War, Mobility, Displacement and Their Impact on Higher Education: Volume 55

Many vulnerable children are suffering from man-made war crimes in Afghanistan, Ukraine, Sudan, Syria, Yemen, and other places. Displacement tracking matrix flow’s data has never stopped counting the number of people who have left their country due to war, internal conflicts, attacks from other nations, or natural disasters. The children, while suffering from diseases and malnutrition, are left homeless or exiled to another country due to incessant socio-political issues in their homeland. Any emergency in a country is liable to cause major disruption in the entire education system. While humanitarian aid focuses on health, medical aid, shelter, and food supply, education is given the last priority. In most cases, students have left their home country in search of refuge, and months and years pass trying to secure a safe abode. It is only then that they start thinking of education. In countries of chronic conflict, the economy deteriorates, and governments are not able to support education, which then becomes dependent on charitable donations from aid agencies and philanthropists. Security concerns deter students from attending regular schools and in countries like Afghanistan education and its accessibility are segregated based on gender. This book volume highlights some of the pertinent issues of education in emergency and several case studies from around the world have been put together to discuss the best practices that have been implemented to continue providing education to children in emergency.

This chapter discusses how immigrants adopt translanguaging practices (i.e., the flexible use of linguistic resources by bilinguals or multilinguals to make sense of their worlds inside and outside classrooms) to scaffold learning, clarify concepts, facilitate communication, and promote academic understanding. Even inside the campus, outside the classroom discourse, translanguaging can be used to navigate bureaucratic systems, such as filling out forms, engaging in social gatherings, or accessing library services, that require proficiency in the language of the host country. Whereas the academic context is not always a positive space for translanguaging practices, everyday communications usually create a positive space for translanguaging. This chapter discusses translanguaging practices in academic and nonacademic contexts. We also provide an overview of the negative pedagogical attitudes toward translanguaging in higher education institutions, where challenges commonly faced by mobile and immobile non-native English scholars pertain to strict strategies. Reflections on the restrictive publishing policies that constitute a negative translanguaging space, acceptable and nonacceptable translanguaging practices in academic publications and the role of translanguaging facilitators, such as artificial intelligence (AI) applications, are also deliberated based on the field experience of a professional copy editor.

In December 2022, the Taliban announced that women were banned from attending higher education institutions in Afghanistan, which was met with concerns, condemnation, and a call to action. Social media platforms have presented Afghans and others from around the world with a free, public, and relatively safe space to voice their opinions and connect with others to discuss the ramifications of the Taliban education policies. The study conducted a critical discourse analysis (CDA) of 186 English-language posts published on the Twitter social networking site in September 2021 and December/January 2022 in response to the Taliban’s announced decisions concerning women’s access to higher education. Six discursive strategies were identified that use hashtags, negatively represent the Taliban, represent Afghan women as victims, report on acts of advocacy, condemn the Taliban’s restrictions and ban, and call to action to advocate for women’s right to higher education. While the ban has triggered more condemnation and calls for resistance than the restrictions enforced in the previous year, the findings suggest that the response to the restrictions imposed in September 2021 was mostly that of indifference compared to the posts that comment on the education ban in December 2022. Questions are raised concerning the role and effectiveness of the analyzed Twitter posts in mobilizing serious measures to reclaim women’s rights to access quality higher education in Afghanistan within the confines of the English-language Twitter sphere.

Mobility and displacement make higher education professionals and students feel distressed, depressed, and discriminated against, from having to leave their homelands for improving their socio-economic conditions, or even escape for living. To overcome their feelings, they do their best to carry out a normal life, concentrating on upgrading, new cultural acquisition and linking with the new community, and adjusting to a new context. In the middle of this situation, there is an enrichment of societal relations, literacy processes, inclusion, and interculturality, which are transmitted to new generations. The pedagogy of the inclusive process of refugees and immigrants may become more enriched with the interaction of ontological, epistemological, cognitive, affective, axiological, and praxeological dimensions, in a new world that seeks for sustainability.

Schools increasingly acknowledge their role in aiding refugee youth integration and inclusivity. Yet, schools often lack readiness in addressing diverse challenges faced by displacement. Navigating new languages and educational systems presents formidable barriers to educational advancement for many young refugees. Many refugee students arrive with limited, interrupted, or disrupted formal education; literacy challenges compounded by trauma from displacement. Despite recognizing the need for inclusive learning environments, schools struggle to implement effective interventions for students with such diverse backgrounds and education. This paper explores the challenges faced by one school and its students, emphasizing the need for flexibility, support, and understanding from both the school and the broader community to overcome obstacles and reclaim student’s ambitions and childhood dreams. Intensive Language Centers (ILC) and classroom support are pivotal in developing English skills, yet some efforts lack efficacy. Success hinges on a holistic approach, encompassing trauma, familial dynamics, socialization, and cultural integration. Such measures are imperative for refugee students to thrive in Australian schools and pursue higher education. The research highlights the importance of a holistic approach, addressing academic, language, cultural, trauma, and resettlement challenges. Recognizing and accommodating these layers essential for fostering an environment where refugee students can successfully adapt and thrive in higher education.

Creating an engaging, inclusive, and supportive learning environment within higher education is challenging at the best of times. When considering refugees and learners who have been displaced from their home/region country due to war, this is paramount to enable continued learning. Team-based learning (TBL) is an active learning methodology whereby the learners take ownership of their learning and work within peer teams to deepen their learning through the application of knowledge. In the context of the above setting, TBL offers a number of key advantages over traditional didactic learning approaches to better support diverse student groups and aid learner integration. This chapter explores these advantages and details how TBL is not just a method of content delivery, but an approach which can bring about increased peer support (on campus and online), an increased sense of student belongingness and community, employability skills, and so on.

Universities worldwide benefit significantly from the presence of international students although previous research has predominantly focused on their economic impact rather than acknowledging their substantial cultural and academic contributions. This chapter aims to bridge this gap by investigating the dual impact of international students on academics and culture in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, with a specific focus on two universities in Oman. The research employs semi-structured interviews conducted with both local and international students. The findings underscore a mutually beneficial exchange and contribution between local and international students, extending beyond the confines of classrooms into extracurricular activities. While positive interactions and shared learning experiences are evident, the study also sheds light on existing tensions, such as discrimination and negative perceptions of certain cultural elements. Through these insights, this chapter aims to guide both local and international universities in effectively fostering inclusive and diverse activities that promote academic and intercultural competence among students.

Wars have a negative impact on higher education as they harm staff and students and lead to a financial burden on institutions. Mobility and displacement events, such as the recent Taliban takeover of Kabul, have a significant impact on education, especially for Afghan students who were forced to flee. Displacement has a psychological impact on students and teachers, including fear, anxiety, and cultural challenges. Despite support from some organizations, the long-term impact of displacement on education remains uncertain. However, there is no quantitative data on the displacement of Afghan students in August 2021 due to the Taliban takeover of Kabul. Collecting and analyzing these data could help determine the impact of displacement on Afghan students and inform policymakers about the long-term consequences of such events. The chapter is based on interactions with these students over 18 months and provides an insight into the lives of these students after their displacement, their challenges, and their goals for the future. The views and opinions expressed in this chapter are those of the author and should not be attributed to any organizations or institutions. From the experiences of these students, it is clear that displacement is a difficult transition and presents many challenges. Nevertheless, these students are hopeful about the future and continue to strive toward their goals. This resilience and determination in the face of adversity is a testament to the strength of these students and should be admired. This knowledge has shaped the content of this chapter as well as the researcher’s thoughts and perspectives on the subject.