The right to education is a core human right recognized under international human rights and refugee law. It is both a standalone right and a critical enabler of other rights, fostering personal development, dignity, empowerment, and social inclusion. International human rights law requires that education be available, accessible, acceptable, and adaptable, and that States take immediate, deliberate steps toward its full realization without discrimination, including in situations of emergency and armed conflict.

Forced displacement and lack of nationality often severely disrupts learning, placing refugees, asylum‑seekers, IDPs, and stateless persons at risk of long‑term educational exclusion. The 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1954 Statelessness Convention require States to grant refugees and stateless persons the same treatment as nationals in primary education, and treatment as favourable as that provided to other non‑nationals at higher levels. The Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement affirm the right of IDPs to non‑discriminatory access to education, including free and compulsory primary schooling and continuity of learning throughout displacement and solutions. 

Education must be inclusive and responsive to learners’ needs, including language support, recognition of prior learning and diplomas, and respect for cultural and religious identity. Ensuring access across primary, secondary, and tertiary levels—along with flexible pathways, safe learning environments, psychosocial support, and targeted measures for vulnerable groups—helps mitigate the harms of displacement and promotes resilience. 

Finally, domestic systems must provide remedies when access to education is denied, ensuring that forcibly displaced and stateless persons can challenge violations of their educational rights.