Bridging the Gap, Securing the Future: Ensuring the Right to Education for Refugee Children in India
- NLR Journal
- Mar 15
- 2 min read
By Shruti Dahiya, Research Scholar at Department of Laws,
Panjab University, Chandigarh.
Abstract
Every child has fundamental right to have access to quality education as it serve as a critical pathway for the empowerment and integration of refugee children. However, over the years it has emerged as a huge challenge that comes with juxtaposition of human rights, social justice, educational equity that demands an immediate action. Despite the enactment of laws such as Right to the Education Act, 2002, to ensure accessibility of education for all children continues to obstruct educational integration of especially refugee children into the mainstream schools. The barriers rooted in systemic inequities, socio-economic disparities, and cultural obstacles exacerbate situation and severely restrict their access to quality education, thereby deepening existing inequalities in an already overstretched educational framework. The paper therefore describe the interplay of international instruments of human rights and domestic judicial interpretations that extend educational rights to refugees, by keeping in view the status of India as non-signatory Nation to the 1951 Convention of refugees. Further through a comprehensive analysis of existing legal frameworks, policy initiatives, and ground realities, it shall highlight the gaps in implementation that contribute to the educational marginalization of refugee children. The authors argue for a rights-based and inclusive approach that engages multiple stakeholders, including government agencies, educators, and civil society, to create supportive learning environment and an inclusive education that recognizes and enforces the rights of refugee children in India. Furthermore, bridging the gap in educational access for refugee children is not merely a legal obligation but also a moral imperative that can secure a brighter future for the vulnerable population.
Keywords:- Education, Refugee children, International Law, Right to Education Act, Equality.
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