The"Education"Of"Somali"Refugees" " " " & SCOPING&STUDY& Commissioned&By&UNHCR&–&February&2015" &
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! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! & Towards"a"global"and"regional"framework"to" address"the"education"of"Somali"refugees" " " " & SCOPING&STUDY& Commissioned&By&UNHCR&–&FeBruary&2015" & UNHCR&–&GISR&Scoping&Study&on&the&Education&of&Somali&Refugees&–&Samuel&Hall& 1" ! Towards&a&global&and®ional&framework&to&address&the&education& of&Somali&refugees& " & Window& of& opportunity:& There" has" never" been" a" Yemen)" present" fragile" socioEeconomic" contexts" more" opportune" time" to" promote" education" for" and" weak" education" systems," which" deter" them" Somali" refugee" children" and" youth." First," the" from" supporting" refugee" populations." Moreover," situation"of"Somali"refugees"and"displaced"persons" refugee" camps" are" often" located" in" the" most" in" East" Africa" in" 2015" presents" major" political," educationally"deprived"regions,"in"areas"where"the" social,"and"economic"risks"for"refugees,"origin"and" national" population" itself" is" poorly" served." As" a" host" countries," while" compromising" Somalia’s" result,"host"country"populations"and"governments" capacity"to"progressively"rebuild"its"future."Second," often"deplore"that"Somali"refugees"place"a"burden" in" 2015," there" is" not" only" a" necessity" but" also" an" on" health" and" education" services," public" opportunity"to"work"towards"solutions"addressing" infrastructures,"as"well"as"housing"and"food"prices." the" immediate" and" longerEterm" protection" needs" In"this"regard,"the"objective"of"this"document"is"not" of"Somali"refugees;"third,"these"solutions"require"a" to" stigmatize" host" countries’" difficulties" to" deal" regional" and" coordinated" approach" between" with" a" massive" and" sometimes" unprecedented" Somalia," host" communities" and" partners" –" migration" phenomenon" but" rather" to" provide" including" UNHCR;" last" but" not" least," education" of" evidenceEbased" diagnostics" and" pragmatic" Somali" refugees" can" trigger" such" a" crucial" change" solutions:"the#underlying#hypothesis#of#this#scoping( for"the"future"of"Somalia"and"the"Horn"of"Africa." study& is# that# a# regional% education% strategy% would! " trigger& longElasting( political,( social( and( economic( Education& as& a& cornerstone:" UNHCR" has" solutions(for(both!Somalia'and'host'countries." recognised" education" as" a" critical" element" in" " bridging"the"gap"between"protracted"or"emergency" ***" refugee" situations" and" durable" solutions" –" " specifically" through" local" integration" or" voluntary" Key&findings& return."Access"to"school"can"offer"these"displaced" & and" migrant" children" and" youth" a" sense" of" A&snapshot&of&Somali&refugees&in&2015&shows&that& normality,"a"safe"space,"and"the"promise"of"social" more& than& 50%& of& a& oneFmillion& population& are& and" economic" inclusion" in" their" home" (or" host)" below& the& age& of& 18:" Based" on" UNHCR" data" country;" likewise," vocational" training" can" provide" collected" in" January" 2015" in" Kenya," Ethiopia," adults" with" useful" tools" to" develop" income" Yemen," Uganda," and" Djibouti," there" were" generating" activities" and" further" strengthen" their" approximately" 950,000" Somalis" living" in" existing"livelihood"strategies."" neighbouring" countries," most" of" them" in" " protracted" refugee" situations." When" A& relevant& regional& lens:" UNHCR" coEchaired" a" disaggregated,"this"figure"reveals"that:"" ministerialElevel"meeting"held"in"Addis"Ababa"on"20" 1) By" country," refugee" numbers" vary" August" 2014," to" articulate" GISR’" commitment" to" significantly," with" a" 1:21" ratio" between" Somali"refugees,"agree"on"a"common"ground"in"the" Kenya"and"Djibouti"–"and"three"countries" search"for"solutions"and"take"forward"the"process" (Kenya," Ethiopia," and" Yemen)" accounting" of"mobilizing"the"international"community"towards" for" 95%" of" the" total" number" of" Somali" these" objectives." The" meeting" unanimously" refugees;"" adopted" the" Addis' Ababa' commitment' towards' 2) With" the" exception" of" Ethiopia," the" Somali'refugees."It"is"the"most"tangible,"significant," proportions"of"female"and"male"refugees" and" coordinated" political" initiative" to" address" the" are"almost"identical;"" protracted" situation" of" Somali" refugees." In" this" 3) The" proportion" of" children" (below" 18)" context," it" is" now" increasingly" necessary" to" work" varies" strongly" 70%" (Djibouti)," 60%" beyond" the" emergency" model" and" make" (Yemen)," 55%" (Kenya" and" Uganda)," and" coordinated" strategic" decisions" at" the" regional" 45%" (Ethiopia)," and" remain" extremely" scale."" high;"" " 4) Moreover,"even"if"the"18E59"bracket"is"too" Shared÷nds&for&EastFAfrican&countries:"Most" broad" to" draw" any" specific" conclusion," it" host" countries" (Kenya," Ethiopia," Uganda," Djibouti," can" be" assumed" that" a" significant" UNHCR&–&GISR&Scoping&Study&on&the&Education&of&Somali&Refugees&–&Samuel&Hall& 1" ! percentage" of" 18E30" are" illiterate" and" The&provision&of&education&for&Somali&refugees&in& jobless," which" also" calls" for" specific" urban& settlements& is& more& problematic& than& in& vocational"training"initiatives;"" camps:" Undocumented" Somalis" living" in" urban" 5) Last,"considering"the"balanced"proportion" settlements" face" a" precarious" situation:" in" all" the" of" girls" and" boys," it" highlights" the" surveyed" host" countries," they" lack" proof" of" legal" necessity" to" design" programmes" geared" status,"face"difficulty"in"finding"formal"employment" towards" girls’" education," an" increasingly" and" accessing" social" services" (health," education)." atErisk" population" in" both" camps" and" For" refugee" children" living" in" Djibouti," Addis," and" urban" areas," according" to" most" survey" Nairobi," the" review" team" was" told" that" children" respondents.""" had"almost"no"access"to"primary"education,"as"they" " could"not"provide"birth"certificates"(Djibouti),"valid" Enrolment& rates& are& still& low& at& primary& level,& test" results" to" national" exams" (Kenya)" or" valid" alarming& at& secondary& level:" Enrolment" rates" in" proofs"of"legal"status"(Kenya,"Ethiopia)."" refugee" camps" are" generally" higher" at" primary" " education"level"(between"20%"and"88%)"than"ECD" Education& for& girls& and& female& youths& is& at& risk:& and"secondary"levels."These"figures"are"correlated" The"Gender"Parity"Index"shows"a"worsening"trend," with"the"key"challenges"faced"by"national"refugee" in"Kenya,"Ethiopia,"and"Djibouti,"confirming:"i)"the" education" systems:" poor" capacity" (classrooms," social" and" cultural" obstacles" to" girls’" education" in" teachers)" in" the" camp" or" urban" setting;" cost" of" the" surveyed" countries;" ii)" the" lack" of" female" opportunity" between" child" labour" and" teachers"(15%"only"in"Djibouti,"15%"in"Ethiopia);"iii)" primary/secondary"education;"social"acceptance"of" security"issues"deterring"families"from"sending"girls" education" actors" (NGOs" or" MoEs)" by" refugee" to"school."In"this"regard,"the"review"team"noticed"a" communities;" early" marriage," lack" of" female" conceptual"shift"in"the"words"of"many"interviewees" teachers" and" cultural" barriers" for" refugee" girls;" (UN," NGOs," donors):" gender" issues" are" often" regulatory" and" legal" constraints" on" access" to" reduced" to" GBV" issues," which" strongly" biases" the" secondary"education;"lack"of"incentive"for"boys"to" approach" and" may" even" be" detrimental" to" attend" secondary" education" (absence" of" empowering"girls"and"women"by"turning"them"into" certification" and" employment" perspectives);" and" victims"rather"than"potential"agents."" extremely" low" primary" completion" rates" (26%" for" " girls"in"Dadaab,"for"instance,"according"to"UNHCR).""" Right& to& protection& is& often& denied& to& Somali& & refugee&children&and&youths:"Right"to"protection"is" A&poor&education&system&for&Somali&refugees&can& provided" at" the" national" or" local" levels" through" drive& insecurity& and& instability& in& EastFAfrica:& domestic" laws," policies," programmes" and" Somalia" has" been" politically" unstable" for" much" of" institutions"that"should"meet"or"exceed"the"UNHCR" its" postEcolonial" existence." More" recently," protection" standards." In" practice," though," host" counterterrorism" operations"and" pressure" against" country" government" policies" often" constrain" the" alEQaedaEaffiliated"alEShabab"have"had"a"spillEover" access" of" refugee" children" to" education" by" asking" effect" on" security" in" the" NorthEEast" of" children"and"their"families"to"produce"registration" neighbouring" Kenya," as" well" as" other" countries" documents" and" child’s" birth" certificate," prior" to" (Ethiopia" and" Uganda)." Most" respondents" agreed" enrolment." More" importantly," the" five" surveyed" that" a" better" coordination" and" provision" of" host" countries" do" not" take" full" responsibility" for" education" for" Somali" refugees" could" lead" to" refugee"education,"despite"their"constitutional"and" stability"and"security"in"host"countries."" legal"obligation"to"do"so,"as"signatories"of"the"1951" " Convention," and" very" explicitly" deny" Somali" The& security& situation& in& and& outside& refugee& children" fundamental" aspects" of" their" right" to" camps& and& settlements& has& deteriorated:" In" protection" (institutionalised" care," education," civil" Ethiopia," Yemen," or" Kenya," the" hostility" from" registration)."" governments" and" a" negative" image" among" the" " local" population" (especially"