As migration patterns continue to shift, individuals are moving across borders, bringing diverse cultural and religious backgrounds into new educational settings. This blending of identities poses opportunities and challenges for educators and policymakers in fostering inclusive, equitable learning environments. Therefore, COST Action "Connecting Theory and Practical Issues of Migration and Religious Diversity" (COREnet) organised a workshop, "Crossroads of Learning: Exploring the Intersection of Education, Migration, and Religion", that took place at the University of Malta on the 3rd and 4th of March 2025.

The event, which gathered 28 researchers from 18 European countries, included discussions that confirmed the need to discuss superdiversity and its management and the urgency of creating and maintaining an inclusive education that can respond to the needs of learners with diverse cultural and religious backgrounds.

Education Challenges in Malta

The event started with a session on how migration impacts the education sector in Malta. Jane Farrugia Buhagiar and Lara Sammut Debono, representatives from the governmental organisation responsible for the inclusion of newly-arrived learners in Malta, the International Learners' Directorate, emphasised that every year, the number of new learners joining Malta schools and colleges is growing. Malta's education system and integration programs must be ready to address the challenges. For instance, in 2024, more than 1400 new pupils entered Malta's education system. Ms. Farrugia Buhagiar and Ms. Sammut Debono presented Malta’s integration programme, which focuses not only on the academic achievements and local language learning of the new pupils but also provides emotional support, opportunities to link families and schools and encourages cooperation with parents, the community and society.

Researchers from the University of Malta, Dr. Adrian Gellel and Dr. Julian Galea, pointed out that a third of the Maltese population is non-Maltese. Once the new members engage with institutions and infrastructure, challenges, questions, and concerns may emerge that are not effectively voiced, listened to or taken on board within a sociopolitical and economic culture that contains a weighty Roman Catholic legacy. According to their research, Islam emerged as the primary Other with the other religious practices in Maltese society. It is recommended to tackle the otherness of Islam and educate and sensitise about the different religious and minority groups.

According to the local organiser of the COREnet event, Dr. Michelle Attard Tonna from the University of Malta, Malta has experienced an influx of migrants in the last 25 years, which changed its demographic and brought significant challenges to the Maltese people to adapt to the new socio-political experiences. "Thanks to these changes, a lot of work in terms of policies and social initiatives has been accomplished, and these good practices can be celebrated and shared. The intersection of religion, education, and migration is a dominant phenomenon in Maltese society, and the workshop is a good opportunity to evaluate how this intersection is portrayed in Malta and other participating contexts," shared Dr. Attard Tonna.

Superdiversity as a Conceptual Frame for Understanding Diversity

The first session was followed by discussions on the concept of superdiversity. Prof. Tuomas Martikainen from the University of Turku presented it as a conceptual framework for understanding diversity. According to Prof. Martikainen, superdiversity provides a language perspective for examining post-Cold War migration-related issues and questions and rethinks group categories and boundaries.

Prof. Arniika Kuusisto, University of Helsinki, continued the discussion by explaining how worldviews and superdiversity are related to societal education. As Prof. Kuusisto highlighted, discussions on diversity in education, religions and worldviews are often disregarded. However, pupils with different minority backgrounds are more vulnerable. Superdiversity and the diversity of religions and worldviews need to be accounted for in the national curriculum and legislation, teaching materials, initial teacher education and in-service training, as well as in setting up and constant development of anti-racial, inclusive policy and practice in ECEC, school, and higher education.

"Families need to be provided with hands-on guidance about educational opportunities in migration host countries to support both the younger generation of children and youth and their parents in integrating into working life and gaining language proficiency. Sensitivity to religious diversity is crucial in building trust and mutual understanding between families and societal stakeholders such as educational staff. Visible diversity in educational settings, for instance, in school material, physical surroundings, and staff backgrounds, supports minority children in both the maintenance of their home languages and identities and educational attendance and school language acquisition," explained Prof. Kuusisto.

Policy Brief Providing Recommendations on Inclusive Education

The COREnet workshop also included sessions on teaching experiences in higher education and migrant views on inclusive education. Researchers from around Europe shared their experiences, research results, case studies, and recommendations on how to build inclusive education. The COREnet researchers discussed what tools and methods can handle religious and worldview diversity, promote intercultural dialogue and cohesion, and support and sustain multiculturalism. The event ended with a policy brief session that aimed to draft recommendations for policymakers.

As COREnet member, one of the event organisers, Dr. Aybiçe Tosun from Eskisehir Osmangazi University, expressed: "The workshop aimed to establish a platform for interdisciplinary perspectives and discussions on how education, migration, and religion intersect. I believe participants left with a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities that arise when religious and cultural diversity meets education. By sharing diverse perspectives, we emphasised the importance of fostering encounters and collaboration among educators, policymakers, and communities. The message for policymakers, educators, and teaching professionals is clear: educational policies, curriculums and teaching activities must acknowledge and accommodate religious and cultural diversity for equitable learning environments for all students".

Overall, the COREnet workshop showed that the intersection of education, migration, and religion is a crucial discussion area in today's increasingly globalised world. Understanding how education, migration, and religion intersect is essential to addressing integration, social cohesion, and academic success. By exploring these dynamics, we can create strategies that support all students, regardless of their backgrounds, and promote a more inclusive society.