Education Background Notes

Abstract

In 2023, an estimated 34, 000 Venezuelan refugees and migrants in the Caribbean will require education. Among overarching key needs identified by partners in the Caribbean Sub-region for them are: access to socio-economic rights like health care, formal employment, and education. Among the Venezuelans who have migrated to countries in the sub-region (Aruba, Curaçao, Guyana, the Dominican Republic, and Trinidad and Tobago), a significant number are school-aged children. International and regional human rights law as well as national laws in most Caribbean countries covered as part of the R4V platform, recognize education as a fundamental right for children, regardless of migratory status and all five sub-regional countries are signatories to the 1990 Convention on the Rights of the Child. While refugee and migrant children in countries like Aruba, Curaçao, Guyana, and the Dominican Republic have unrestricted access to basic schooling, various barriers hinder the enrolment of these children in existing programs. Practical challenges persist and these countries face challenges in delivering comprehensive and quality education to refugees and migrants including administrative, financial (such as the high costs of school supplies, uniforms, transportation, and meals), and cultural barriers.