The Government is committed to meaningful and effective education programmes for refugees, according to the Minister of State for Training and Skills.
Ciarán Cannon TD was speaking last week at the launch of the Refugee Access Programme, which caters for newly arrived separated children.
“These young people’s circumstances are very different to those of the typical migrant student cohort and an initial education programme needs to take cognisance of these factors,” said Minister Cannon.
The scheme supports separated children seeking asylum while living in Dublin and before they move to mainstream secondary school across Ireland, equipping them with the tools necessary to access the Irish curriculum.
Minister Cannon noted the challenges of working with students of varying educational and language abilities in the one classroom.
He also said that the expertise and experience of tutors on the programme will inform the project in terms of syllabus and resource development.
Jacinta Stewart – CEO of City of Dublin VEC, which manages the programme – explained that it has been working with separated children for a decade, empowering them to live independent and healthy lives.
The programme is presently developing syllabi for English, Maths and Life Skills as well as preliminary needs assessment tools, resources for English as an Additional Language and an orientation DVD.
The Refugee Access Programme is managed by the City of Dublin VEC Separated Children’s Service and co-financed through the European Refugee Fund.
