Education for Children Programme
The overall aim of the Education for Children Programme is to encourage refugees and asylum seeker children of school going age to attend school by providing families, parents and guardians with information concerning the education system is South Africa, and to provide financial assistance for school fees and other related costs.
In 2007, a total of almost 2,000 refugee learners were enrolled in school levels ranging from pre-primary, primary to secondary levels. These learners were assisted with school fees, uniforms and stationery, and transport, while others were assisted with applying for school fees exemptions. Most schools have granted partial school fees, which has made a huge difference in the ability for refugee and asylum seeker learners to continue attending school throughout the year.
The Centre is anticipating a huge number of refugee/asylum seeker children in South Africa as a result of ongoing conflict throughout the continent. Most of the children who are coming from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Somalia, Rwanda and Zimbabwe are trying to join their families here in South Africa. In recent months, the CTRC has noticed an increase in the number of unaccompanied minors and children separated from their parents in the Cape Town region. Thus, an increase in the education budget is necessary in order to meet the basic educational needs and rights of refugee and asylum seekers children. It is also essential for the CTRC, other refugee organisations, and community members to continue informing teachers, parents, and the larger Cape Town community of the situations facing refugee and asylum seeker children.
The Cape Town Refugee Centre also runs a very successful French Language Programme. The Department of Education in South African requires learners to take at least two languages, of which one must be a first language. South African learners take Afrikaans or Xhosa as their second language. The Centre noticed that refugee learners were struggling to grasp these two required languages, thus the French Language Programme was developed. The aim of the programme is to teach French speaking refugee and asylum seeker learners French in order to satisfy their second language requirement.
The French Language Program takes place at Maitland High School where the majority of refugee and asylum seeker high school learners go attend school. The programme has produced impressive results, as demonstrated by the sudden increase in the number of learner distinctions at the end of 2006. Due to scarcity of resources, the programme can only encompass grades 10 to 12. CTRC is looking to increase its budget for the French Language Programme so that grades 8 and 9 can be included in the programme. In addition, the programme hopes to expand its services to other areas to increase benefits to refugee and asylum seeker learners.
The Parents Committee, a community-based initiative, was formed in 2006 in order to create a network of support for refugee and asylum seeker learners and their parents. The committee serves as a platform for parents to fully participate in the improvement of their children's education. Parents are educated about their rights as refugees/asylum seekers, as well as the rights and responsibilities of their children.
The committee also does community outreach and information sessions within the refugee community, addressing issues such as the right to education, various forms of financial assistance (e.g. school fees exemptions), and other important information that related to the education of their children. The Education Officer, along with the Parents Committee, visits local schools to give presentations to children and to educate teachers about refugee issues.
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