An unprecedented 70.8 million people around the world have been forced from home. Among them are nearly 25.9 million refugees, over half of whom are under the age of 18. There are also millions of stateless people who have been denied a nationality and access to basic rights such as education, healthcare, employment and freedom of movement. In a world where nearly one person is forcibly displaced every two seconds as a result of conflict or persecution. As of 2014, more than 200,000 refugees were living in India, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee (UNHCR). Migrants are likely to identify that they need training or further education, although they may not take up degree or other courses because of financial problems or standard entry requirements.

Higher and further education can play an important role in eliminating barriers to achieving educational qualifications, job training, contributes to civic identity, enhances potential in the labour market. The universities from the partner countries (India and Pakistan) consider measures that help to provide equitable access to education and training and remove barriers as quickly as possible. According to a comparative analysis of Information and communications Technology (ICT) integration and e- readiness in schools across Asia, led by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, policymakers widely accept that access to ICT in education can help individuals to compete in a global economy by creating a skilled work force and facilitating social mobility. This project mainly focus on improvement of education sector through ICT skills among refugees and young migrants.

Objectives:

The specific objectives of the proposed project evolve around the 2 main target groups of the project: young refugees coming mostly from conflict affected countries, and academic staff and professionals working in the participating HEIs in the two Partner Countries, India and Pakistan

• To inform and build the capacities of the HEIs in the Partner Countries about the ICT-related learning gaps and psychosocial support needs of refugee youth in pursue of their full social and economic integration.
• To better equip vulnerable youth (especially young refugees from conflict affected counties) in India and Pakistan with advanced ICT skills, thus enabling faster integration into the local labour market along with improved access and exposure to formal education opportunities.
• To enhance the service portfolio of HEIs in the Partner Countries by introducing new, modern services, bringing them closer to the needs of disadvantaged young refugees and, in turn the demands of the local labour market.
• To empower vulnerable youth (especially young refugees from conflict affected countries) for overcoming their psychosocial traumas preventing them from attending HEIs and/or accessing formal education in general.
• To introduce an innovative, comprehensive methodology to the higher education systems of India and Pakistan, combining both educational and psychosocial support services, in line with European good practices and standards.