The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted the lives of many people around the globe. While affected governments implemented at least some policies to contain the virus, little attention was given to the particular needs of the most marginalized groups in societies. Among other groups, refugee1 children 2 and their families are exceptionally impacted by the pandemic. 3 Not only do they disproportionately belong to the lower socio-economic strata of society, but they are also particularly affected by the current border closures put in place in response to the pandemic. Furthermore, refugees are often excluded from government solidarity measures, which are mainly directed at the countries’ citizens. Thus, the crisis does not affect all equally.
Both Turkey and Germany have hosted a large population of refugees over the last decade. Despite integration efforts undertaken in both contexts—also in light of the EU-Turkey agreement implemented in 2016—the pandemic has exacerbated existing injustices faced by refugee children and their families in both countries. In addition to facing limited access to means of livelihood, additional health risks, increased risks of labor exploitation, inadequate accommodation, and poor nutrition and hygiene conditions, 4 nationwide school closures in both Turkey and Germany during the pandemic have posed serious challenges for refugees and may impact their conditions in the long run.
In this policy brief, we will examine the current situation of refugee children in Turkey and Germany, focusing on the increased educational inequalities caused by the measures taken due to the pandemic. For this, we will briefly outline the general situation of refugee students in Germany and Turkey as well as key political measures that have been implemented in both education systems since the COVID-19 pandemic. Against this backdrop, we argue that distance learning in times of COVID-19 proves to be particularly challenging for refugee students, while political responses to the pandemic on the nation-state level often ignore the special needs of refugee families and open new gateways for discrimination against refugee children in schools. Further, civil society initiatives aiming to support the needs of refugee children have faced unique challenges since the outbreak of the virus. As the pandemic reveals significant preexisting inequalities, we suggest longer-term solutions to leave no child behind in the German and Turkish education system, not only during the pandemic but also after.