The war in Ukraine has displaced millions, creating one of the largest refugee crises in recent history. Among those affected, children face not only the trauma of war but also significant barriers to education in their host countries. This study examines the experience of Ukrainian refugee children in Montenegro, a country of 620,000 people that has taken in over 10,000 Ukrainian refugees under its Temporary Protection (TP) regime.

Despite government efforts, the influx of Ukrainian children has exposed significant limitations in Montenegro’s education system. Overcrowding in elementary schools, particularly in cities with large refugee populations such as Budva and Bar, has prevented many from securing placements. Consequently, a significant number of Ukrainian children rely on online schooling from Ukraine instead of attending local schools. Linguistic and cultural differences further complicate their adaptation to the Montenegrin curriculum and classroom environment.

This study explores the structural, cultural and linguistic barriers affecting refugee children's access to education, using policy analysis and qualitative data. It offers a comparative perspective by analyzing Montenegro’s approach in relation to other European host countries.

Preliminary findings suggest that while Montenegro has provided legal protection and collaborated with UNICEF to support refugee students, systemic challenges persist. Limited resources, overcrowding and language barriers pose significant challenges to the effective integration of refugee children into the education system. This study contributes to discussions on refugee education policies, offering insights into how small host nations can enhance access and integration for displaced children.

Abstract:

Across the migration literature, it is understood that young migrants’ and refugees’ lives are characterised by multiple, overlapping forms of precarity and uncertainty: being legal, financial, social, spatial and informational (Johnson & Gilligan, 2021; Ilcan et al., 2018). Drawing from data from a project on young refugees’ (aged 15-25) experiences in Greece, this paper develops and models the concept of ‘unsettlement’ (Vera Espinoza, 2018) to define these unstable conditions and their manufactured nature. The aim is to present a model of this concept which can help us understand these conditions and their impacts on young refugees’ lives, and particularly their educational trajectories.

The research is based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Thessaloniki, Greece, involving in-depth interviews with young refugees aged 15-25 years, daily conversations and observations at four non-formal learning sites. Additional data was collected from interviews with 38 individuals close to the young refugees and analysis of relevant documents. Theoretically, the paper builds on the concept of ‘unsettlement’ as an antithesis to ‘resettlement’, drawing from theories of precarity, liminality and migration governance (Horst & Grabska, 2015). It extends Vera Espinoza’s (2018) definition of unsettlement, incorporating the idea of it being manufactured as a mechanism of migration control.

Overall, the paper argues that on arrival in Europe, newcomers are forced to navigate ‘infrastructural’ conditions of unsettlement – meaning state practices such as encampment and neglect – which, in turn, can cause or exacerbate micro-level tensions in their everyday social worlds, causing ‘intimate’ conditions of unsettlement. The paper unpacks this term; discusses how it was explored and refined in the field, based on young refugees’ own accounts; and discusses the impacts of their unsettled conditions on their daily lives, dreams and navigational tactics, with particular attention to their education.

This paper examines and compares the integration of migrant and refugee populations into educational systems in Turkey and Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a focus on how each country addresses the educational needs of those in transit or awaiting resettlement. The study analyzes the period from 2017 to 2021, exploring the intersection of migration management and education policy in the border region of the Una–Sana Canton in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Hayat region in Turkey. The research incorporates qualitative insights from interviews with educators, policy makers, and investigating their experiences teaching refugee and migrant children, the challenges encountered, and the strategies employed to overcome these obstacles. Further, interviews are triangulated using policy document analysis in both countries. The study also explores how refugee children are placed into classes, the subjects taught, and the extent of institutional support-including strategic plans, directives, and training opportunities provided by ministries and relevant agencies. By comparing these findings, the paper provides a nuanced understanding of how policy frameworks and local practices interact. It highlights how subnational units diffuse and localize international norms in accordance with their own conceptual assumptions and within the means/resources available. The comparison underscores the dynamic interplay between international expectations, national policies, and local realities, offering insights into the evolving landscape of migrant and refugee education in transit settings in both Turkey and Bosnia and Herzegovina.