Training for teachers how to cope with refugee children in their class Erasmus Project

Project Title

Training for teachers how to cope with refugee children in their class

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 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Early School Leaving / combating failure in education; ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Access for disadvantaged

Project Summary

War in the Middle East & North Africa have caused a humanitarian disaster for those countries & its neighbors. According to a report released in September 2015 by UNICEF, 13+ million children are not attending school in the Middle East & North African countries affected by conflicts, while e.g. 1 in 4 schools in Syria cannot be used because they have been destroyed, damaged or been re-purposed as shelters or military headquarters. Syria especially has been badly affected during the civil war that has raged through the country. According to the latest reports from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), almost 5 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, 3.6 million of which are internally displaced in Syria & 1.4 million of which have become refugees in neighboring countries. Of these refugees, it is estimated by UNICEF that at least 50% (or close to 700,000) are under the age of 18.
The needs of refugees begins with the basics like safety, health, nutrition & shelter. Security, shelter & nutrition are met by the international agencies & neighboring countries. Education however is becoming the top priority to keep all these children occupied & prepare them for their eventual post-conflict return to their nation. It is important to Syria & the region that this generation of Syrian children do not end up irreparable damaged as a result of this war, as it may lead to further bouts of violence in the future.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) claims that less than one third of the 700,000 Syrian children who have entered Turkey in the last four years are attending school. According to HRW, language barriers, the cost of schooling & difficulty integrating into Turkish society are the main obstacles stopping Syrian children being taught: e.g. although enrollment is free, proficiency in Turkish is obligatory before they can enroll in Turkish schools. The same is applicable to the refugees that have succeeded in entering European countries & have now started entering the national school systems as well, they require at least knowledge of a national language. Approximately half of the Syrian refugees are under the age of 18 & around 40% under the age of 12.
A recent study of children refugees in the Islahye refugee camp (TR) revealed the following:
– 79% had war death in family
– 60% had seen actual violence on a person
– 30% had themselves been abused (kicked, shot at, physically hurt)
– almost 45% displayed symptoms of post-traumatic stress-disorder
– 44% reported depression symptoms
– 1/4 reported daily psychosomatic pains in limbs
– 1/5 had daily headaches.
Many of the obstacles faced by refugee students (especially those that are unaccompanied) reflect in the classroom behavior & can be explained by the neuro-developmental effects of trauma. These include, but are not limited to:
– challenges processing information, organizing material & establishing goals
– challenges attending to classroom tasks, regulating emotions & attention
– challenges comprehending cause-effect relationships & taking others’ perspectives
A stable institutional setting (such as school & community) can contribute to the refugee student well-being, especially towards the integration & inclusion, as well as mental health. While teachers have an important role to assist students overcome these problems, they have not received any adequate training.Each teacher must be supported & trained about refugee’s rights, overcoming language barriers, mental health, etc. so that they are able to engage these students.
It is therefore of utmost importance that the school staff is aware of the challenges and is well prepared for it. The project therefore delivered an illustrated handbook for the teacher with accompanying printed/mobile/online supporting tools that support the teacher throughout the different challenges they face nowadays. Equally, the supporting tools also work towards engaging teachers and refugee students in a manner that is novel, attractive for both the teacher and the student (beneficiary). with accompanying tools and guidelines that offer schools an important instrument in ensuring integration and inclusion of refugee children from the lowest academic spectrum, directly combating absenteeism among refugee children, and contributing to the well being of their teaching staff.
The project necessitates a multi-faceted (educational, psychological) partnership & a multi-country approach due to schools in EU + Turkey facing the same challenges with regards to students with a refugee background.The consortium consisted of 8 partners from 5 countries (TR, BG, BE, GR, SRB).
Within the 36 months life spam of the project the following outputs were developed:
-IO1: Peer support portal for teachers with resources
-IO2: Methodological guidance for school principals / head teachers
-IO3: Illustrated training material & handbook for teachers
-IO4: Supporting case driven educative videos for teachers
-IO5: Mobile application.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 331847 Eur

Project Coordinator

ANKARA YILDIRIM BEYAZIT UNIVERSITESI & Country: TR

Project Partners

• SOFIA UNIVERSITY ST KLIMENT OHRIDSKI
• Goc Idaresi Genel Mudurlugu
• ANKARA MILLI EGITIM MUDURLUGU
• PHOENIXKM BVBA
• SoftQNR D.O.O.
• SDRUZENIJE NA NA RABOTESHTITE S HORA S UVREZHDANIYA
• M.K.O. CIVIS PLUS