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Challenges and Proposed Solutions related to Educating Refugee and Migrant Children in Trinidad and Tobago

Jun 8, 2022 | Views:208919  | Print Version

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Challenges and Proposed Solutions related to Educating Refugee and Migrant Children in Trinidad and Tobago

by
Mrs. Sunita Maharaj-Landaeta 

Much value can be derived from analysing the situation of refugees and migrants (people on the move) in Trinidad and Tobago, particularly with a view to meeting their educational needs. This research was propelled by the unmet educational needs of thousands of children of refugee and asylum seekers living in Trinidad and Tobago; migrants that have entered the country, often in an irregular manner, and many of whom are hoping for consideration to stay, or for resettlement in other countries. 

The country, being a dualist state where international and domestic legal commitments have traditionally existed on entirely separate planes, combined with lacking domestic policies and legislation specific to refugees and migrants, has impacted this population, preventing their access to mainstream public and private education. The result is an obstruction of their rights to be educated, which holds many connotations for their integration in the host country and their futures. 
 
This study examined challenges faced by the population in attempting to find solutions for children on the move in Trinidad and Tobago and focused on a review of the literature to identify historical to current educational offerings in the country, a legal perspective and identified how other countries have managed similar issues. The end result is a compilation of proposed solutions that can be used by stakeholders to manage current challenges while creating sensitisation around the reality of a loss of years of schooling for this population. 
 
The study can be considered as a part of a broader campaign to foster integration and a culture of respect amongst peoples of different ethnic and socio-cultural backgrounds, with a view to influencing decision making and future legislation, which considers inclusive education for refugee and migrant children. The findings can be considered by other educators globally, as a point of reference for dealing with this group. This topic is relevant in a world where displacement and upheaval of children from their homes is becoming prevalent as more persons are being driven from their homes due to political issues, violence, persecution, conflict, poverty, climate change, war or economic turmoil.

Wednesday 8th June, 2022 at 1:00 p.m.

 

Mrs. SUNITA MAHARAJ-LANDAETA, Global Goodwill Ambassador since 2018, graduated from the University of Sheffield (UK) with a Postgraduate Certificate and Master of Education in Educational Management & Leadership, Research and Globalisation & Inclusion, respectively. She holds Diplomas in Human Resources and Forensic Psychology, is a licensed Cambridge English Teacher and served as an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Examiner from 2009.

Her other areas of specialisation relate to Language and Cultural Exchange, and Gender Equality which she studied through the FLACSO Latin America Faculty of Social Sciences in Argentina. She also mastered Online and Distance Learning techniques and has followed a career path linked to migration tendencies and Human Trafficking within the Caribbean and Latin America. She is an Educationalist with experience in Emergency and Humanitarian settings for over 20 years with an emphasis on Students with Trauma, Course Creation, Programming, Leadership, Management, Resource and Curriculum development and more.

Between 2017 to 2019, Mrs. Maharaj-Landaeta functioned as Education Manager on sub-projects supported by UN agencies, related to alternative educational solutions for refugee and migrant children. In 2020, she joined the International Organization for Migration (IOM) as part of the Response for Venezuela Interagency project as Reporting Officer, Protection Focal Point and Assistant Coordinator for five Caribbean sub-regional countries.

She is a seasoned Lecturer, and her research has concentrated on exclusion in education. She has contributed to the discourse on migration and displacement, and separately, the impacts of COVID-19 on education practices. Mrs. Maharaj-Landaeta is currently a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) candidate at The University of Trinidad & Tobago where her research and dissertation are focussed on amassing information on the challenges related to the Educating Children on the move in Trinidad and Tobago and possible solutions.

 

 

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