A Stateless-Inclusive 4-A Scheme: Understanding Stateless Children’s Barriers to Education

Despite widespread ratification of international instruments guaranteeing the right to education, stateless children continue to face systemic exclusion from its enjoyment. Grounded in international law and informed by an intersectional perspective, this article introduces a stateless-inclusive reinterpretation of the traditional 4-A scheme, encompassing availability, accessibility, acceptability, and adaptability. Applying this framework through the lens of statelessness helps identify the legal and structural barriers stateless children face in accessing quality education and shows how intersecting discrimination and related rights violations exacerbate exclusion. Drawing on illustrative examples from diverse contexts, the article demonstrates how this adapted scheme can serve as a tool for recognising these barriers and their interconnections, providing a basis for future efforts toward fully inclusive education systems.