ABSTRACT
Now entering its seventh year, the Syrian conflict has displaced over 11 million people, including 5.6 million refugees. An unprecedented response has brought UN agencies, host countries, donors, and humanitarian organizations together to provide education for Syrian refugees. This study documents the evolving discourses, coordination mechanisms, and policies related to the educational response of neighboring countries to the Syria conflict. It draws on world society theory to argue that the institutionalization of education as a human right, the supra-national coordination of educational policies, and the professionalization of the field of Education in Emergencies (EiE) have all resulted in fundamental shifts at the national, regional, and global level. Despite these developments, we also argue that the educational response must be viewed with appropriate skepticism: targets for access are aspirational; funding pledges are geo-political and legitimacy-seeking, and rights-based rhetoric is far removed from the politicized reality on the ground.
