The Challenges and Prospects of Urban Refugee Access to Higher Education Kampala-Uganda: A Case Of Kisenyi (III)

Abstract

Title: The Challenges and prospects of urban refugee access to higher education Kampala- Uganda: A case of Kisenyi (III)

Uganda is the world's third-largest refugee host country and the largest in Africa, with a total of 1,223,003 refugees, and around 4% of these are urban refugees living in Kampala (Relief, 2019). Uganda is praised for having one of the most inclusive and compassionate of the world's laws and policies on refugees (UNDP, 2017). For example, refugees live in settlements and are given land for agriculture, and are free to move and live in urban centers like Kampala (UNDP, 2017). However, urban refugee access to higher education is constrained and under-researched in Uganda (Bernstein et al., 2007). Therefore, this study explored the challenges and prospects of urban refugee access to higher education. It will be significant to the government, policymakers, educational planners, stakeholders such as NGOs, academicians, and researchers. Thus, answering the following questions. What are the available opportunities for urban refugees to access higher education in Kampala, Uganda? What are the challenges they face? And what are the solutions to address the challenges faced?

To fully understand this study, the researcher employed a qualitative and exploratory research method where 28 participants were interviewed using semi-structured interviews. Four of them were administrators working with Non- Governmental Organization’s and the other twenty-four were current refugees and aspiring refugee students. The findings of this study revealed that even though there are some opportunities that have increased urban refugee access to higher education, there are still challenges hindering urban refugee access to higher education. Lastly, it includes recommendations as well for further research.