Access - Providing Full Access for Refugee Children to the Bulgarian Education System
The main purpose of the project was to provide full access for asylum seekers and refugee children to the educational system in Bulgaria. Bulgarian experts in the field of education worked on the preparation of measures, including a training programme in the Bulgarian language, standardised tests to identify the level and degree of education, a methodology for enrollment in Bulgarian schools, booklets for teachers working with refugee children, a set of language activities and games for language training of refugee children.
The prepared products were submitted for approval to the Ministry of Education and the State Agency for Refugees.
The specific objectives of the project covered:
- To support asylum seekers and refugee children and adults in their integration in the Bulgarian educational system
- To contribute to overcoming the difficulties faced by asylum seekers and refugee children in their integration at school
- To contribute to developing specific pedagogical skills of teachers working with such children
Year(s): 2013-2014
Target group(s): Asylum seekers and refugee children; Teachers working with asylum seekers and refugee children
Website: http://caritas.bg/caritas-bulgaria/dostap-project/
Methodology
- Consolidating the capacity of experts from various institutions and organizations working on measures for access to education for refugee children to debate the issues
- Achieving maximum consistency between the responsible institutions and experts about the developed products (programmes, methodology, tests, research, legislative analysis and brochure) before submission for approval by the Ministry of Education
- Lobbying for the adoption of a long-term strategy on the issue
Type of product
Paper-based material;
Online resource
Brief description of the product / outcome / method
The materials developed under the project included:
- Training programme in the Bulgarian language for adults, outlining the guidelines for the language training in Bulgarian within 600 study hours. The programme is focused on developing communication skills and divided into four modules covering four levels of the CEFR – A1, A2, B1, B2
- Training programme in the Bulgarian language for asylum seekers and refugee children and adults aimed at developing basic communication skills in Bulgarian for everyday use. The programme is structured in two parts. The first one introduces to the specifics of the Bulgarian lexis, phonetics and grammar mainly in practical terms (A2 of CEFR). The second one covers the theory of the Bulgarian language and the use of specific vocabulary, expected to form language skills in Bulgarian at level B1 of the CEFR.
- Collection of 50 language games and activities for language training in Bulgarian of refugees
Impact on target groups / Transferability potential
The project achieved greater awareness among the host society for the needs of the target group by presenting 6 products (programmes, methodology, tests, research, legislative analysis and brochure) on the problems of access to education and through roundtables on the topic. The process of discussion of the proposals for legislative change came to parliamentary committees.
The beneficiaries included:
- 30 refugee children covered by the measures for access to the national education system (curriculum, methodology, standardized tests);
- 40 refugee children, their parents and teachers covered by the study of the difficulties of integration in school;
- 800 teachers, school personnel, educational institutions, agencies and NGOs working with refugee children covered by the information campaign
Promoter of the initiative
Name of organization / individual: Caritas Bulgaria
Country: Bulgaria
Website: http://caritas.bg/
Contacts: info@caritas.bg