Refugee education in a transit country: educational pathways and migration strategies of Afghan refugees in Tajikistan

This study, based on fieldwork conducted in Tajikistan in 2024, investigates how Afghan refugee families’ educational decisions for their children are closely tied to their broader migration strategies. Although Tajikistan legally guarantees refugee children access to public education, actual enrollment remains low. This gap stems from inadequate educational infrastructure, restrictions on residence, and linguistic and financial barriers. Given these constraints, many Afghan refugees do not regard Tajikistan as a viable place for long-term settlement. Instead, they view it as a temporary transit country while seeking resettlement in a third country. As a result, families show a strong preference for privately operated English-language academies, which they believe will strengthen their children’s prospects for future mobility. In this context, the study argues that for Afghan refugees in Tajikistan, education is understood less as a route to local integration and more as a strategic investment in onward migration. Even under restrictive structural and social conditions, their educational choices represent more than academic decisions. They express a form of constrained agency—an adaptive practice through which refugee families attempt to secure and sustain future mobility in conditions of prolonged uncertainty.