Higher educational attainment as durable solution for Sudanese urban refugees in Kampala, Uganda
Student name: Mr Drar Adam Drar
Guide: Dr Venkataraman L N
Year of completion: 2018
Host Organisation: Face 4Future Foundation
Supervisor (Host Organisation): Mr Abdelrahman Gasim
Abstract: This study was meant to examine the impact of higher educational attainment as
durable solution for Sudanese urban refugees in Kampala, Uganda. This study made
use of a descriptive cross-sectional design with both quantitative and qualitative
research paradigms. The study population constituted the Sudanese Urban Refugees
in Uganda. The study made use of a questionnaire and interview method to gather
information from the different refugees. The study findings as per the respondents
revealed that despite the challenges faced by the Sudanese refugees in Uganda, the
majority of the respondents have attained higher education as 39 (70.9%) of the
respondent Sudanese refugees were degree graduates as compared to the few
3(5.5%) who had professional certificates. The results showed that up to 6(10.9%)
of the respondents who had a post graduate degree in education and 5(9.1%) were
diploma holders. The least number of respondents had not reached any higher level
of education. Nonetheless, the exact of number of Sudanese refugees who have
enrolled in higher education is unknown. The results show that the majority (80%)
the respondent cited that accessing higher education is significance for local
integration into the host community and those who attained their education in
Uganda are more integrated into the host community as also reported by the
majority during the FGDs.
The results show that the majority (55%) agreed that higher education attainment
plays a positive role in refugee resettlement to third countries as also supported
during the focus group discussions where the participants reported that the
education sometimes play vital role in getting resettlement in third countries. Unlike
for local integration and resettlement in the third country, the study findings show
that the majority (79%) of the respondents disagreed that attainment of higher
education can lead to voluntary repatriation to Sudan. Similarly, in all the four
FGDs majority of the participants cited that returning in voluntary repatriation to
Sudan is not their priority for time-being the circumstances and condition which
forced to flee Sudan still there therefore are not willing to go back to Sudan whether
they gained higher education or not.
The study concludes that higher education attainment is vital in achieving the
refugees’ durable solutions (local integration and resettlement) and repatriation if
the home country security is guaranteed. The study recommends that there is need
for effective implement of policy implementation to promote the integration and
inclusion of refugees into higher education systems and that there is need to
negotiate tripartite agreements between the country of asylum, country of origin and
UNHCR that agree on approaches to voluntary repatriation among others.
Keywords: Urban Refugees, higher education, local integration, resettlement, and
repatriation.
