Refugee students dream bigger: Reflections from Malaysia 🇲🇾
Refugee Student Settlement Pathway Awardees in Malaysia celebrating their achievement, May 2025. L to R: Ayat, Majid, Habib, Omra, Samaia, Sandra, Osamah.
Steph Cousins (left) and Dr Sally Baker (right) outside Fugee School, Kuala Lumpur.
Six days. One country. 130 schools defying the odds to educate refugee students, though most here can't access classrooms. Most unforgettably, 13 refugee students bound for Australia.
Last week I travelled to Malaysia with my brilliant co-pilot in the Refugee Student Settlement Pathway (RSSP), Dr Sally Baker from Australian National University. Sally is one of Australia’s leading advocates for refugee access to higher education. There’s no one better to be building this innovative pathway alongside.
The RSSP is a groundbreaking program that enables refugee students to migrate safely to Australia on permanent humanitarian visas to pursue higher education. It’s designed for students who, despite enormous barriers, have completed the qualifications needed to enter university — opening up not just study opportunities, but the chance to build a secure, long-term future in Australia.
Together, we set off to do two things: meet the incredible students selected for the first RSSP cohort from Malaysia, and connect with the schools, universities, and organisations working tirelessly to make these life-changing opportunities possible.
Why Malaysia?
Malaysia is home to more than 200,000 registered refugees, and likely many more who remain unregistered. Refugees, whether registered or not, can’t enrol in Malaysian schools or universities unless they somehow manage to secure a student visa, which is extremely difficult.
Refugee children have no access to Malaysia’s public education system. Instead, they rely on community-run learning centres, often supported by NGOs, religious groups, and refugee communities. Around 130 such centres operate across the country, offering basic education focused on literacy, numeracy, and life skills. But access remains extremely limited. Only 30% of the 24,000 displaced youth of school-age are enrolled.
These centres often run on shoestring budgets, with volunteer teachers and donated materials, yet they provide a vital lifeline for students who would otherwise have no access to education at all.
Yet, 13 of the 20 refugee students selected for the first RSSP intake have come from Malaysia. This reflects both the immense need and the determination of refugee students and the organisations supporting them to overcome the odds.
We saw the desperation firsthand. During our visit, refugees protested outside the UNHCR office, pleading for their registration cases to be heard. With massive funding cuts to UNHCR, despite the amazing work of UNHCR staff, the situation is only worsening. Many refugee families live in limbo, without legal status or health services, uncertain what the future holds for their children.
Given the challenges, how have refugee students in Malaysia managed to qualify for Australian universities?
To access the RSSP students must meet the entry requirements for Australian universities, including completion of the equivalent to Year 12, and English language proficiency.
This is where some remarkable organisations come in. We had the chance to visit international schools and alternative learning centres like Ideas International, Fugee School, ElShaddai Centre, and Dignity for Children Foundation. These schools are doing the extraordinary by helping students sit international exams such as the A-levels (British secondary school qualifications) and the GED (a US high school equivalency test). These qualifications open pathways to university where the formal education system has shut students out.
These organisations not only teach the curriculum. They also provide psychosocial support, leadership programs, and mentorship, helping students build the confidence and resilience needed to succeed against all odds.
Rev. Elisha Satvinder, founder of Dignity for Children, took us on a tour of their academic and vocational learning spaces. Several RSSP awardees came through their programs
Students embarking on their A-Levels at Ideas Academy, were very interested to learn about the opportunity of the RSSP when they graduate.
Sarah El Massaoudi and team at Fugee School giving us an overview of their amazing HiEd scholarship program. Five of the selected RSSP students came via this pathway.
With the committed team at ElShaddai
With the founder of Brickfields Asia College, discussing how to expand access to university foundation studies in Malaysia, providing more refugees with a pathway to go on to the RSSP.
We also learned about UK universities providing online diplomas and foundation courses - such as Birmingham University and University of London. These give students who haven’t completed formal schooling a chance to prepare for higher education. It was a lightbulb moment for us. If UK universities can do it, why not more Australian universities? The tools are there. The need is urgent.
A few local colleges, like Brickfields Asia College, also open their doors to refugee students for foundation studies and diplomas. Currently these opportunities are far too limited, but we are keen to partner with leaders like Raja Singham to make them grow.
“My cup is so full”
Of course, the highlight of the trip was meeting the students themselves. We met at Monash Malaysia to talk about their experience with the RSSP so far, before going out for a celebratory dinner. They are driven, thoughtful, and courageous. Every conversation reminded us why we started the RSSP.
One thing stood out in every story they shared: family.
Each student spoke about the moment they found out they’d been accepted into the RSSP, and every story ended with hugs, tears, and celebrations with their parents and siblings. For these families, this pathway is about more than education. It’s about hope. It’s about believing that their children’s future can be different, despite everything they’ve been through.
As aspiring teacher and RSSP awardee, Sumaia, told us:
My mum always said no matter how hard things get, don’t stop persevering in education. When I told her I was accepted, she gave me a hug and said, ‘I knew you’d get in!’ Her belief in me really means a lot.
Habib, an aspiring engineer from Myanmar, told us his parents believed so deeply in education they started a refugee learning centre in Malaysia. He shared his grandmother’s wisdom:
My grandmother always used to say if you have other assets, like money, people can take it from you. But the knowledge you have is with you. No one can take it.
After taking a group of the students out for dinner on our final night Sally put it perfectly:
Best day of my career and one of the best of my life... this is a meeting with 12 of our excellent first cohort of 20 students in Malaysia for the Refugee Student Settlement Pathway. My cup is so full ❤️
What’s next
We’re counting down the days until we welcome this first RSSP cohort to Australia so they can begin their studies in the first semester 2026. Now, we’re already preparing for the next intake.
We have requested the Australian government to allocate 100 places for the next RSSP cohort. We are determined to keep growing this pathway together with our partners in Malaysia and Australia.
Sign up to our mailing list to follow the students’ journeys and the next phase of the RSSP.
