The Erasmus+ Program and Education of Migrants in Italy.

Article by Sheetal Shah

Finding Possibilities to help Migrants and Refugees to educate through Erasmus+ Programs. Erasmus+ is the EU’s programme to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe.

All the children have fundamental right to basic education under international and regional human rights law, including EU law, the type, quality and duration of schooling provided to asylum seekers, refugees and migrant children who are determined by their position rather than their educational needs.

We are focusing on seeing those migrant children who are in an irregular situation and are most likely to miss school. Only seven EU member states(including Italy) have officially recognised the right of undocumented migrant children to basic formal education

According to UNICEF’s U-report on the Movepoll on education, 49% of refugees and migrant teenagers attended solely Italian language classes, while only 30% attended regular classes with substantial variation between areas. In the U-report and Move poll 86% of young migrants and refugees said they wanted to get vocational training. However, only small percentage of them were able to take advantage of such chances.

CHALLENGES IN ACCESSING EDUCATION

Legal barriers : Lack of clear provisions on compulsory education for children in reception centres, children without resident permits or international protection status, Limited access to education for children outside a certain age group

Administrative difficulties: Strict registration deadlines, residency, other personal documentation requirements.

Stereotype and Judgement: Perception of migrants and refugees may lead to discrimination, prejudice and bullying. Teachers are not always well qualified to encourage multiculturalism and openness to diversity

LANGUAGE BARRIERS

Stress and trauma accumulated in countries of origin, transit or destination

Limited places in schools and preschools , lack of catchup classes, budgetary shortages, insufficient guidance and training for teachers

Frequent movement of refugees and migrants from one type of accommodation to another

Distance and transportation to schools, cost of school materials

Insufficient information provided to children and their families about procedures and services available

Based on statistics, foreign born young people (age15-24) are significantly more likely than their native born peers to be neither employed, nor provided with proper education or training. This is why educating children with migrant/refugee backgrounds is highly essential.