School, open doors

Net migration to Europe has tripled since 1960. This situation calls upon EU countries to address new challenges, such as the schooling of migrant children. In a recent study by the European Commission it emerges that “newly arrived migrant children are more likely to face segregation and end up in schools with fewer resources . This leads to under-performance and a high probability that the children will drop out of school early.” The study shows that North European countries have found concrete and effective solutions to address the new state of affairs. On fifteen countries surveyed, Denmark and Sweden have the best model, based on offering targeted support and a systematic involvement of parents and migrant communities. Encouraging a welcoming approach. “Every child, from whatever background, deserves a fair chance in education to acquire the skills they need in life and to boost their job prospects”, said Androulla Vassiliou, Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth. “We need to improve our record in Europe on this and provide more support to vulnerable groups. We have to change the ethos which still exists in too many schools”, the Commissioner pointed out. “Students who have grown up in the country are the first that need to adapt to migrant children. They should be encouraged to welcome them and we need the support of parents on this”, underlined Vassiliou. Support to teachers and to schools. The European Union encourages Member States to invest more in education in order to strengthen their economies and provide young people with skills needed on the labour market. In this framework, teaching immigrant children is becoming a critical issue. “In 2009/2010 academic year there were 17.6% of pupils registered in Austrian schools who had a first language other than German; in Greece the percentage of non-native pupils in primary and secondary schools has risen from 7.3% to 12% in the past five years.” The study finds that in most EU countries schools are either left to themselves to follow broad national guidelines on the allocation of funds or, on the contrary, lack the autonomy to tailor support to individual needs and adjust national policies to local circumstances.   Countering early school leave. The study highlights “the importance of school autonomy and of a holistic approach to educational support for new migrant children; this includes linguistic and academic support, parental and community involvement, and intercultural education.” It finds that “schools should avoid segregation as well as early selection of pupils in terms of ability, as this may disadvantage migrant children who are adapting to a new language.” The OECD found that, in 2010, 25.9% of foreign born pupils in Europe abandoned education or training prematurely compared to 13% of pupils born in the country.   The commitment of EU countries. According to findings published in the Commission’s Report, the most serious cases were registered in Italy, Cyprus and Greece, that have adopted a “non-systematic” support model marked by a random approach in terms of the support provided. Policies aren’t always formulated clearly, effectively resourced or implemented, not to mention that teachers, parents and local communities are “largely left without clear guidance” in terms of school and cultural integration. Remarkably, Ireland represents a good example of integration, characterized by “well-developed” cooperation and intercultural education policies. Liaison between school, parents and local community is systematic, while intercultural learning is well integrated into the curricula and promoted in school daily life. The overall findings of the EU study clearly highlight a critical issue deserving urgent solutions. A cultural and social revolution can be delayed no further, since “if we fail to act, we risk creating a vicious circle where lack of opportunity leads to poor results in school and a greater likelihood of unemployment and poverty”, Vassiliou concluded.