particularly universities-in the recent refugee crisis. It contributes to the debate on the integration of refugees through the higher education system in Spain. Based on semi-structured interviews with refugees and experts in the institutions linked to the reception and integration of refugees, the paper presents evidence-albeit within an under-developed field of analysis-which has strong practical and sustainable policy implications. I argue that expanding access to university, by recognizing refugees' qualifications and their overcoming of language barriers, increases the potential of refugees to contribute to the socio-economic progress of the receiving country and thus avoid marginalization. The evidence-based analysis of the effectiveness of the existing initiatives and programs for the integration of student refugees identifies challenges that still need to be addressed. The conclusions highlight the role of universities as sustainable actors in the integration of refugees, which through their programs make the reality of refugees more visible to other actors throughout Europe in the hope of encouraging institutions and other organizations to follow their lead in effective and sustainable initiatives.

Social inclusion of refugees into higher education: policies and practices of universities in Norway

“…In other countries, higher education institutions trail behind in terms of facilitating the inclusion of refugees into higher education. For instance, Marcu (2018) notes that few Spanish universities have established plans to help refugees access higher education in Spain. Nevertheless, a handful of Spanish universities have introduced some initiatives, such as the recognition of previous studies, financial support, and preparatory and bridging courses targeting refugees (Marcu, 2018;Siviş, 2019).…”

“…For instance, Marcu (2018) notes that few Spanish universities have established plans to help refugees access higher education in Spain. Nevertheless, a handful of Spanish universities have introduced some initiatives, such as the recognition of previous studies, financial support, and preparatory and bridging courses targeting refugees (Marcu, 2018;Siviş, 2019). Finnish higher education institutions have taken a different approach to dealing with what Vaarala et al (2017) referring to the 2015 refugee crisis -describe as a "new situation that they had no experiences of in recent history" (p. 161).…”

NARRATIVES OF NAVIGATION: Refugee-Background Women's Higher Education Journeys in Bangladesh and New Zealand

“…Along with protracted periods of displacement and educational disruption (Wright and Plasterer 2010;Zeus 2011), these include: lack of recognition at policy level (Gateley 2015;Hynie 2018); lack of coordination across policy areas (O'Rourke 2011); exclusion from support service provision (Felix 2016;O'Rourke 2011); and policy and public discourse that promotes negative stereotypes about newcomers -refugees and asylum seekers in particular (Morrice 2013;Naidoo, Wilkinson, Adoniou, and Langat 2018). At an institutional level, other factors include: language barriers, especially in monolingual HE contexts (Atanasoska and Proyer 2018;Hynie 2018;Kanno and Varghese 2010;Marcu 2018); lack of recognition for prior qualifications or experiences (Marcu 2018;Morrice 2009); and inappropriate institutional course and careers advice (Marcu 2018). Personal factors may include: unfamiliarity with 'local' educational systems and expectations (Joyce, Earnest, Mori, and Silvagni 2010); financial constraints (Joyce et al 2010;Kanno and Varghese 2010); culturally-grounded expectations of gender roles (Hatoss and Huijser 2010); lack of support from co-national community members (Joyce et al 2010); pressure to generate income (Anselme and Hands 2010); personal feelings of 'not belonging' (Kanno and Varghese 2010;O'Rourke 2011); and lack of trust related to refugee trauma (O'Rourke 2011).…”

Study Preparation of Refugees in Germany: How Teachers’ Evaluative Practices Shape Educational Trajectories

“…Whereas some studies critically investigate institutionalised norms of the (German) academic culture (Baker & Irwin, 2019;Berg, 2020;Klaus, 2020;Struchholz, 2021;Wojciechowicz, 2018), others have recently evaluated policy barriers to meaningful participation of prospective refugee students (Lenette et al, 2019;Molla, 2020;Stevenson & Baker, 2018;Unangst, 2019). Also, some case studies investigate institutional reactions and frameworks that shape the programmes for refugees (Marcu, 2018;Unangst & Streitwieser, 2018;Webb et al, 2019) or discuss the opportunities and limits of tailored study preparation offers to respond to refugees' specific resources and needs (Baker et al, 2020). In the German context, studies concentrate on the challenges posed on the governance of HEIs (Beigang et al, 2018;Berg et al, 2021;Schammann & Younso, 2017).…”