Access to Higher Education
Refugees' Stories from Malaysia
Routledge Studies on Asia in the World Series

Until 2015, no refugees in Malaysia were able to access higher education, and they were unable to attend government schooling. Since then, six private higher education institutions have agreed to open their doors to refugees for the first time.

This book contains stories from this small group of successful refugees, who have managed to receive higher education in a country that neither recognizes that they exist nor offers them even basic education. It identifies the factors that aided their success, and charts the challenges that they and their communities have faced. The authors present each story, based on interviews, within the context of the individual?s background and nation of origin. These stories are framed by a discussion of the situation that refugees face in accessing education globally, explaining how these stories and the methodologies used for this study are universal.

Dedications

Acknowledgements

Preface

Part 1 – Introduction (Gül Inanc)

Part 2 – Refugees’ Stories (Lucy Bailey)

1. Zaid – Rakhine State
2. Peter – Chin State
3. Maran – Kachin State
4. Andrew – Chin State
5. Nyan Hongsa – Mon State
6. Matthew – Chin State
7. Omran - Syria
8. Bethany - Pakistan
9. Amaal - Somalia
10. Nurain – Sri Lanka
11. Jamilah - Somalia
12. Omar - Iraq
13. Dalir - Iran

Part 3 – Analysis and Conclusion (Lucy Bailey)

Appendix I

Appendix II

Appendix III

Index

Lucy Bailey is Associate Professor of Education at the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus.

Gül İnanç is a lecturer at School of Art, Design and Media, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore OUR - Opening Universities for Refugees.