Learning Diversity: A Case Study of Refugee Students in Primary School Erasmus Project

Project Title

Learning Diversity: A Case Study of Refugee Students in Primary School

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; Access for disadvantaged; Integration of refugees

Project Summary

BACKGROUND: Millions of refugees have escaped across borders, fleeding the bombs and bullets that have devastated their homes. Over half of them are under the age of 18. Globally, only 50 percent of refugee children (an individual aged between 7 and 11 who is obliged to leave his country for a safer and better life, needs to learn the language of his new host country and should be supported to overcome the challenges and barriers he faces in educational system of the host country) have access to primary level education, and less than 25 percent is enrolled in secondary school. UNHCR’s report “Turning the Tide” finds that worldwide refugees are five times more likely to be out of school than the global average. Only 61 percent of refugee children have access to primary education worldwide, compared with a global average of 92 percent. In other words, of the 19.9 million refugees under our care, 7.4 million are of school age. Their access to education is limited, with 4 million unable to attend school. As part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the members of the United Nations pledged to ensure an “inclusive and equitable quality education” and to promote “lifelong learning opportunities for all”.
At the European Union (EU) level, a number of policies are in place to ensure the education of refugees. European Parliament provides that refugees should be granted access to education under the same conditions as nationals. The European Commission adopted the Action Plan providing a framework for Member States’ efforts in developing and strengthening their integration policies and the Commission’s support for these efforts; a special focus is placed on responses to the challenges of refugee integration. In education, Member States are encouraged, inter alia, to provide language learning and prevent educational segregation, ensure that teachers have the skills to manage diversity, to promote the recruitment of teachers with a migrant background, to promote the participation of migrants’ children in early childhood education and care, to enable access to vocational training, and to assess, validate and recognise skills and qualifications of third country nationals (European Commission, 2016).
When we have a look at the statistics related to refugee children at school age for partner countries in this project, the estimated number of refugee children at school age is 976,200 in Turkey. The number of children enrolled is 618,948 (65%). In Greece, 41%of the refugee children did not attend any type of education. Among the children attending any type of education activities, only 22% were attending formal education during the school year 2017-2018 (UNICEF and REACH).
Schools all over the Europe are welcoming increasing numbers of refugee children, so teachers and the school environment are key in facilitating socialization and acculturation of refugee students.
OBJECTIVES: In considering ways to help refugee students the purpose of this project is to provide detailed information about unique needs of refugee students, their obstacles to success, and the interventions that are promising for overcoming the barriers that they face and good practices their teachers and administrators apply in order to support learning and –teaching environment. The proposals will be set to adopt and share best practices and to develop an innovative model including all good practices for successful integration of refugee students. The purpose of the model including good practices is providing the possibility for teachers, decision makers, and wider public to learn more about positive and innovative practices targeted to refugees’ support.
METHODOLOGY: This project aims to provide a published comprehensive model including good practices for teachers and schools with refugees using qualitative multicase study model. In order to suggest a comprehensive model including good practices, multicase studies will be carried out at primary schools hosting refugees. In these multicase studies, interviews with refugee students, teachers and administrators, observations in classroom and at school with document analysis will be done to write a report on good practices applied in each school.
PARTICIPANTS: There are 8 partners from 4 countries. Teachers, administrators and refugee students aged between 7-11 from partner countries form the target group of the project.
MAJOR OUTCOMES OF THE PROJECT:
1. Publishing a comprehensive model of good practices for teachers and schools with refugee students.
2. eTwinning platform and website including downloadable resources (Sharing experiences, videos, documents, photos etc.)
3. Dissemination materials and seminars in partner countries.
4. Intercultural festival at primary schools
5. Publication of the final report (E- book) on the E-Twinning platform.
6. Joining a National Conference to disseminate project results via oral presentation.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 109200 Eur

Project Coordinator

Odunpazari Ilce Milli Egitim Mudurlugu & Country: TR

Project Partners

• UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI MACERATA
• UNIVERSITA TA MALTA
• 67 DIMOTIKO SXOLEIO THESSALONIKIS
• ANADOLU UNIVERSITY
• Ibrahim Karaoglanoglu Primary school
• ARISTOTELIO PANEPISTIMIO THESSALONIKIS
• St Benedict College Birzebbuga Primary School