The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) distributed education kits on August 30, to children registered under the Migrant Registration Framework who have been...
Vous n'êtes pas connecté
THE BROAD smiles on the faces of government ministers gathered at a publicity event held at the Ministry of Education on August 19 contrasted sharply with the reality faced by thousands of Venezuelan children still left unable to access basic schooling. That reality: more than five years after the migrant crisis came to a head, the State has still not found an effective way of giving full life to its obligations under treaties like the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which calls on nations to “make primary education compulsory and available freely to all.” Instead, after all this time, and after repeated assurances from multiple officials, only 23 students will be able to attend classes when the new term starts. In contrast, there are 2,000 migrant children who should be in school. At one stage in 2021, the registered number was put as high as 4,400. Clearly, the many practical barriers to their admission remain. Even by the ministry’s own standards, informed by the fact that it received 187 applications, the figure is a drop in the bucket. Worse, only four will be placed at government schools. “It is no mean feat to get to this point,” insisted Minister of Education Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly at this week’s odd ceremony, in which minors were lined up and made to furnish envelopes with paperwork – as though at one of the many staged Nicolas Maduro signing ceremonies. “We want to help, but we had to do it in a lawful way.” Minister of National Security Fitzgerald Hinds, attending the event alongside brand-new Minister in the Ministry of National Security Keith Scotland, indicated the movement of people across borders brings significant benefits but also poses challenges, such as illegal migration. With our education system under strain, the hesitation to admit more students is understandable. The floodgates could be opened: with the political situation in Venezuela darkening, numbers are only set to rise. But the Cabinet’s position, which places supreme emphasis on legal status, contradicts not only international norms, but practice in other countries. In the UK, local education authorities are mandated to supply suitable full-time education for all children resident in their area. In the US, authorities cannot deny access to education to any child who does not have documentation; officials cannot even request information about status. In Guyana, all children, "legal" and "illegal," are allowed to enrol in schools, as well as access to school feeding programmes, uniform vouchers and education grants. There are over 3,000 migrant children enrolled there, including several from TT. It is remarkable that even with international assistance and help from religious bodies, we have taken half a decade to admit so few. That suggests the State’s deeper disposition, smiles notwithstanding. The post Schooling Venezuelan children appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) distributed education kits on August 30, to children registered under the Migrant Registration Framework who have been...
The Israeli war on Gaza hasbecomea war on Palestinian children. This was as true on October 7 as it is today. On August 17, UN Secretary-General...
Dara E Healy What shall be the legacy that we leave behind Will there be follies and fallacies To deceive their minds Will we give them...
Dara E Healy What shall be the legacy that we leave behind Will there be follies and fallacies To deceive their minds Will we give them...
THE alarming headline in this newspaper on August 21 announced “64% fail maths” in CSEC exams, across the region. According to the Caribbean...
AS TEACHERS, students and parents settle into the routine of a new academic year with all its associated anxiety and anticipation, those closely...
Kristen-Le Chelle Winchester CENTRED by the quote, “Be the change you wish to see in the world,” Ronia Swan, 20, has propelled herself as a child...
By Karen Kwiatkowski Americans are increasingly uneasy about their “national” security, and increasingly concerned that war is lapping at our...
By Karen Kwiatkowski Americans are increasingly uneasy about their “national” security, and increasingly concerned that war is lapping at our...
FORMER journalist and Independent Senator Sunity Maharaj says constitutional reform is the beginning of a means to begin to anchor a culture of...