Refugee learners’ needs: framework of questions

Julia Citron, Techfugees Education advisor, has put together 15 questions to help define refugee learner groups and a database of education initiatives for innovators in education looking to help refugees.

This checklist aims:

  • To help educators pre-empt barriers to learning
  • To help educators identify their end users so they can co-create programmes with them from the beginning of the design process
  • To help entrepreneurs, funders and policy makers ensure that no groups of refugee learners are left behind without solutions that are truly accessible and relevant to them.

Note : Each question will most likely have multiple answers. The bullet points are non-exhaustive suggestions.  

  1. Which age group are they?
  •       Pre-nursery
  •       Nursery
  •       Kindergarden
  •       Lower Primary
  •       Upper Primary
  •       Lower Secondary
  •       Upper Secondary
  •       Vocational
  •       Special Needs
  •       Graduate
  •       Postgraduate
  1. What level of education do they have?
  •       Never educated
  •       3 years + out of education
  •     0-3 years out of education
  •     On track with age expectations (children only)

.     Vocational skills but no qualification

  •     Vocational qualification
  •     Qualification from home country

.     Part-way through a qualification in home country

  1. Which phase in refugee journey are they at?
  •       School closed down / too dangerous to go
  •       Internally displaced
  •       In a camp in their country of origin
  •       In a camp in a neighbouring country
  •       In transition – less than 1 month since arrival and intend to move in less than a month
  •       Waiting for asylum outcome – free to move
  •       Waiting for asylum outcome – incarcerated
  •       Asylum outcome rejected or appealing an asylum outcome – living illegally
  •       Asylum outcome rejected or appealing an asylum outcome – incarcerated
  •       Refugee status granted – papers up to date
  •       Refugee status granted – papers out of date
  •       Newly arrived at school full time in host country
  •       Settled in formal schooling in host country
  1. What is their country of origin? What is their home language (might be different)?
  •       Syria
  •       Iraq (multiple languages)
  •       Afghanistan (multiple languages)
  •       Pakistan
  •       Nigeria
  •       Somalia
  •       Ethiopia
  •       Eritrea
  1. Where are they now?
  •       Lebanon
  •       Jordan
  •       Turkey
  •       Iraq
  •       Germany
  •       Sweden
  •       Greece
  •       Italy
  •       UK
  •       France
  1. What gender are they?
  •       Male
  •       Female
  1. What are their talents and interests?
  •       Sports
  •       Arts
  •       Technology
  •       Current affairs and politics
  •       Business
  •       Languages
  1. What do they currently do during the day?
  •       Play / nothing
  •       Work part time
  •       Work full time
  •       In inadequate schooling arrangement
  •       Currently home-schooled
  •       Other (involved in crime, walking between countries, trying to get on lorries, detained)
  1. What is my their current mindset in relation to learning?
  •       Other psychological priorities
  •       Hungry to learn
  •       Needs encouragement
  1. What parental support do they have?
  •       Accompanied with engaged adult
  •       Accompanied but adult disengaged
  •       Unaccompanied and no relationships with a trusted, motivated adult
  •       Unaccompanied by relationships with a trusted, motivated adult
  1. What are their current living conditions?
  •       In a formal camp
  •       In an informal camp
  •       In formal housing (urban)
  •       In formal housing (rural)
  1. What is their family’s economic situation?
  •       Low : couldn’t afford data, basic school equipment, transport to school, children working
  •       Middle : children could not work but couldn’t afford transport to school or fees
  •       High : could afford some school fees & transport
  1. What access do they have to tech?
  •     No smartphone access
  •     Access to laptop or tablet in camp
  •     1 smartphone / laptop per family
  •       Own smartphone
  1. What access do they have to the internet?
  •       Strong wifi available
  •       Poor wifi available
  •       Wifi available free at specific local points
  •       Only privately paid for data available 3G
  •       Only privately paid for data available 4G
  •       No data or wifi available
  1. What type of education will this provide?
  •       Formal : recognized curriculum / qualifications
  •       Semi-formal : non-recognized curriculum / qualifications
  •       Informal : Psychosocial / play / educational games

How can I help?

Please feel free to :

.   Suggest missing key questions from the framework above

.   Enrich the database below with refugee education initiatives we should know about

.   Share the research with people who might find it useful

Where is the database of refugee education initiatives?

Here is the link

Q&A : context of the research

See article on Techfugees blog

Contact

Julia.a.citron@gmail.com