European Policies for the Inclusion of Refugees in Higher Education: The Case of Greece

Abstract

The abrupt influx of refugee populations in Europe in the last few years has, undoubtedly, posed many challenges in European countries. Higher Education is considered to be vital for the successful settlement of refugee communities into their host societies. Therefore, it is necessary to establish whether potential refugee aspirations to gain access in HEIs of their host country can be met at all. The present paper examines Greek policies regarding the inclusion of refugees in Higher Education (HE) and attempts to illustrate the range of initiatives taking place in Greek universities, directly or indirectly related to refugees, by highlighting the levels of authority involved, the locations, sources of funding and subject matter. Overall, what is made evident is that, in concurrence with dominant EU trends, the Greek government lacks a coherent policy for the inclusion of refugees in HE in Greece. It is most likely that the initiatives taken by researchers and academics (co-)shape what is considered to be the dominant policies regarding refugees in Greece and are not so much linked to their inclusion into HE as to other aspects of their presence in the country also involving separate target groups (teachers, local communities, researchers and others).

Refugees’ experiences with online higher education: Impact and implications through the pandemic

“…This sentiment towards higher education is often strong among refugees themselves, as education may help them resettle in a foreign country (O'Keeffe & Akkari, 2020). Vasilopoulos and Ioannidi (2020) further advocated this view when considering the contexts of host countries when they emphasised higher education as "vital" for the "successful settlement of refugee communities into their host countries" (p. 61). As many low to middle-income countries host the vast majority of refugees, the UNHCR also examined this link between higher education and settlement into communities, stating that "higher education is key to creating long-term growth" in these countries (UNHCR, 2021).…”

“…", enlarges the lens towards practice and policies of online higher education and opportunities for refugees . Studies such as Vasilopoulos and Ioannidi (2020) seem to frequently indicate in some manner that host countries face a "sudden influx" of refugees. Thus, this is a key reason why host counties are overwhelmed or unable to adequately provide the mechanisms for effectively integrating refugees into their new contexts.…”

“…In 2010, Dryden-Peterson and Giles (2010) highlighted in their study that despite the growing numbers of forced migration, there was still a deficiency in the policies for implementing an emergency response to education, particularly higher education, within these contexts. Ten years later, in 2020, Vasilopoulos & Ioannidi (2020) similarly stated that despite the increasing numbers of people placed into forced migration and seeking asylum, crosssectorial collaboration and comprehensive and coherent solidarity-based policies for inclusion into higher education, and consequently online higher education, were still lacking. Progression, as such, towards greater inclusion in education would require a stronger combination of "longterm commitment", collaboration, proactive "contingency planning", and better "preparedness" by host countries and the international community at large (UNHCR, 2015, p. 14).…”