Education for Humanity: higher education for refugees in resource-constrained environments through innovative technology

Abstract

Abstract Half of refugee children attend primary school and 22 per cent attend secondary school, yet only 3 per cent have access to higher education. When higher education efforts do exist, they often ignore common barriers refugees face in accessing it: cost, connectivity, lack of a power source, and access to devices, among others. Arizona State University’s Education for Humanity team piloted a programme to address this lack of access and associated barriers. Using a solar-powered, offline technology that emits a Wi-Fi hotspot, the team implemented a university-level course in Nakivale Settlement, Uganda. This article presents the results and findings from this pilot programme.