PRIMARY AND POST-PRIMARY EDUCATION

All asylum seeker and refugee children aged between four and eighteen have a right to primary and post-primary education in a manner similar to the rest of the Irish population. Children of pre-school age are provided with pre-school education only where it is available in the local community. They may have to pay for this service depending on their location as it is not a nationwide free service.

The Department of Education and Science, in co-operation with the Reception and Integration Agency, has prepared an information booklet for schools on asylum seekers. This booklet outlines the resources that are available to schools, particularly for those pupils whose command of English is not comparable to Irish children.

Integrate Ireland Language and Training provides inservice training for primary and post-primary principals and teachers on how best to teach English to students who are not competent in the language. In addition to demonstrating methodologies for teaching English, this inservice training stresses the need to help with the child's socialisation and to augment class work. 

When the Reception and Integration opens a family accommodation centre for asylum seekers in a new area of the country, contact is established with the school principals and with the Chairpersons of Boards of Management in the local primary and post primary schools. A meeting is arranged with the school principals, Chairs of Boards of Management, the education representative in the Reception and Integration Agency, an inspector from the Department of Education and Science, the Community Welfare Officer (CWO), the manager of the accommodation centre and normally a principal or an English language teacher from a school which already teaches non-national children. The meeting provides the attendance with information and with an opportunity to exchange points of view and to realise that there is a team of people available to cater for the different aspects of the children's needs - such as the provision of school uniforms through exceptional needs payments made by the CWO, or the provision of lunch by the management of the accommodation centre.

If there are a number of schools in the general area of an accommodation centre, each school is encouraged to enrol children in order that Irish children and the children of other nationalities have an opportunity to meet, to exchange views and to realise that society is diverse. With this approach, racism tends to be nipped in the bud since children learn together and realise how alike they are and that difference is to be celebrated and not feared.

The Reception and Integration Agency provide the managers of accommodation centres with guidelines on how to interact with schools. They are given a list of the local schools, the names of the school principal, contact details, etc. They develop a working relationship with the schools and they contact the schools when new children arrive at the accommodation centre or when children leave the centre. The managers are also advised to make appointments for parents to meet with the school principals. The managers may contact the education expert in the Reception and Integration Agency if they have any queries or problems relating to education.

School transport is arranged to bring children to and from school if an accommodation centre is located at a distance from the school.

Schools that enrol children from accommodation centres are provided with information about the centres and with contact names and phone numbers in order that they can reach the appropriate person when issues arise.

Parents of asylum seeker children and parents of refugee children are supplied with relevant information leaflets regarding primary and/or post-primary eduation for their children. These leaflets are available in nine languages to ensure that parents receive an appropriate overview of education in Ireland. Unaccompanied minors are also supplied with these information leaflets. Parents of asylum seeker children living in accomodation centres who wish to enrol their children in local schools must make an appointment in advance with the school principal for this purpose.

It should be noted that a number of schools organise international events to celebrate their international communities and such events give the pupils an even greater understanding of diversity. In addition, some parents of asylum seeker and refugee children become involved, as Irish parents do, in various school activities such as sports, school drama, etc.

THIRD LEVEL EDUCATION

Asylum seekers are not entitled to further or third level education until they obtain refugee status. Refugees have the same entitlements to further and third level education as Irish citizens. However, if they wish to avail of free third level education under the Free Fees Initiative they must have attained refugee status at least three years prior to the commencement of the course.

Where a person is not eligible for free tuition under the Free Fees Initiative and is pursuing an approved course at undergraduate level, the local authority may award a full or part grant in respect of the candidate's lecture fee, under the Higher Education Grants Scheme which is means tested.

ADULT EDUCATION

Adult asylum seekers are entitled to adult literacy, English language and mother culture supports. Some accommodation centres provide these services in-house. Otherwise, asylum seekers may source the services from a service provider in the local town or city. Normally the local Vocational Education Committee (VEC) provides classes or arranges for classes to be organised through local support groups. Provision of classes can, therefore, take many forms. The City of Dublin VEC and the County of Dublin VEC have jointly prepared recommendations on how provision of English language and literacy classes for asylum seekers should be made.

When asylum seekers obtain refugee status the Reception and Integration Agency provides them with advice on ways of integrating into Irish society, including into adult education. Refugees are entitled to access adult and further education such as VEC Adult Literacy Service, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses, Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS) and FÁS training courses.   

Link:

Department of Education & Skills