Inclusion and Exclusion within a Policy of National Integration: Refugee Education in Kenya’s Kakuma Refugee Camp

 

This paper explores the impact of global policy shifts toward national integration on schooling for refugee youth in Kenya. Findings suggest that few refugees integrate ‘up’ into government schools outside of camps; instead, most integrate ‘down’ into segregated camp schools that follow the national curriculum, but which are perceived by refugees to be of lower quality and status and do not afford similar post-graduation opportunities.

While global policy can foster structures for physical integration, social integration—which is connected to protection and opportunity—depends on local strategies and practices, as well as embedded beliefs about the purposes of educating refugees and their long-term inclusion in host societies.

Key Takeaways

We offer the following practical steps and actions based on this research below (click to expand).

+ For Policymakers


INSIGHTS ACTIONS
Nearly 50% of school-age refugee children and youth in Kakuma refugee camp remain out of school. While some are unable to enroll due to age, inadequate documentation, or poor performance on gatekeeping national exams, others are reluctant to enroll due to perceptions of poor quality schools, the opportunity costs of attending school, and a limited opportunity structure post-graduation. ➟ Structurally integrate Kenyan teachers, curriculum, assessments, and accreditation to camp schools and make the education that is available to refugee young people relevant to their learning goals, as well as post-graduate and employment opportunities.
Among refugee youth, there is a shared desire to integrate ‘up’ (i.e., out of the camp setting) into what they perceive as higher quality government schools attended by Kenyans. Many also believe that their Kenyan education is more valuable if they migrate outside of, rather than stay within, Kenya, due to lack of rights beyond access to education. ➟ Align institutions and policies that govern refugees’ lives with educational integration policies. Also, make it easier for refugees to settle outside camps on their own and access both educational and employment opportunities in Kenya, without the fear of being subjected to routine harassment and discrimination by police and other state actors.
The majority of teachers in camp schools are refugees themselves who completed high school in Kenya, earning ‘incentive’ pay rather than a salary. ➟ Provide refugee teachers with the necessary financial incentives so that they have the stability to continue teaching.

+ For Educators

INSIGHTS ACTIONS
Students perceived teachers in the camp schools to be ‘unprofessional,’ ‘untrained,’ and those who ‘do not understand the refugee’, thus devaluing their education. Teachers made similar deficit-oriented comments about refugee students who ‘are not serious,’ which led to growing resentment by students toward teachers. ➟ Offer more effective pedagogical training and professional development opportunities for educators to develop the skills and knowledge required to address refugee students’ differentiated learning needs.

Also, employ more refugee teachers in camp settings: they often exhibit both greater sympathy toward students and can help to foster close relationships between students and school actors, as well as a sense of belonging.

+ For Researchers


FURTHER RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO EXAMINE:
  • Connections between increased educational opportunities for both refugees and nationals in settings of true inclusion where they study together in the same spaces;

  • The inequities that perpetuate the experience of ‘downward’ integration both refugees and marginalized nationals.

Citation (APA): Bellino, M. J., & Dryden-Peterson, S. (2019). Inclusion and exclusion within a policy of national integration: Refugee education in Kenya's Kakuma Refugee Camp. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 40(2), 222–238.

 
Integration & BelongingSarah Dryden-PetersonFor Policymakers, Integration, Citizenship, Equity