Experience of Integration of African children into Irish schools

1
Experience of Integration of African children
into Irish schools

• Topic cannot be discussed without talking about
  African and Irish cultures
• Culture and education closely related
• Language problems and a lack of understanding of
  cultural differences among teachers and pupils
  make inclusion of African migrant children
  extremely difficult

2
Positives

• Department of Education has been providing
  funding directly to schools to support the
  language needs of BME students since 1999
• All young people are entitled to free primary and
  post primary education
• Positive inputs in the NPAR by the Dept.
• Diversity in schools by the Equality Authority

3
Reasons for improper classroom integration

• Limited policy focus on the educational needs of
  migrant children
• Limited data on ethnicity 2002 RAXEN3 study on
  education
• Funding for language support only for 2 years
• One cap fits all approach
• Vast number of Irish schools still under the
  management of the catholic church

4
Reasons for improper classroom integration contd.

• Limited policy focus on the educational needs of
  migrant children
• Under an exemption granted under the Equal Status
  Act, Irish schools managed by religious groups
  are legally entitled to give preference to
  children, families and teachers of their
  particular religion or faith

5
Reasons for improper classroom integration contd.

• Schools are not fully inclusive and welcoming
• Parents have no real choice in the education of
  their children
• Moslem kids are often left without religious
  education during religious knowledge classes
• Asylum seekers are denied access to third level
  education

6
Reasons for improper classroom integration contd.

• Currently migrant workers cannot officially
  access English language classes through VECs
• Human rights education is absent from mainstream
  curricula
• Access to grants for third level education
  restricted to Irish and EU citizens
• Anti-racism and intercultural training is
  organised on an ad hoc basis for teachers

7
Culture and Education

• Cultural issues
• Culture is what everyone takes part in. It
  includes values, attitudes, beliefs, religion,
  marriage, behaviour, gender, language, race,
  names, etc.
• In understanding other cultures, we may come to
  understand ourselves better. To a far greater
  degree than most of us realize, our lives and
  even our personalities are molded by the society
  of which we are a part.

8
Culture and Education contd.

• Eye Contact
• Language
• Mannerisms
• Names
• Food
• First name basis

9
Suggested Remedies

• Funding from the dept of education to support
  language needs of migrant African children
• Government needs to provide and support more
  inclusive and welcoming schools not operating
  under religious patronage
• Anti racism training should be provided at all
  levels of education

10
Suggested remedies contd.

• The UN CERD, in its concluding observations, has
  recommended that Ireland promotes the
  establishment of non-denominational or
  multi-denominational schools
• Education system needs to be human rights based
  UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
• Access to third level education grant should be
  made available to all foreign students

11
Conclusion

• In conclusion, interculturalism in todays
  Ireland is a challenge to everyone. The NAPAR
  describes the term interculturalism as acceptance
  not only of the principles of equality of rights,
  values and abilities, but also of the development
  of policies to promote interaction, collaboration
  and exchange with people of different cultures,
  ethnicity or religion. Let us strive therefore
  to achieve equality of access to opportunities
  for all because our common humanity in my view is
  equal.

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Contact Details

• Benedicta Attoh
• The African Experience
• 2 Eimear Court
• Market Square
• Dundalk, Co. Louth
• Tel [phone]
• Mob 353-87-9817853
• Emailbennie_at_africanexperience.ie
• Websitewww.africanexperience.ie