THE NEEDS ANALYSIS: ADULT EDUCATION PROVIDERS Workpackage 1 of the Step In! project Dr. Natalija Vrečer Slovenian Migration Institute, SRC SASA Ljubljana, 3. 4. 2012
Introduction This is a report on the needs analysis of adult education providers regarding the educational programmes of migrants. The report is done in the scope of Workpackage 1 of the Step In! project which is a Grundtvig project led by Leibniz University of Hannover. In this report we will focus on the needs analysis of adult education providers regarding the educational programmes of migrants in Slovenia. Slovenia is a country with increasing number of migrants. Among them the most numerous are those from ex-yugoslavia (third country nationals). In 2011 there were approximately 83,000 third country nationals in Slovenia (Josipovič, Bofulin 2011). In 2009 approximately 51% of them came from Bosnia-Herzegovina, 14% from Kosova, 11% from Serbia itd. (Josipovič, Bofulin 2011). Despite the fact that it is often stated that in Slovenia migrants with low levels of education prevail, the statistical data shows that most of the migrants in Slovenia have secondary education (Vrečer et al. 2008, Josipovič, Bofulin 2011). In 2009 60% of migrants had secondary education and 39% had primary education only. Among the migrants males prevail (73%), the number of women is much lower (27%) (Josipovič, Bofulin 2011). Most of third country nationals are employed in counstruction, many of them are also employed in transport, in tourism, in industry. Downward mobility is frequent and many migrants have low salaries. Legislative and policy framework The main law on adult education in Slovenia Adult Education Act from 1996 does not include the provision of educational programmes for migrants. At the same time it does not make a foundation for the development of intercultural adult education in Slovenia. In the main policy document on adult education the National Plan on Adult Education in the Republic of Slovenia until 2010 it is stated that there are not enough educational programmes for ethnic groups in our country. This National Plan was valid until 2010, the new one was
written by the Slovenian Institute for Adult Education, however, it has not been adopted yet by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport. In 2008 the Decree on Aliens Integration was adopted. In it it is written that migrants who do not have the Slovenian citizenship are entitled to educational programmes for learning the Slovene language and for getting acquainted with the Slovene culture, history and constitution. Those courses are free of charge. Those courses were available to migrants with permanent residency, those with temporary residence who reside in Slovenia for two years and their family members. Due to the pressure from civil society the government adopted the Decree Amending the Decree on Aliens Integration in 2010 in which the condition of residing for two years in Slovenia was abolished, so nowadays these programmes are available to the wider circle of migrants. In 2012 the Slovenian Institute for Adult Education started to prepare the Strategy for the Inclusion of Migrants into Adult Education together with 12 other institutions (ministries, NGO-s, employment service, migrants, municipality, researchers etc.). The action plan will in the same year follow the aforementioned strategy and try to implement the strategy in the following years. Educational programmes for migrants in Slovenia In 2011 there was a lack of funding for the educational programme for the Slovene language, so many newcomers could not participate in it. In 2009 the Slovenian Institute for Adult Education prepared a new programme the Early Integration of Migrants (EIM), which combines the knowledge of the Slovene language with the knowledge on the Slovene culture, history and constitution with the knowledge of social and health issues, employment issues, lifelong learning etc. (For more information on the programme Early Integration of migrants see Best practice at the end of this report). The EIM programme is envisaged to be implemented in various Slovenian cities from the second half of 2012 on. There is a fear that the new right wing government might block the implementation of the programme as well as other attempts to develop new educational programmes for migrants.
In 2008 Vrečer et al. made a research on educational needs of migrants, which confirmed what is written in the National Plan on Adult Education in the Republic of Slovenia until 2010, namely that there are not enough training courses for migrants in Slovenia. Josipovič and Bofulin made another research on educational needs of migrants in 2011 and found out that three years later the situation was a little bit better. Among the educational programmes some were adapted to migrants' needs, although they were originally written for other groups of people. Such programmes are Training for Life Success programmes (the so called UŽU programmes), which were written for vulnerable groups and are free of charge. As many migrants have low salaries, they represent a vulnerable group, so it is very important that educational programmes for them are free of charge. In 2008 a training programme for low educated Albanian female migrants was developed entitled When Abroad Becomes Home. (For more information on this programme see Best practice at the end of this report). The Koper Folk High School which implemented this programme is currently seeking the funds for further implementation of the programme. At the Folk High School OŠ Antona Žnideršiča they also implemented the training course for Albanian mothers. The Folk High School Andragoški Zavod Maribor offers the programme of psychosocial help to refugees. Many initiatives for providing the training for migrants are financed by the European Social Fund and European Fund for Third Country Nationals, so there is no sustainable financing. The latter would be necessary for the successful integration of migrants into lifelong learning and wider society. The training courses for migrants are mainly provided by folk high schools and some NGOs. The aforementioned training courses for migrants enhance civic and social competences of migrants to a large extent. They are meant to prevent social exclusion of migrants. However, more courses are needed for various groups of migrants, namely migrants are not a homogenous group but a heterogenous one.
The evaluations of training courses for migrants showed that the seperate training course for the Slovene culture, history and constitution was not successful, beceuase not many migrants decided to participate in it. The evaluation of the pilot implementation of the programme Early Integration of Migrants showed that it was very successful, migrants stated that they needed the knowledge provided by the programme, they were very satisfied with it and expressed a wish that the programme would be available to migrants in various Slovene cities. The evaluation of the training course for the Slovene language showed that many migrants did not know about it, so the Ministry of the Interior which is in charge of the implementation of this training course developed its outreach strategy and published the information on it in media (TV) and thus it became more known to the migrants. For the pilot implementation of the Early Integration of Migrants migrants were contacted in the places of their residence, through trade unions, employers, the information was published on the internet and the leaflets in the migrants' languages were distributed, besides, migrants organisations were contacted as well. The research of Vrečer et al. (2008) and Josipovič, Bofulin (2011) showed that migrants in Slovenia do not have enough information on the provision of educational programmes. They can get information free of charge in14 guidance centres across Slovenia which in recent years started to focus more on migrants' needs than in previous years. BEST PRACTICE: When Abroad Becomes Home by the The Obalno-Kraška Lifelong Learning Centre Target group: less educated female migrants (from Kosova) Year of implementation: 2008 and 2009 Length of educational programme: 100 hours Aim: to help less educated female migrants from Kosova to integrate into Slovene society Content: The project was implemented by the Koper Folk High School with the partners (the Employment Service of Slovenia, the Koper Primary school, the Koper Social Work Centre and The Koper Administrative Unit)
After 2006 many women from Kosova migrated to Obalno-Kraška region. They joined their husbands who were migrants in Slovenia. Women from Kosova did not know Slovene or any other foreign language, the spoke Albanian only. They were uneducated. The Koper Folk High School decided to make an educational programme with the aim to integrate these women from Kosova into Slovenian society. Individual learning plan was made for each of 11 women. They had a possibility to learn the Slovene language with the help of two cultural mediators who were Albanian women with higher education. The following themes were included in the educational programme When Abroad Becomes Home: - the Slovene language; - Getting to know the administrative unit; - Slovenia social country; - Employment; - My child goes to school; - ICT literacy; - My culture and your culture. Together they visited the Koper Administrative unit, the Koper Social Work Centre, the Employment Service of Slovenia and some other institutions, they learnt how to fill in certain forms, they improved their ICT literacy, they got to know the Slovene culture and presented their culture, they got acquainted with their role at school as parents and they learnt how to help their children at school etc. The programme was successful especially due to the work of two cultural mediators who spoke the participants' language and knew their culture. The cultural mediators were present in the learning environment, they accompanied women from Kosova in the aforementioned institutions they visited, and translated the learning material and forms given at the offices into Albanian. The project was funded by the Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs, European Union, and the Ministry of Education and Sport.
The participants receiving their certificates
From right to left a counsellor, mentors and the coordinator of the programme BEST PRACTICE: Early integration of migrants migrants by the Slovernian Institute for Adult education (EIM) education programme for Target group: migrants at their arrival to Slovenia Year of implementation: 2010 (piloted), envisaged from second half of 2012 on Length of educational programme: 60 and 120 hours Aim: to help migrants to integrate into Slovene society Content: The new programme to support migrants in the early stages of their stay in Slovenia was developed in 2009 on the initiative of the Ministry of Education and Sport. The aim of the programme is to enable immigrants to participate in and to integrate into Slovenian society. The development of the programme started with the research on the educational needs of migrants in Slovenia conducted by the Slovenian Institute for Adult Education in 2008. The survey revealed that the majority of the migrants in Slovenia have low educational background, that their
working and living conditions have deteriorated because of the economic recession, that their basic human rights are violated regularly by their employers and landlords, and furthermore that the provision of educational programmes for them is very scarce and not adapted to their present needs. One of the most urgent needs was to understand the language of the host country. The first concept of the 40-hour programme was developed afterwards covering the breakthrough level of the Slovene language, including the basic information on living and working conditions for migrants and their families in Slovenia. After the successful pilot phase of the programme, the concept of the programme was accepted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs responsible to implement integration policy in Slovenia. The integration programme was modified and accredited as a two module programme of 60 and 120 hours under the Rule for integration of migrants (2011). The programme comprises ten modules: Introduction to education Personal identity Family and Home Labour market and workplace, Health and social security, Lifelong learning, Public life Economics Environment and place Slovenian society and constitution From the second half of 2012 the programme is envisaged to be available free of charge to migrants with residence in Slovenia and their family members, the programme costs are covered on the basis of public tender from European fund for the integration of third country nationals. Teachers in the programme for the early integration of migrants are required to attend the 24 hours training course, furthermore a handbook has been developed to support high quality of teaching.
Training for the teachers of the Slovene language and cultural mediators in the EIM programme, January 2012
Conclusion There are not enough training courses for migrants in Slovenia, although the situation is a bit better from 2008 and in recent years. Migrants can participate in the courses for the Slovene language and for the Slovene culture, history and constitution. Some other programmes were adapted to the migrants' needs and the new programme Early Integration of Migrants was developed, however, it still needs to be implemented. There are some new intitiatives to develop new educational programmes (the Strategy for the Inclusion of Migrants in Adult Education and Action plan), however, there is a fear that the new right wing government might block these endeavours. References Josipovič, Damir; Bofulin, Martina (2011). Educational and Other Services Needs Analysis of Third Country Nationals and their Family Members in the Republic of Slovenia. Maribor: European Centre Maribor (in Slovene). Vrečer, Natalija; Možina, Ester, Žalec, Natalija; Svetina, Metka, Ziherl, Teja (2008). Education and Training of Migrants in Slovenia. A research report. Ljubljana: Slovenian Institute for Adult Education (in Slovene).