EDUCATION. Field Guidelines. February 2003 Geneva

Transcription

1 EDUCATION Fied Guideines February 2003 Geneva

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3 Tabe of Contents Foreword... UNHCR Education Poicy Commitments... iii v Poicy Statement 1: Education for A The Right to Education Promoting Education for A Promoting Girs Education, Gender Equity and Sensitivity Support for the Education of Vunerabe Groups... 7 Poicy Statement 2: Basic Education Curricuum for Refugee Schoos Teachers and Teacher Training Organisationa Support Resource Aocation Education and Training in the Host Country Poicy Statement 3: Primary and Pre-schoo Education Access to Primary Education Community Based Chid Care and/or Pre-schoos Addressing Poverty issues Poicy Statement 4: Lower Secondary, Secondary and Tertiary Education Access to Secondary Education Access to Tertiary Education Poicy Statement 5: Non-Forma Education incuding Technica Education and Vocationa Training Non-Forma Education and Reated Activities Technica Education and Vocationa Training Poicy Statement 6: Quaity Education Promoting Quaity and Attainment in the Refugee Cassroom Materia Resources i

4 Poicy Statement 7: Life Skis and Vaues Education Life Skis Heath Education (incuding HIV/AIDS) Landmine and UXO Safety Peace Education Environmenta Education Poicy Statement 8: Eary Intervention Meeting Protection and Psychosocia needs Rapid Educationa Response Poicy Statement 9: Inter-Agency Co-ordination and Partnerships Inter-agency Co-operation Poicy Statement 10: Monitoring and Evauation Programme Impact and Improvement Monitoring of Programme Quaity, Impact and Improvement Gossary Annex 1: Internationa Decarations and Instruments Defining Education as a Basic Right Annex 2: Education Scenarios Annex 3: Education Sector Sampe Objectives Outputs and Indicators Annex 4: Standards For UNHCR-Funded Schoos Associated Materias ii

5 Foreword Education is a basic human right. For refugees it is a key to sustainabe protection and the hope for a better future. Refugee parents and chidren consider education of paramount importance. UNHCR must give education a very high priority at a eves of its operations. This UNHCR Education: Fied Guideines is the resut of extensive consutations invoving fied offices, and repaces the 1995 Education Guideines. This document eaborates UNHCR s continuing commitment and efforts to improve education assistance to refugees and other persons of concern. The pubication of this document is particuary significant in the ight of the Miennium Deveopment Goas and the Dakar Framework for Action on Education for A. UNHCR is committed to contributing to the fufiment of the goas of the word community. The document incudes UNHCR s Education Poicy and Commitments. This provides managers, programme and technica staff as we as partners, guidance in the management of refugee education programmes and in ensuring that access, quaity and equity in education are improved. The Fied Guideines transates poicy into practica and operationa terms, to hep fied staff and impementing partners to take concrete actions on a range of education issues. The Guideines aso highights the critica roe that education pays in support to other sectora objectives. This guidance too was deveoped to promote the universa appication of standards in the education sector, and a harmonized approach to a wide range of refugee education needs. Refugee situations vary from one context to another. However, there are imperatives and prerequisites for success which are common to a situations in addressing chaenges responsiby and creativey. These incude a sense of shared responsibiity, demonstrated through team work amongst fied staff of various discipines, and strong partnerships with Government institutions as we as inter and nongovernmenta entities. The Division of Operationa Support, in particuar the Heath and Community Deveopment Section, stands ready to support initiatives towards this end. The Education: Fied Guideines is intended to be an operationa too. In 2005, we pan to evauate the usefuness and impact of this too. Therefore, we urge you to use the document conscientiousy and share with us your feedback on efforts to appy the poicy and guideines. A feedback sip is encosed which you are requested to compete and return to the Senior Education Officer, HCDS, DOS, UNHCR Geneva (or by emai to HQTS00@unhcr.org). I wish to thank a those who made the pubication of this vauabe document possibe. Marjon Kamara, Director Division of Operationa Support UNHCR iii

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7 UNHCR Education Poicy Commitments UNHCR advocates for education as a basic right in the context of 1951 Refugee Convention and a other internationa decarations and instruments (see Annex 1). The Agenda For Protection, and the subsequent Action Pan approved by the Executive Committee in October 2002, specificay underine the importance of education as a too for pro t e c t i o n. UNHCR is committed to the key principes of refugee participation, oca capacity buiding, gender equity and addressing the specific needs of groups at risk. In impementing education programmes, UNHCR wi: 1. Safeguard the right of refugees to education and impement the six goas of Education For A (EFA) which incude free access to primary education, equitabe access to appropriate earning for youth and aduts, adut iteracy, gender equity and quaity education. 2. Ensure the provision of basic education, for refugees and other persons of concern, to ensure their protection and security and to enhance the possibiity of durabe soutions. 3. Guarantee the avaiabiity of primary education (standardised as the first eight grades of schooing) as a first priority, incuding community based initiatives providing eary chidhood and pre-schoo education, where these are prerequisites for forma education. 4. Support the provision of ower secondary education (standardised as grades 9 and 10). In addition, UNHCR wi support the enroment and retention of achieving students in higher secondary (grades 11 and 12) as a prerequisite to post-secondary education. Moreover, UNHCR wi advocate for tertiary education and wi support the effective use of resources donated for this purpose. 5. Provide ow-cost adoescent and adut non-forma education inked to the psychosocia deveopment and specific education needs of the groups. Where appropriate, this wi incude technica and vocationa education. 6. Promote quaity of education as a high priority commitment through teacher training and the deveopment of quaity teaching and earning materias. 7. Support innovative enrichment programmes in ife skis and vaues education that improve the quaity of education. 8. Ensure eary intervention and deveopment of education programmes in the eariest stages of an emergency, and access to education programmes by chidren and adoescents upon arriva. 9. Co-ordinate oca, nationa, regiona and goba inter-agency mechanisms and partnerships re g a rding refugee and re t u rnee education issues incuding educationa materias, certification of studies, teacher training and support for education. In addition, there wi be inter-sectora coaboration to ensure a cohesive and integrated approach. 10. Monitor and evauate a refugee education programmes in ine with the estabished standards and indicators, ensuring that these programmes receive the necessary human resources and appropriate funding at a eves and phases of UNHCR s operations. v

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9 Poicy Statement 1 Safeguard the right of refugees to education and impement the six goas of Education For A (EFA) which incude free access to primary education, equitabe access to appropriate earning for youth and aduts, adut iteracy, gender equity and quaity education. 1

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11 The objective of universa primary education by 2015 was adopted at the Word Education Forum, hed in Dakar in Apri The Forum stressed the importance of promoting education for a, even in situations of confict and instabiity, and the parity of enroment between boys and girs which is to be achieved by UNHCR has a coective responsibiity to fufi these targets, by giving utmost priority to refugee schooing. Secondary education and in-service teacher training make a particuar contribution to these ong-term objectives after the refugees return to the area of origin. Adut education aso makes a major contribution to EFA, since iterate parents are better abe to hep their chidren keep up with their studies. 1.1 The Right to Education Education is a human right. The right to education has been endorsed by the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Chid. Primary education shoud be free at the point of deivery and universa. Secondary education shoud be avaiabe and accessibe to a. Tertiary education shoud be accessibe to a on the basis of capacity by every appropriate means 2. Education shoud promote the fu deveopment of the chid s personaity, menta and physica potentia and shoud deveop respect for human rights, toerance and internationa understanding, and for the natura environment 3. The chid has the right to pay, to recreation and cutura activities Education is a too of protection. Education is an essentia and effective too of protection of chidren and adoescents. Measures to promote universa primary education wi hep identify chidren who are being expoited as abourers or servants, who are subject to physica and sexua abuse, who are disabed or who need medica hep. The process of education heps chidren to earn about the way society functions, their duties and their rights. Education shoud incude awareness that chidren under 18 shoud not be recruited into miitary forces Education heps meet psychosocia needs. Crisis situations invoving confict and dispacement cause disruption of chidren s ives, the break up of their famiies and societies, and uncertainty regarding their future. Often chidren have been subject to extreme vioence incuding seeing their parents and reatives kied, and so fear for their own ives, and some are recruited or abducted by miitias. Parents and guardians are often traumatised and unabe to provide norma care and guidance. Structured Word Education Forum (2000) Education for A Assessment: Framework for action Internationa Consutative Forum on Education for A, UNESCO, Paris CRC Artice 28 CRC Artice 29 CRC Artice 30 3

12 activities such as simpe education programmes, singing, dancing, games and sport are needed as soon as possibe after a crisis situation, to restore a sense of routine and normaity, and to provide support through peer interactions and through the interaction with teachers and youth eaders Education promotes sef-reiance, socia and economic deveopment. Education buids persona sef-reiance and provides for the human capita needed for the future reconstruction and economic deveopment of areas of origin or settement. Appropriate education buids the foundations for socia cohesion, peace and justice. Education that has been disrupted means that a generation of young peope may miss out on education atogether and become a drain on the economy or socia fabric of a country as we as become a force for future confict. 1.2 Promoting EFA Roe of the community. Refugee communities often begin to organise education activities as soon as sheter and food probems have been temporariy resoved. UNHCR shoud support and reinforce these initiatives within the context of EFA. The community shoud retain ownership and most functions whie skis are being deveoped and refined Community support for schoo attendance. The community has a major roe to pay in promoting EFA. Community groups such as schoo committees, women s groups and community eaders can sove probems such as community awareness of the need for schoo, confict of time-tabing (food distribution and schoo hours) ack of cothing for chidren, sanitation in schoos, absenteeism, etc. This must be co-ordinated in conjunction with Community Services and Camp Management personne Capacity-buiding for community education committees/parent Teacher Associations (PTA s ). Education programmes shoud have staff with specific re s p o n s i b i i t i e s for motivating the estabishment of training and guiding schoo or community education management committees. The responsibiities of the atter shoud incude: mobiising the contribution of vountary abour for the construction, maintenance and repair of cassrooms, atrines and other faciities and for schoo security; mobiising suppementary materias and vounteer resources for schoo and youth activities; organising home visits by teachers and community vounteers to promote enroment in schoo and prevent drop out; 4

13 promoting the education of girs and generay ensuring gender equity and sensitivity, incuding advocacy within the community, and advising the education programme on measures to prevent drop out; supporting community-based pre-schoos with vounteer teachers (important for promoting girs education); promoting the enroment and retention of chidren in primary schoo from the initia grades of schoo through to the end of the eighth year of schooing; ensuring good use of schoo resources incuding teacher attendance; reporting any harassment by or of teachers or students, and making arrangements for their safe transit to and from schoo, in groups if necessary; organising vountary systems of mentoring and after-schoo chid to chid tutoring for students in danger of dropping out; iaising with community groups and with administrators re g a rd i n g probems such as absenteeism due to timings of food distribution, water suppy, etc.; working with the head-teacher and senior schoo staff to prepare and update the schoo deveopment pan Use of refugee teachers and youth eaders. It is important to invove educated refugees as teachers. This has the advantages of economic independence, (or ess dependency), restoration of sef-esteem for the individua and the group, famiiarity for the students and the teacher and a sense of community. 1.3 Promoting Girs Education, Gender Equaity and Sensitivity Action Research. Community groups must be consuted on community perceptions of gender equity and reasons why girs or boys do not enro in schoo, enro at a ate age, or drop out prematurey. The focus groups shoud be asked to identify steps they can take to promote girs competion of the fu cyce of schooing, as we as steps that coud be taken by the education programme Gender sensitivity training for the community. Training and workshops must be conducted in the community to raise awareness of gender issues and to deveop possibe soutions to probems of inequities. Gender issues shoud be incuded in progress reviews and feature on the agenda of parent teacher or camp management meetings. This shoud be combined with gender sensitivity training associated with Sexua Gender Based Vioence (SGBV), Human Rights, income generation, etc. 5

14 1.3.3 Gender-sensitivity training for teachers, youth eaders and educationa administrators. In-service training of teachers shoud emphasise equitabe treatment of girs in the cassroom. Anti-harassment and anti-buying poicies shoud be put into pace and monitored P reventing harassment and unwanted pre g n a n c i e s. The Community shoud be sensitised to identify ways of preventing the harassment of girs and women teachers, in transit to and from schoo, or in schoo itsef. There shoud be vigiance regarding possibe pressures from teachers for sexua favours 5, in return for good marks in schoo Empoying femae staff. The empoyment of femae teachers and/or teaching assistants is important as it provides roe modes for girs. The presence of femae teachers enhances protection of girs from sexua harassment by mae pupis and teachers. UNHCR endorses affirmative action for recruitment of femae teachers incuding intensive courses to ensure parity of quaifications. Schoos shoud have a femae head teacher or deputy head whenever possibe. A femae teacher shoud be designated to provide counseing to oder girs Schooing for adoescent mothers. Girs who are pregnant or with chidren shoud not be prevented from continuing with their schoo studies. There shoud be strong advocacy for the reverse: that girs be encouraged to return. In UNHCR funded schoos this is a requirement. UNHCR endorses the impementation of chid-care faciities adjoined to the schoo to ensure young mothers participation Heping girs combine schoo and househod duties. In many famiies, girs are expected to undertake coection of food rations, water or firewood or watching over younger chidren outside the home. These matters can be addressed by suitabe timings of food distribution and water suppy, community chid-care and pre-schoo arrangements Cutura sensitivity re g a rding schoo faciities and arrangements. I n conservative societies it is necessary to work with the community to find ways of meeting their concerns about girs education. It may be necessary to have separate schoos or separate casses for girs or for oder girs. In a situations, there shoud be separate atrines for girs and femae teachers. 5 SGBV Against Refugees, Returnees and IDPs Guideines: for Prevention and Response (Draft)

15 1.4 Support for the Education of Vunerabe Groups Persons with disabiities. It is important to discuss with the community the importance of education for chidren and adoescents with disabiities in ine with Human Rights and Convention on the Rights of the Chid (CRC). In many cases, they can attend norma schoo or youth activities, especiay if teachers arrange for student hepers to meet their specia needs. Where possibe there shoud be specia casses for chidren and aduts with severe disabiities in each major camp or settement. If these cannot be estabished there shoud be at east a cub for chidren with severe disabiities, to provide reguar group activities. Persons with disabiities shoud have priority access to vocationa training in suitabe skis 6, e.g. taioring or secretaria skis for those who have ost the use of their egs. Sports programmes shoud incude specia events for the physicay handicapped Specia Education. C h i d ren with specia needs (hearing and visuay impaired, mentay handicapped, specific earning difficuties, etc.) must aso be catered for within the context of basic education. Specia provision must be made for materias such as hearing aids and spectaces. If necessary, community awareness as we as speciaised teacher training shoud be provided Ex-chid sodiers and miitia workers. In many cases, refugee schoos accommodate young persons who have been recruited into miitias at some point. Teachers in such schoos may need hep in deaing with these students. In some ocations, there have been specia programmes for ex-chid sodiers, comprising an initia heaing period of expressive activities and conversations with counseors, foowed by compressed primary schoo courses and / or vocationa training. The precise programme needs to be taiored to oca circumstances, and designed in participation and consutation with some of the ex-miitia adoescents themseves and the community to which they beong Separated Chidren. These chidren and adoescents may be fostered in famiies or may be in chid-headed househods. Every effort must be made to ensure that a chidren in these situations attend schoo, in spite of househod duties and poverty. In the community-based approach to education, Parent-Teacher Associations shoud deveop measures to overcome this probem. 6 Assisting Disabed Refugees: A Community Based Approach 7

16 1.4.5 Other at-risk gro u p s. The education programme and the community education committees shoud identify other at-risk groups such as chidren and adoescents invoved with drugs, prostitution, expoitative abour or street chidren, etc. The Education sector in conjunction with Community Services shoud ensure that steps are taken for their protection and heath, and to support their integration into education programmes. 8

17 Poicy Statement 2 Ensure the provision of basic education, for refugees and other persons of concern, to ensure their protection and security and to enhance the possibiity of durabe soutions. 9

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19 2.1 Curricuum for Refugee Schoos Emergency Curricuum. The curricuum in an emergency period shoud begin with structured activities (predominatey recreationa in the first instance). Any forma curricuum shoud be based on what the students used before dispacement, based on the memory of their teachers and any educationa materias they had brought with them. Controversia eements shoud be omitted. There shoud be speedy and ongoing monitoring by staff with knowedge of the anguage of instruction, to identify and eiminate any messages of hate and revenge (see Annex 2) Curricuum Choice. As soon as possibe, the curricuum shoud be formay defined, through a consutation process which incudes refugee educators and, ideay, staff of the Education Ministries of the countries of origin and asyum as we as the Impementing Partners. The anguage of instruction shoud be that of the country of origin as shoud the curricuum, but with additiona subject-time given to anguage instruction of the host country as we as thematic messages in ine with CRC and EFA. If the initia discussions concude that the curricuum of the host country is chosen, then again additiona subject-time must be given to anguage instruction of the host country as we as the thematic messages Standards for Instruction. UNHCR standards for schoo hours are at east 4 hours of schooing per day for casses 1 to 4, and at east 6 hours of schooing per day for grades 5 and above where a singe shift system is in operation. Instructiona time is often imited by the operation of a two-shift system and by interruptions to schooing caused by camp or settement activities. It is important, therefore, to timetabe the proper number of hours of study per year (for exampe those specified in the country of origin or asyum), even if this means shorter vacations. Another approach is to timetabe vacation courses on topics not receiving sufficient time in schoo Curricuum enrichment. Given the specia needs of dispaced popuations, it is important to meet psychosocia needs through enriching the schoo programme with recreationa activities. Curricua shoud aso be enriched through incusion of earning activities in the fieds of heath (incuding HIV/AIDS prevention), safety, peace/human rights/citizenship, and environmenta conservation Competion of cyces of education. Good practice requires minimising drop out so that students compete the cyce of education that they have begun. This requires adequate quaity of education so that students can achieve the required competencies. Fewer students drop out if they beieve that studies wi be recognised and wi ead to further studies or empoyment. It is wastefu if education and training does not resut in documented, officiay recognised certificates. 11

20 2.1.6 Assessment and examinations. Discussions shoud be hed with the education authorities in the countries of origin and asyum regarding recognition of studies and examinations. It may be necessary to arrange for monitoring or administration of examinations by an officia from the reevant Ministry/Ministries of Education. Logistica support shoud be provided where necessary to ensure that quaifications are recognised. 2.2 Teachers and Teacher Training Seection, training and supervision. Refugee teachers shoud be seected on the basis of transparent tests and interviews. Efforts shoud be made to appoint at east 50% femaes, and to have a femae head teacher or deputy. Where these standards cannot be met, training programmes shoud be initiated to move towards them. Fied advisers and supervisors shoud be appointed and trained, to provide continuing on-the-job and course-based in-service training to teachers, and to undertake monitoring and supervision. Experienced teachers shoud be trained to act as in-schoo mentors to new teachers Subject teachers. When the subject teacher approach is used, cass sizes are often arge because teachers have unreaisticay ow period teaching oads. If periods are 40 minutes or ess the weeky teaching oad shoud be between 30 and 35 periods per week. It is important to train and assist head teachers in preparing timetabes so that the best use is made of staff. The subject teacher approach shoud not be used in ower primary casses. It may be appropriate where staff ack the necessary competence to cover a subjects, or where there is a high eve of teacher absenteeism that coud penaise students whose cass teacher was rarey present. Efforts must be made to train ower primary staff to cover a subjects Code of conduct. A teachers and education personne shoud understand and sign a code of conduct to ensure that schoos are safe havens, that teachers wi be in oco parentis, that chidren are safe from sexua harassment and sexua expoitation and that the teachers behave in a professiona manner at a times Remuneration. Incentives shoud be on par with other professiona refugee workers. Otherwise there wi be heavy turnover and the benefits of on-the-job ( inservice ) training wi be ost. Leves of payment shoud be sustainabe over the ikey period of externa assistance. In principe, the payment shoud not be a deterrent to repatriation. This is difficut to assure if the government of the country of origin is not in a position to pay saaries. However, it is assumed that, after repatriation, many famiies woud be abe to make some payment to the teachers. This shoud be true aso of situations of oca settement, where refugees have enough resources (e.g. and) to be sef-sufficient. 12

21 2.2.5 In-service training of refugee teachers and education administrators. Training activities for new staff and systematic training thereafter are essentia components of refugee and other emergency education programmes. The training shoud be designed so that it meets the needs of students but aso cumuativey eads to a recognised quaification in the country of origin and/or asyum. It shoud at east cover the curricuum of training in the country of origin, and fu records shoud be kept by impementing partners, paving the way for recognition at a ater date. Even experienced teachers face new chaenges in setting up schoos for dispaced popuations, incuding estabishing new programmes in a matter of weeks and meeting the psychosocia needs of students. The teachers themseves may aso need hep in coping with traumatic experiences Pupi-Free time (vacations). These must be used for in-service training of teachers, rather than using term time with the consequent oss of teaching time. Inservice is to fi gaps in their basic education as we as impart new subject matter and pedagogic techniques. Teachers receiving incentives shoud be tod from the start that they are expected to work year round, with work conditions and incentives harmonised with equivaent incentive workers Teacher Retention. Everything must be done to minimise oss of trained teachers. In areas of repatriation, efforts shoud be made to ensure at east food-for-work incentives for teachers. Another approach is to provide income-generating resources to teachers in re t u rnee ocations, whether use of pots of and, toos, seed, sma ivestock, etc Nationa Teachers. In some situations, nationas of the asyum country are empoyed to teach the nationa anguage, or to fi staffing gaps. The conditions of empoyment of the nationa teachers shoud not be so different from those of refugee teachers so as to cause resentment. The eve of pay shoud be simiar to that of refugees, but compensate for resources made avaiabe to refugees through assistance programmes, and for trave needed to visit famiies. UNHCR resources do not permit funding of forma teacher empoyment contracts that have ong-term pension and retrenchment commitments. 2.3 Organisationa Support Co-ordination with nationa education authorities. UNHCR shoud iaise with government education authorities, to ensure the access of individua refugees to education institutions. When there is a major infux of refugees, UNHCR must be in contact with oca and nationa education offices as appropriate. UNHCR must insist on the right of newy arrived refugee popuations to begin emergency education 13

22 immediatey, using a community-based approach with refugee vounteer teachers and the core curricuum of the country of origin. Refugee education is often the responsibiity within government of a specia refugee authority or a particuar Ministry, rather than the Education Ministry as such. It is essentia to iaise with the Ministries of Education in the concerned countries to gain officia recognition for studies in refugee schoos and training programmes, and especiay for the schoo eaving and other endof-course certificates Impementing partners. U N H C R s support for education is norm a y channeed through impementing partners. These may be government agencies but are most often Non-Governmenta Organisations (NGOs), registered to work within the country concerned. The NGO shoud have a good record of work in the education sector, and in management of vauabe resources. Its nationa and refugee staff shoud be recruited through a transparent process, based on educationa quaifications and teaching/schoo administration experience; the predominance of a particuar ethnic or poitica group shoud be avoided. The project description shoud require observance of the principes set out in these guideines 7, as we as reporting requirements using reevant indicators Infrastructure. Infrastructure shoud be based on the principes of rapid response, foowed by cost-effectiveness. Thus, pastic sheeting is often the first form of cassroom sheter. Canvas tents of appropriate size are another possibiity but are not necessariy more durabe. Later, it may be more cost-effective and heathy to have a permanent roof and cement foor, even where was are made of oca materias. Care shoud be taken to ensure site drainage, to protect mud or woven was from rain by having a good roof overhang, to ensure adequate natura ighting and ventiation, and to design faciities to provide protection from heat and cod, as appropriate Site panning. This shoud aow for expansion of the number of cassrooms in future years, and for a staff room, principa s room, store, aboratory/practica room and ibrary/resource centre. There shoud be adequate space for recreation and sports activities and gardening (with access to a sports-ground and garden if space is insufficient near the schoo). There shoud be a notice board and dispay space for awareness-raising posters and dispay of students work Sanitation. Schoos shoud have priority coverage under water and sanitation schemes. Good quaity atrines with was are needed, with separate atrines for girs and women. If water pumps are provided, then at east one shoud be situated in each schoo compound. 7 Project Panning in UNHCR: A Practica Guide on the Use of Objectives Outputs and Indicators For UNHCR Staff And Impementing Partners, March

23 2.3.6 Basic furniture. As soon as possibe, chidren shoud have foor covering to sit on and teachers shoud have a chair and tabe. Thereafter, furniture shoud be progressivey acquired to meet oca standards. Where possibe, youth shoud be hired as apprentices to assist in production of schoo furniture, thereby giving them usefu work experience. The furniture shoud be given to the oder students first Staffing eves and cass size. UNHCR specifies that there shoud be a maximum cass size of 35 to 40 students in actua attendance on an average day (i.e. a pupi/teacher ratio of 40:1 in a singe teaching session). This compies with genera standards in deveoping countries and is the maximum number possibe for successfu earning Education suppies. Education equipment and materias such as backboards, chak, sates, exercise books, etc. shoud be made avaiabe as part of rapid response. In refugee situations, these suppies need to be continued indefinitey, as earnings opportunities are often imited. The same appies to other situations where poverty is a severe constraint on participation in schooing Standards for suppies. These shoud take note of previous educationa practices, for exampe whether sates were used in primary schoo casses (this shoud be encouraged for eary primary). It is important to suppy adequate numbers of exercise books for students in upper primary and secondary casses (exercise book x 2 per subject per year as a minimum), since note-taking is the primary source of study materias in cases where chidren are not provided with their own textbooks Teaching-earning materias. UNHCR, in conjunction with the impementing partner, shoud obtain a singe compete set of textbooks as soon as possibe. These shoud be accessed by a students through the schoo ibrary. Schoos shoud then aim for sets of 20 textbooks (ratio of 2 students to 1 text) for each grade that can be used by a casses in that grade group. Resource materias shoud be deveoped to compensate for a ack of appropriate texts or numbers of texts Suppementary materias. These are needed so that students maintain functiona iteracy. As soon as possibe, schoos shoud have sets of suppementary reading materias and a basic ibrary. There shoud be a set of basic education aids incuding a gobe and maps, so that refugee chidren can gain a more goba perspective from which to view the probems of their particuar country Recreation, sports and cutura activities. Certain items such as softbas, footbas, and skipping ropes are considered to be of universa appea and shoud be incuded in initia equipment. Subsequenty, the choice of recreationa and cutura activities and purchase of needed materias shoud be decided on a participatory basis, 15

24 incuding consutation with adoescents and youth of both sexes. These activities shoud be panned to meet the needs of in-schoo and out-of-schoo youth. 2.4 Resource Aocation Need for externa resources. In crisis situations, emergency inputs shoud be p rovided within weeks, but then a process of quaity improvement is needed, e.g. constructing new buidings and adding equipment, enargement of ibrary coections, t e a c h e r-training, etc. Refugee schoos do not have a stock of materias accumuated over the years, and so the re s o u rce aocation needs to be structured and on-going to ensure quaity Standards of resources. Schoo resources (e.g. buidings, equipment) shoud in genera be of a standard simiar to that in the country of asyum. UNHCR has certain minimum standards that must be met, (see sampe panning standards shown in Annexes 3 and 4) so that impementing partners can hep students achieve the reevant curricuum goas. These minimum standards wi aso be avaiabe in the Education Too Kit Support for schoos adjacent to refugee settements. UNHCR shoud provide immediate assistance to schoos within waking distance of refugee settements, to create positive rather than negative attitudes towards refugees. In parae, UNHCR shoud advocate with the host government and with assistance agencies to make efforts to bring the services in refugee-receiving districts up to nationa standards. This shoud be foreseen as part of norma work pans and programme budgets. 2.5 Education and Trainin in the Host Country Advocacy. There are often administrative barriers to refugees having access to schoos in a host country. UNHCR shoud, through discussions with the nationa authorities, ensure that barriers are overcome and ensure the right to education Bock admissions. UNHCR may provide resources to oca institutions that admit refugee students in substantia numbers. This may be in the form of materias and equipment, additiona cassrooms, etc. One approach is to offer to construct additiona cassrooms in return for the admission of refugee students. This is more cost effective than paying fees for each student or paying teachers saaries, which is not sustainabe. 16

25 2.5.3 Schoarships. UNHCR may support individua students with schoarships to hep meet the fees and/or other costs charged by nationa schoos or coeges. Detais shoud be arranged ocay but certain principes shoud be met 8. Each student shoud sign a contract setting out his or her responsibiities and stating the assistance that UNHCR wi seek to provide (resources permitting) Meeting the specia needs of refugee students. Refugee students may have had a gap in their studies, suffered trauma and separation from famiies, have knowedge gaps due to differences in nationa curricua, and so on. There shoud be specific persons in the schoo or impementing partner responsibe for counseing the students, and arranging bridging or remedia courses, if necessary. 8 On Schoarships, see UNHCR (1999) DAFI Poicy and Guideines for the Impementation and Monitoring of DAFI Schoarship Projects Geneva 17

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27 Poicy Statement 3 Guarantee the avaiabiity of primary education (standardised as the first eight grades of schooing) as a first priority, incuding community based initiatives providing eary chidhood and pre-schoo education, where these are pre-requisites for forma education. 19

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29 3.1 Access to Primary Education Grades/years of schooing. The distinction between primary and secondary education is one of administrative convenience within a given country at a given time. For programming purposes within UNHCR, primary education has been standardised as covering at east grades 1 to 8. UNHCR wi give priority to these grades in terms of rapid estabishment of EFA, and in terms of needed resources. This shoud be the case even where some of these grades are termed midde or ower secondary education in the countries concerned, as UNHCR cannot support five years of first eve schooing in one country and eight years in another, based on different usage of terms Modaities of support for primary schoos. Primary education may be assisted through: support through an impementing partner, for schoo construction and teacher incentives. [If, in situations of budgetary constraints, the education budget is cut, staff shoud ensure that buiding maintenance does not take precedence over teachers (as the teachers are the essence of an education programme)]; assistance with appication procedures for admission to oca/nationa schoos; assistance to oca schoos accommodating a substantia number of refugee students; materia assistance for needy refugees admitted to oca schoos; specia home-based or afternoon schoos for chidren who cannot attend norma schoos; acceerated earning programmes for adoescents Site panning and security. Primary schoos are needed within waking distance for young chidren. Where necessary, sateite schoos for ower primary casses can be estabished in every neighbourhood, and schoos with upper primary casses and ower primary casses for out-of-age students can be ocated more centray. Security of chidren and of oder girs waking to and from schoo must be considered. The hoistic approach requires that pre-schoo, schoo, recreationa space and mutipurpose centres shoud be custered to ensure a safe haven Recreationa activities. Games, singing, dancing, sport, art, drama and simiar activities shoud be incuded in the schoo programme, during essons, and as extracurricuar and vacation activities, to counter the trauma and distress experienced by chidren in refugee and internay dispaced famiies and the breakdown of previous socia networks. 21

30 3.1.5 Out-of-Age Schooing. Many adoescents and young aduts attend primary and secondary schoo. Instabiity associated with confict can mean the breakdown of schooing, such that chidren may miss severa years of schooing before becoming refugees. Adoescents often resume or begin schooing when the opportunity arises in a refugee camp. In some cases, it may be appropriate to centraise ower primary casses for adoescents, especiay for boys, who may be perceived as a threat to younger chidre n (especiay girs) or who may not wish to sit with younger chidren. Care shoud be taken to ensure that the re c reationa needs of out-of-age students are met (in schoo or otherwise) and that they receive messages reevant to their age, incuding re p roductive heath messages. In some societies, specia arrangements may be needed for adoescent girs. 3.2 Addressing Poverty Issues Cothing. Low cost cothing shoud be made avaiabe at east to the poore s t c h i d ren, so that they can attend schoo. If schoo uniforms are considered by the community to be imperative then these shoud be provided through refugee income generation programmes (where possibe). Coats and footwear are needed in cod cimates Hygiene materias. Lack of hygiene materias such as soap and sanitary materias contribute to drop out (especiay oder girs). These shoud have priority in non-food item distribution and schoo-going chidren shoud have first access Food. Non-participation in schooing is often inked to food shortage and insecurity. Provision of a nutritious snack, or dry food rations or provision of schoo feeding can hep overcome this probem Arrangements for working chidren. Often chidren are withdrawn from schoo to earn money through ow paid empoyment or scavenging. If this is unavoidabe, separate ate afternoon casses can be hed, offering the core curricuum, and accepting that students come in their working cothes Targeting vunerabe househods. Training, grants of toos and equipment, abour opportunities on income generation projects, and so on, can be targeted to benefit househods unabe to send their chidren to schoo due to poverty. These initiatives need to be inked to the chidren s attendance in schoo Exemption from fees. Where fees are charged for schooing or for extracurricuar activities, there shoud be exemption for students identified as vunerabe by a Parent-Teacher committee. 22

31 3.3 Community Based Chid Care and/or Pre-schoos Importance of eary chidhood deveopment for crisis-affected chidren. Every encouragement shoud be given to ensure community chid-care and/or preschoo education. Structured activities of various kinds for very young chidren provide opportunities to reieve psychosocia tensions and assist chid deveopment. This is especiay important where parents may be too distressed to provide norma parenting, and the extended famiy is disrupted Eary chidhood education as support for girs education. Kindergarten / pre-schoo casses provide the opportunity for oder sibings (especiay girs) to attend schoo as, in many societies, oder chidren are expected to supervise the younger ones. It has been observed that parents put both girs and boys into pre-schoo casses, especiay if a snack is provided. This can act as a precedent to send girs to schoo UNHCR Support. UNHCR wi support the provision of consumabe materias for pre-schoos. However, generay, UNHCR wi not support the payment of incentives for pre-schoo teachers. 23

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33 Poicy Statement 4 Support the provision of ower secondary education (standardised as grades 9 and 10). In addition, UNHCR wi support the enroment and retention of achieving students in higher secondary (grades 11 and 12) as a prerequisite to post-secondary education. Moreover, UNHCR wi advocate for tertiary education and wi support the effective use of resources donated for this purpose. 25

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35 4.1 Access to Secondary Education The trauma of exie shoud not be aggravated by the oss of educationa o p p o r t u n i t y. UNHCR shoud there f o re ensure that the adder of educationa opportunity is accessibe Importance of secondary education. UNHCR wi support successfu primary schoo students in the next stage of education, to fufi their human rights and ikewise to provide a cadre of educated persons to become schoo teachers, heath workers, administrators and so on. Where secondary education is divided into upper and ower secondary education, with separate schoo-eaving examinations, priority in funding shoud go to ower secondary, but with some resources reserved for the high-achieving students to attend upper secondary schoo. Modaities of support for secondary education. Secondary education may be supported through: sef-hep community based education for secondary students; impementing partners construction of ow-cost semi-permanent schoos and provision of teacher incentives; speciaised funding and trust funds (e.g. Refugee Education Trust- RET); add-on casses for ower secondary education in seected primary schoos; assistance with appication procedures for admission to oca/nationa secondary schoos; assistance to oca secondary schoos accommodating a substantia number of refugee students; materia assistance for refugees admitted to oca schoos; support in using distance earning opportunities where no conventiona forms of secondary education can be accessed. 4.2 Access to Tertiary Education UNHCR supports higher education predominanty through the DAFI 9 schoarship programme. These are speciay earmarked funds from the German Government. UNHCR wi: 9 Poicy and Guideines for DAFI Schoarship Projects (2nd edition) March

36 advocate with the universities so that refugee students do not pay higher fees than oca students do; advocate for other schoarships to embassies, foundations, etc.; take a possibe steps to faciitate recognition of refugees previous studies; through tests, if documentation is inadequate; support needed remedia teaching to cover gaps in previous studies or in anguage or mathematics skis; inform refugees and others of concern of reevant distance earning opportunities, and faciitate their participation in such courses UNHCR funding and advocacy. Priority for funding wi be given to candidates wishing to study in such fieds as education, incuding serving teachers and head teachers, and pubic heath, incuding refugee medica staff. In this way, the human re s o u rces of the refugee community are deveoped in preparation for repatriation or oca settement and are of vaue in future reconstruction. 28

37 Poicy Statement 5 P rovide ow-cost adoescent and adut non-forma education inked to the psychosocia deveopment and specific education needs of the groups. Where appropriate, this wi incude technica and vocationa education. 29

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39 5.1 Non-forma Education and Reated Activities Structured activities for adoescents and young aduts. The most effective outreach to these young peope is non-forma education activities and recreation, as the majority of refugee adoescents and young aduts are normay not enroed in futime education, and may have no opportunity for constructive activities due to ack of empoyment activities or restrictions on empoyment. These non-forma activities shoud be used as a vehice for conveying important heath, environmenta, peace and other messages Adut Education. Non-forma education is equay as important for aduts. Literacy courses for women not ony increase their persona competencies and sefesteem, but can aso pay an important roe in promoting schoo attendance and success for their chidren. The content of an adut education programme wi depend on oca circumstances and the needs of the refugee popuation and shoud be deveoped through a community-based approach Needs Assessment. This must be undertaken prior to any programming decisions to ensure that refugee needs and interests are taken into account. Focus group discussions with a sectors of the community as we as existing community groups and committees ensure that oca needs and cutura considerations are taken into account. Most importanty, this method ensures ownership of the programmes by the communities, with a higher probabiity of success Appropriate Programming. Programmes shoud be designed according to oca needs and cuture but educationa considerations shoud be paramount. This may mean separate programmes for certain age groups or separate programmes for maes and femaes. It may be appropriate for adoescent girs and women to study together, or for boys and men to share a recreationa activity, or for education programmes to be for both sexes. Fexibiity of panning is required to ensure the most cost-effective and appropriate programmes possibe Programme Deveopment. Activities to be considered incude: iteracy/numeracy casses; anguage casses (internationa anguages used in the home country, or anguage of the asyum country); creative writing workshops; ibrarianship inked to a resource centre; sports and recreationa activities and reated skis training, and cutura activities incuding arts, crafts and participatory drama groups. 31

40 Courses on topics of specia reevance such as reproductive heath, chid-care, peacebuiding, and environmenta conservation, can be deveoped on a stand-aone basis and/or inked to the above activities. A iteracy/numeracy option shoud be incuded in recreationa and cutura programmes, where a sufficient number of participants are interested Organisationa Responsibiity. The impementing partner for primary education shoud be responsibe (on a defaut basis) for ensuring that these activities are undertaken in a refugee ocations. This may be through other sectora activity and budgeting. 5.2 Technica Education and Vocationa Training Situation Anaysis. Technica education and vocationa training is part of the adder of opportunity for some refugee adoescents, youth and aduts. This training shoud be in fieds of benefit to the community and post-confict reconstruction. Programmes shoud be based on reguar situation anayses taking into account the current circumstances, market demand, capacity and opportunities and progress towards durabe soutions Design and management. UNHCR wi ensure that the design and management of education and training programmes for refugees and other popuations of concern benefit their future socia and economic deveopment. These courses wi give due regard to gender equity and equa opportunity within and between courses as we as avoiding gender stereotyping in terms of course offered. 10 If training is for a fu iveihood, it is important to imit the numbers trained to what the market can absorb. This is usuay quite a sma number, among ow-income communities. It is aways important to give reaistic work experience such that the extrainees can produce goods and services of the needed quaity and have the know-how to gain and maintain empoyment Activities vs. training. Technica training shoud not be confused with occupationa therapy. Ony those with rea aptitude and interest shoud be considered for skis training. Those who wish to undertake ong-term studies can work to deveop their anguage skis (earning or improving their skis in an internationa anguage). 10 Sourcebook for Refugee Skis Training. UNHCR