THE SPECTRUM
EDUCATION
Addressing the educational needs of refugee youth in the face of COVID-19 By Lameez Siddiqui
Globalisation is an increasingly prominent feature of our world today, enabling not only the spread of ideas or people, but also of risks. Within this context, the COVID-19 pandemic has spread across countries at an exponential rate, exacerbating gender inequality, poverty and gaps in education. With regards to the latter, those students from privileged backgrounds have been better equipped to deal with the transition to online learning, both mentally and physically.1 These students were given, or already had, the sufficient materials to cope with online learning as well as the emotional support needed for this transition. In contrast, those from underprivileged backgrounds, particularly the refugee youth, have faced significant struggles in the transition process to online learning. This situation has only been exacerbated by the fact that these students have to undertake their education in a foreign language. It is likely that going to school was an outlet for these children to develop in a supportive environment and build strong relationships; one which many may not be fortunate enough to experience at home. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the major inequities already prevalent in the education system, such as access to certain technologies as well as supportive familial systems which facilitate learning.2 BACKGROUND In the United Kingdom, periodic school closures have tak-
en place since 19th March 2020. Whilst this is undeniably a challenge for all groups of children, refugee youth have been disproportionately impacted. Official figures reveal that of the 126,720 refugees in the country, 10,295 are children.3 These children were already faced with an unfavourable position in society, with many schools being unwilling to enrol them over fears it would impact the schools’ academic performance, or their position in league tables.4 Since the inception of remote learning, children across the UK have struggled to cope; many have reported feelings of emotional distress and other detrimental impacts on their mental health as a result of remote learning.5 Refugee youth, in particular, have faced a plethora of barriers to learning via online education. Firstly, the majority of refugee youth in the UK do not have access to the sufficient technology required to participate in online education, including laptops and broadband connectivity.6 Where the youth do have access to these materials, such as through support schemes or donations, they struggle to navigate with online teaching platforms. This is an especially pronounced issue for those who do not have adequate support from their families or guardians, or where their guardians are currently learning English.7 Most of these children already faced difficulty learning English during in-person teaching, and now must cope with doing so online.
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