Educational path for migrant children
For a long time, migration has not been a new topic, or just a few countries that are globally common. Migration affects many factors of a city or country. One of them is education. It is easy to see how migration will affect education in both positive and negative aspects.
What is the causes of immigration?
In any country, we always have immigration status. There are two main types of immigration: immigration within the country, which can be families moving from countryside to city and migrating from one country to another. There are many reasons for immigration such as adults want to find a better job than no job or low income. For some households, migration is to achieve higher levels of education and better education environment. However, regardless of the cause, adults only think about the good things they wish to have, but they do not anticipate the negative effects that can occur, especially with their children.
“Learning is not important by making money”
It is a locality of immigrants in the leading category in Vietnam, Hồ Chí Minh City also faces shortcomings in the access to education of children of migrant families. This makes migrant children more vulnerable to the right to care and play because parents have to work shift, overtime and low income. The majority of respondents said that migrant children do not or low participate in local activities because their parents do not have information or spend whole time for working so they do not have time to pick up their children. family.
In addition, most of the children of migrant workers are dominated by family-run business. Therefore, children have difficulties in learning and playing. Some parents think that learning is not important by earning money, so they often let their children trade and make a living. This can create learning disruptions and negative effects on their children.
Public schools are also cautious about accepting immigrant children in their educational setting. High fees at private schools are also a major obstacle for immigrant families, although they are welcome in these places. Education policies are primarily targeted at children in the local area, with little consideration to migrant children.
Sometimes, in some cases, obstacles encountered by immigrant children come from the teachers who receive them. These teachers are uncomfortable teaching a student with many learning limit. They think they will make their work harder.
Cultural differences are also a challenge that children often encounter. In some cases, although they have access to a new learning environment, differences in lifestyles, religions, the gap between the rich and the poor, and communication skills make it difficult for them to integrate. Others are easily bullied without the proper attention of the teacher and the school. When migrating to another country, language barriers are the biggest problem they face. We can easily visualize the obstacles they face when they have to study in an environment where they hard to communicate in a common language.
What solutions for immigrant children?
Children are always innocent of their family’s immigration. Therefore, localities, schools and teachers need to be empathetic when it comes to accepting and giving them opportunities to learn in a new environment. We need to realize that learning is the right thing for every child to enjoy. Therefore, there is no reason for them to be pushed out of a school. Local authorities should also have a mandatory requirement for parents of immigrant children to bring their children to school. Parents have no right to deprive children of the right to education. Teachers also need to change their minds when they have to adopt an immigrant child into their classroom. They need to understand that children need them who bring back kids’ future. Knowledge of integrating the child as well as individual instruction with students who have learning limit should be provided to the teacher in a sufficient way.
We do not know for sure whether a child will have to move in the future, however, every school, teacher needs to be ready to adapt if that happens. All children in the 21st century need to learn as well as orient themselves to cross cultural boundaries, regardless of ethnic boundaries, race, age, geography or other boundaries. The skills of self-protection when at risk of harm, sharing the thoughts, difficulties encountered should also be the school’s interest in the process of educating the children. Children also need to be taught sympathy, love of human kind so that they are ready to welcome immigrant friends to their class, community.
As a result, children in migrant working families are more likely to have access to education than local children. This will have a negative impact on the overall development of children, limiting their ability to find a job and improve their future living standards. Addressing the issue of education for immigrant children has never been simple for us. However, if it comes from love for children, I’m sure we will find a solution to this problem. Every child has the need to be educated so that he or she can act as an independent economic actor in the future and ensure his or her life.