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Mona, a 16-year-old girl who fled the war-torn region of Gaza, found that the education opportunities she had there surpassed what is currently accessible to her in Northern Ireland. Despite her desire to continue her studies after arriving with her family, Mona, as a refugee or asylum seeker aged 16, is not granted automatic admission to schools or colleges in Northern Ireland. The compulsory education age in the region is set at 16, which creates a gap for young people like Mona who have escaped conflict but do not have an immediate right to education upon arrival.
When Mona first arrived in Northern Ireland at the age of 15, she spoke no English and initially attended school in Coleraine. However, after her family relocated to Belfast, she struggled to secure a place in either school or college. Mona expressed the stress of her situation, explaining, “I feel stressed because I cannot find anything for me.” She aspires to study nursing with the hope of eventually returning to Gaza to assist those affected by the conflict. “We are still children and we need education and support,” she emphasized.
Sara, a 19-year-old who moved from Sudan to Northern Ireland in 2024, has encountered similar difficulties. Although she possessed qualifications from Sudan and wants to pursue a medical degree, the local universities required her to obtain the same qualifications as students educated in Northern Ireland. She shared her frustration, saying, “When I came and I tried to get into university they said that as I am a refugee my qualifications would not suffice.” Despite speaking fluent English, Sara faced a year-long wait before she could enroll in Further Education college to study A-Levels. Both Sara and Mona have found some support through the Anaka Women’s Collective, a community organization advocating for a dedicated education programme for asylum seekers and refugees aged between 16 and 24.
The Department for the Economy highlighted that Further Education (FE) opportunities are available to all eligible individuals aged 16 and over, including asylum seekers and refugees, with 1,455 enrolled in the 2024/25 academic year. They acknowledged the crucial role of English language skills in helping young refugees integrate, noting that the six FE colleges provide free English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses. However, access to these courses can involve long waiting lists, as demonstrated by Hani, a 20-year-old from Iraqi Kurdistan, who waited two years for a place. Both she and Hossam, a 22-year-old from Sudan, are frustrated by the limited progress since the publication of the “Stranded Dreams” report, which detailed the challenges faced by older refugee teenagers in continuing their education in Northern Ireland. Hani expressed the need for equitable opportunities, stating, “Young people that have arrived in this country need to have a fair opportunity as other young people in this country.” Meanwhile, Hossam lamented the difficulty of pursuing his ambitions, saying, “It’s surprising, it’s really hard to continue in education.”
Although the Northern Ireland Executive introduced a Refugee Integration Strategy in 2025 to support asylum seekers and refugees in reaching their full potential, the plan did not include specific measures aimed at improving access to education for older teenagers. This omission leaves young refugees like Mona, Sara, Hani, and Hossam continuing to face significant barriers in their educational journeys
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