Educational Obstacles Faced by Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon

Abstract

The process of becoming a refugee is certainly complex and intertwined with uncertainty and injustice. Not only one is starved of the right to freedom and liberty but is also left psychologically and physically stagnant and disoriented. The brutish negligence regarding their emancipation has become increasingly heightened. With this, one is left questioning the role such negligence plays in the attempt to fulfill “their right to return.” The aim of this article is to first examine the nature of the obstacles that Palestinian refugees in Lebanon experience. What role do external forces such as the Lebanese government and United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) play in the deterioration of the educational pursuits partaken by Palestinian refugees? To what extent do they discriminate and deprive them of emancipation from an educational perspective? Second, it aims to examine the consequences of the external forces that administer such policies and how these diffuse adversely into the foundations of such isolated societies. It focuses primarily on the vulnerability and psychological shortcoming of such an experience. Education is a fundamental force in any society, and this article is a multifaceted exploration into the educational obstacles, both externally and internally, that are prevalent among Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.

Crafting futures in Lebanese refugee camps

“…Compared to the newer settlements, the old Palestinian camps like Burj El Barajneh are relatively privileged in this respect since the land is officially allocated for the establishment of these camps, although the residents do not own it. The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) is responsible for the Palestinian camps and provides a wide array of services to the inhabitants (Mcloughlin, 2016;Hammoud, 2017). Nevertheless, these services and social projects do not suffice to meet actual needs.…”