Educational Barriers for Zimbabweans in South Africa

THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN MIGRATION PROGRAMME RIGHT TO THE CLASSROOM: EDUCATIONAL BARRIERS FOR ZIMBABWEANS IN SOUTH AFRICA MIGRATION POLICY SERIES NO. 56 RIGHT TO THE CLASSROOM: EDUCATIONAL BARRIERS FOR ZIMBABWEANS IN SOUTH AFRICA JONATHAN CRUSH AND GODFREY TAWODZERA SERIES EDITOR: PROF. JONATHAN CRUSH SOUTHERN AFRICAN MIGRATION PROGRAMME (SAMP) OPEN SOCIETY INITIATIVE FOR SOUTHERN AFRICA (OSISA) 2011 Published by Idasa, 6 Spin Street, Church Square, Cape Town, 8001, and Southern African Research Centre, Queen's University, Canada. Copyright Southern African Migration Programme (SAMP) 2011 ISBN 978-1-920409-68-5 First published 2011 Design by Bronwen Müller References and further reading may be available for this article. To view references and further reading you must purchase this article. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without prior permission from the publishers. Bound and printed by Logo Print, Cape Town CONTENTS PAGE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 INTRODUCTION 3 THE RIGHT TO THE CLASSROOM 4 BARRIERS TO ADMISSION 9 STUDY METHODOLOGY 11 ACCESSING THE RIGHT TO EDUCATION 12 FINANCIAL BARRIERS 14 DISCRIMINATION AND XENOPHOBIA 16 LANGUAGE PROBLEMS 17 OBSTACLES IN THE TERTIARY SECTOR 18 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 21 ENDNOTES 24 MIGRATION POLICY SERIES 27 TABLE 1: REFUGEE APPLICATIONS AND DECISIONS, 2009 10 MMIGRATIONIGRATION PPOLICYOLICY SERIESERIES NO. 4556 EXEXECUTIVECUTIVE SSUMMAUMMARYRY hisealth report workers examines are onethe obstaclesof the categories to access of by skilled Zimbabwean profession- childrenals most and affected students by globalization.to schools and Over tertiary the institutions past decade, in Souththere Africa. has emerged There ais substantiala common bodyassumption of research in South that Africatracks thatpatterns these ofchildren international and students migration have of no health right topersonnel, an educa- THtion in South Africa. In fact, this view contravenes various international assesses causes and consequences, and debates policy responses at global humanand national rights scales.conventions Within to this which literature, South Africa the case is aof signatory. South Africa At the is regionalattracting level, growing it is inconsistentinterest. For withalmost the 15 SADC years EducationSouth Africa Protocol. has been At thethe nationaltarget of level,a ‘global it violates raiding’ the of Southskilled Africanprofessionals Constitution by several as welldevel- as legislationoped countries. and stated How governmentto deal with policiesthe consequences concerning of the the access resultant of all out- childrenflow of health in the professionalscountry to education. is a core policyThe question issue for addressed the national in this gov- reporternment. is whether school boards and principals follow popular sentiment or whetherThis paper they aims honour to to international, examine policy regional debates and and national issues concerningobligations. Thethe migrationreport focuses of skilled specifically health on professionals the case of fromZimbabwean the country migrant and chilto - drenfurnish and new students, insights following on the recruitmentpersistent reports patterns that of they skilled are health regularly per- deniedsonnel. access The objectives to the South of the African paper education are twofold: system. The• Toreport provide shows an that audit school of the boards organization and principals and patterns are caught of recruit- betweenment contradictory of skilled instructionsprofessionals from from the South Departments Africa in ofthe Education health and Homesector. Affairs. The The paper former, draws acting upon ain detailed a way that analysis is consistent of recruitment with the Bill advertisingof Rights, directs appearing that inschools the South should African not deny Medical education Journal to anyfor child, regardlessthe period of 2000-2004their national and origin a series or oflegal interviews status in conductedthe country. with The Departmentprivate recruiting of Home enterprises. Affairs, on the other hand, follows the direc- tives• of the Based 2002 upon Immigration the above Actanalysis which and places additional schools interviews in the position with of having tokey enforce stakeholders immigration in the policy. South This African contradiction health sector, certainly the paper needs to be resolvedoffers aand series there of recommendationsis only one way this for could addressing be done: the by problem amending of the immigrationskilled health legislation migration. and regulations These recommendations to make it clear are that grounded it is not the dutyin of both schools South to denyAfrican an educationexperience to and some an childreninterrogation or to reportof inter- them to nationalthe authorities. debates and ‘good policy’ practice for regulating recruit- Levelsment. of xenophobia are extremely high in South African society. XenophobicThe paper attitudes is organized culminated into five in sections.widespread Section xenophobic Two positions violence in 2008debates that about left overthe migration60 people ofdead skilled and healthtens of professionals thousands displaced within afrom theirwider communities. literature that Among discusses their the number international were many mobility children. of talent. Migrant childrenSection Threewere therefore reviews researchdirectly exposedon the global to the circulation violence and of healthvenom pro- offessionals, xenophobic focusing mobs. in Many particular more uponwould debates have witnessed relating tothese the disturbexperience- ingof countries scenes in inthe the media. developing The other world. question Section addressed Four moves in this the report focus from isinternational whether xenophobia to South permeatesAfrican issues the schooland provides system newas well. empirical In other mate- words,rial drawn once from the obstaclesthe survey to of school recruitment access arepatterns overcome, and key what interviews kind of receptionundertaken do with migrant health children sector receive recruiters from operating South African in South teachers Africa. and pupils.Section Some Five isolatedaddresses case the studies questions have of suggestedchanging thatpolicy non-South interventions African in childrenSouth Africa are not towards made theto feel outflow welcome of skilled in South health African professionals schools andand thatthe therecruitment xenophobic of foreign attitudes health of parents professionals are reproduced to work byin theirSouth children. Africa. The This study affords the opportunity to revisit this question and to ask how 1 kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk MIGRATION POLICY SERIES NO. 45 RIGHT TO THE CLASSROOM: EDUCATIONAL BArrIERS FOR ZIMBABWEANS IN SOUTH AFRICA EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Zimbabwean children are treated by their fellow learners and by teachers in the classroom and playground. ealth workers are one of the categories of skilled profession- The report is based on research in six communities in Cape Town and als most affected by globalization. Over the past decade, Johannesburg conducted in September 2010 and examines the experi- there has emerged a substantial body of research that tracks ences of Zimbabwean migrant parents, children and students who seek to patterns of international migration of health personnel, gain admission to public schools and tertiary institutions in South Africa. H The report first examines the constitutional and legal rights of foreign assesses causes and consequences, and debates policy responses at global and national scales. Within this literature, the case of South Africa is migrants to an education in South Africa. The next section reviews attracting growing interest. For almost 15 years South Africa has been the findings of previous studies that suggest that migrant children and the target of a ‘global raiding’ of skilled professionals by several devel- students face significant difficulties and prejudice in South Africa. The oped countries. How to deal with the consequences of the resultant out- ensuing sections of the report present and discuss our research findings flow of health professionals is a core policy issue for the national gov- on the current experiences of Zimbabwean migrants with the South ernment. African educational system. Finally, the report makes recommendations This paper aims to to examine policy debates and issues concerning on how the situation can be improved. the migration of skilled health professionals from the country and to furnish new insights on the recruitment patterns of skilled health personnel. The objectives of the paper are twofold: • To provide an audit of the organization and patterns of recruitment of skilled professionals from South Africa in the health sector. The paper draws upon a detailed analysis of recruitment advertising appearing in the South African Medical Journal for the period 2000-2004 and a series of interviews conducted with private recruiting enterprises. • Based upon the above analysis and additional interviews with key stakeholders in the South African health sector, the paper offers a series of recommendations for addressing the problem of skilled health migration. These recommendations are grounded in both South African experience and an interrogation of international debates and ‘good policy’ practice for regulating recruitment. The paper is organized into five sections. Section Two positions debates about the migration of skilled health professionals

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