Higher Education for Forcibly Displaced Migrants, Refugees and Asylum Seekers

Political, economic and ecological upheavals accompanied by developments in transportation and communication around the globe have created a constant flow of people from one country context to another. Although it is very difficult to measure the size and direction of international migration, estimates by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) suggest that 3.3% of the total global population, or 244 million people, are on the move (IOM, 2018). Overwhelmingly, international migration flows from low-income to high-income countries highlight the key role that economic concerns play in decisions to migrate, along with choice of destination for migration. Displaced people form a distinct group within the total number of international migrants. According to the IOM (2018), of the total number of migrants, 40 million are classified as being ‘‘displaced’’; meanwhile, the total number of refugees currently registered exceeds 22 million. Future estimates do not envisage a decrease in international immigrants nor in the number of documented displaced people. Hence, the reality of international migration calls for effective policies that can manage international migration (IOM, 2018; OECD, 2016). There is general agreement that international migration generates economic and social benefits to both origin and destination countries (IOM, 2018); however, those who argue this (e.g., OECD, 2016; IOM, 2018) warn that its benefits go unrealized. There are numerous reasons for this. For one thing, forced displacement that results from political conflict, persecution, environmental degradation and insecurity does not produce desirable benefits for countries and individuals. For another, the perception that immigrants threaten national security in the host county is a position most often articulated by populist politicians through social and conventional media as another way in which migrants are stigmatized and excluded. Although the scholarly community provides ample evidence of the benefits of migration on societies, populist politicians relish in characterizing international migration as a threat to development, integrity and security to the homogenous societies they seek to preserve. As a result of these skewed perceptions toward displaced populations, host country education systems in turn may refuse to recognize the educational credentials of immigrants (IOM, 2018). In addition, promoting the erroneous view that forced migrants cannot possibly have the skills