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= Education of unaccompanied/separated asylum seeking children in Italy =

In the last few years, many unaccompanied/ separated children have arrived in Europe through the Mediterranean route; Italy is one of the main gateways for most unaccompanied and separated children escaping from poverty and conflict areas. These children come from various countries, such as Bangladesh, Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia, Afghanistan and many other countries of origin.

Access to education is a fundamental requirement to facilitate refugees children’s integration and guarantee basic human rights, such as: security, freedom and protection, thus reducing the risk of exploitation.

The lack of funds for school inclusion, insufficient infrastructure, inadequate teacher training to work with refugee and migrant children, language barriers, lack of psychosocial support and didactic recovery activities are the main obstacles outlined by the UNHCR, UNICEF and IOM. "“For refugee children, education is not only vital for their own futures but for the communities in which they live. Quality education boosts life chances, facilitates integration, and is a win-win for the student and society. Investing in education for all is one of the best investments a government can make” - Pascale Moreau (UNHCR Director of the Bureau for Europe)"

Definitions
Unaccompanied/separated asylum-seeking children (UASC) are an international concern. Therefore several different definitions can apply to them.

The UN Refugee Agency in Italy defines unaccompanied children as Minori stranieri non accompagnati (MSNA).

Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) at the European and national level are children (under the age of eighteen):


 * who are separated from parents and relatives
 * who are outside their country of origin (citizen of states not belonging to the European Union and stateless person)
 * who are seeking asylum, in a different national territory, without legal assistance and representation. ( art. 2, Legislative Decree no. 142/2015 and art. 2, Law no. 47/2017).

Each EU Member State has a national system that guarantees the protection of children and adolescents without parental care, therefore provides legal representation and promote their well-being, through a guardian.

Statistics
The number of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children entering Italy varies from year to year. The demography chart provided by the UNICEF shows that although Greece is hosting mostly refugee children, Italy is the country with the highest number of UASC registered in Europe.

According to the most recent data published by the Italian Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, 11937 unaccompanied minors were present in Italy on the 31st of March 2022. The report conducted outlines that in march year 2022, MSNA are located primarily in Sicily, which has the highest presence rate (22.7 per cent), Lombardy (13.4 per cent) and Calabria (9 per cent ).

Distribution by gender
Of these, 91.6 per cent were males and 8.4% females.

Proportion of UASC by nationality
In 2022 so far, the nationalities most represented are Egyptian (18 per cent), Bengali (17.4 per cent), Ukrainian (11.9 per cent), Tunisian (11 per cent).

Asylum process in Italy
The reception of UASC - defined by legislative decree no. 142/2015 Article 19 - First, a reception (not exceeding 30 days) by the government structures (Ministry of the Interior) through the support of local authorities, such as FAMI. Afterwards, the SAI (an acronym for Integration Reception System - regulated by the D.L. 130 of 21 October 2020, converted into Law 173 of 18 December 2020 - takes responsibility, aiming, through a network of local authorities, to provide minors asylum seekers or not, the tools to achieve work and social autonomy, through training and employment.

The reception structures registered in June 2021, that host UASCs are 995. The Italian regions that have the highest number of structures with UASCs are Sicily (18.5%), Lombardy (12.0%), Emilia-Romagna (9.1%), Lazio (8.8%), Tuscany (6.4%), Puglia (6.3%).

Law 47/2017 (Zampa’s law) entered into force on May 06 2017, strengthening the rights and the protection of unaccompanied foreign minors, guaranteeing: the same rights and protections given to Italian children - the right to education, health and legal representation.

By this law, the refugees who claim asylum in Italy are hosted in centres administered by a private association formerly chosen by the government. Refugees remain in these facilities - which provide “housing, food, Italian language classes, presence of cultural mediators, socio-legal needs and access to health care”  - until the asylum process is completed.

Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children can receive special guarantees by informing the police and the reception centre staff; these guarantees mean that the minor can be placed in the appropriate youth centre and receive a guardian, which will follow the procedure for recognition of international protection.

With the approval of Law 47/2017, the figure of the voluntary guardian was introduced, which in different degrees guides children in their educational path and accompanies them towards autonomy:"“The Reception Decree, as amended by L 47/2017, provides that affective and psychological assistance is guaranteed to children in every state of the procedure, through the presence of suitable persons indicated by the child and authorised by the relevant authorities.”"

The immigration legal framework
The Italian legal framework guarantees the right to education for asylum seekers and refugees. Under Italian immigration law, minors are entitled to obtain a “minor” residence permit, this may be converted to an “adult” permit, when they reach the legal age of majority (18 years old).

The right to education
“The school is open to all” - art.34 of the Constitution of the Italian Republic

“States Parties recognize the right of the child to education, and with a view to achieving this right progressively and on the basis of equal opportunity” - art.28 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child

The national educational system
The Italian education system is divided into nursery, kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, and high school.

The education system is organised as follows:


 * Pre-primary school (3-6 years of age)


 * Primary education (6-11 years of age )


 * Lower secondary school (11-14 years of age)


 * Upper secondary school (14-19 years of age ) or 3-4 years of a vocational training courses (IFP)


 * Post-secondary non tertiary education (post-qualification and post- diploma course.

To pursue higher education, students over 19 years old can enrol into universities or the high-level arts and music education system.

The ministry of education website provides the application forms necessary to enrol at any level of the Italian educational system. Upon request, the schools provide assistance in the registration, for those without access to technology. All children, including refugees children have the right/duty to education for at least 12 years.

The state has exclusive competence on general issues on education, on minimum standards to be guaranteed throughout the country and on the fundamental principles that regions should comply with within their competencies. Therefore, Italian schools have administrative and financial autonomy in staff recruitment and hiring, as well as teaching assignments, but are expected to follow the Ministry of Education's guidelines to ensure some uniformity within the national educational system.

Teacher training
"“The UN Refugee Agency UNHCR in Italy has launched a kit to support education about refugees in schools across the country”."Teachers play the vital role in the integration of refugees children into schools. To tackle the problem on the absence of sustained professionals, UNHCR has been developing possible solutions to improve teacher training. As the refugees' needs vary by age and educational background; regardless of the taught discipline, teachers might need to communicate with them using methods they are unfamiliar with. Not adequate training, can result in insufficient inclusion for the UASC; but also, increased workload and frustration for the teachers, this has been proved by the UNESCO 2019 report, by which teachers manifested discontent when asked to teach diverse classrooms.

Financing education


States, regions and local governments guarantee school funding in Italy. MIUR provides 80% of the school's funding and covers core services. Funds for running the school will be allocated directly to the school based on the number of students enrolled in each school. Locals and local authorities provide the remaining 20% ​​of school funding for benefits through direct and indirect intervention.

The government collections in Tax revenue is 42.9% of GDP in 2020, out of 38 OECD countries, it is ranked 4th in terms of the tax to GDP ratio. Tax revenue is used for public services and the operation of the government, they include collections from income tax, corporation tax, customs, wealth tax, etc.

According to Tax Justice Network, Italy is considered to have lost $6,417,793,667 in tax to illicit financial flow (IFF); this refers to 1.1% of tax revenue. IFF s are preventing States’ obligation, under International Human Right Conventions, to mobilise the resources needed for the communities, including education.

Barriers within education
Unaccompanied children require treatment of their trauma of past violence and the provision of integrated health, emotional, legal and educational support. In addition, if the refugees find asylum and enter a school in a new country, they still encounter complex educational challenges.

Cultural differences
On account of cultural differences, intercultural communication problems can emerge. These issues derive from concepts such as: time, the concept of public and private, the concept of hierarchy, family, and honesty in the symbolic world and in communicative events.

Language differences
Language plays a significant role in the integration process in the receiving country. UASC often come from multilingual environments, therefore the language is an important component of their personal, social and cultural identity:"“The more people have to leave behind, the more important their first language is. It is often the only stable element in their lives. This is one of the reasons why the right to use one’s mother tongue is one of the fundamental human rights”."Since refugees come from so many different countries, they bring their own unique languages as well. This could be a valuable source of language diversity, however, often the refugee language is viewed as a source of problem, and obstacle to the attainment of the Italian.

Competence in the Italian language is required, this limits immigrants’ access to certain professions and trades: "“Regional Authorities … may require any non-EU citizen to produce a certificate, released by an accredited language institution and attesting to the holder’s basic competence in Italian, before s/he is granted the permission to open a retail shop”"

Psychological difficulties
The nature of the trauma to which UASC (MSNA) carrier, is complex: previous traumas suffered in their country are added to traumas suffered during the migratory path, retraumatizations are superimposed on extremely difficult living conditions and risk for their psycho-physical safety. They arrive alone in a country, with the strong risk: of being discriminated against and of entering into networks of delinquency and exploitation.

Researchers argue that there are various stress response by the refugees forced to leave their country of origin, further exacerbated when were high levels of traumatic events experienced before and during the migration, thus putting their mental health at risk. In case of inadequate assistance, the refugee experiences a loss of sense of identity thus increasing the manifestation of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder ad Dissociative Disorder.

With a correct inclusion through educational intervention, these manifestations can decrease and building a relationship based on trust and recognition of human solidarity is more achievable.

School Dropout
Over 35% of 18-24 year olds are at risk of dropping out of education, the statistic conducted by the European indicator of ‘Early Leaving from Education and Training (ELET) 5’ highlights that students with non-Italian citizenship are those at the highest risk of dropping out. In 2020, the ELET indicator referred to foreign students is equal to 35.4% against a national average of 13.1%.

Limitless school spaces
One of the other main problems concerning the enrollment of unaccompanied refugees to school is the disinclination of several schools to admit a high number of foreign children. This non-availability of places to attend the nearest school compounds children's accessibility to education. The reception centres can often be located in remote areas; therefore, accessing services for literacy and education, training, or job placement is difficult.

At the moment the ministerial circular of January 2010 signed by the then Minister of Education, is still valid: the maximum limit of foreigners per class cannot exceed 30%.

The transition from UASC to adulthood: the care leavers
Former UASC who qualify as care leavers are expected to leave the reception facilities, thus interrupting the path of inclusion undertaken.

Although Law n.47/2017 introduced inclusive policies, the law does not protect the passage to the age of adulthood, thus expecting immediate autonomy from care leavers UASC.

The UASCs in Italy are, for the most part, close to the age of adulthood: 59.3% of the total has 17 years old. The age factor is crucial upon arrival in Italy; the majority of UASCs start a path of insertion, between the ages of 16 and 17, with a short period available to enrol to school, fulfil trainings and start work.

The factors that affect care leavers’ (formers UASC) employment are:
 * Legal status
 * professional training availability
 * opportunities of the job market
 * Social network
 * language skills

These structural difficulties must be balanced by quality educational services and an effective process of reception and inclusion.

Projects addressing the limitations
In Europe, specific projects have been activated aimed at pupils with a migratory background and unaccompanied foreign minors (UASC).

ALI
The project ALI, financed by FAMI (Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund), aims to provide, through preparatory trainings and literacy to simplify migrants integration into the national school system.

IMMERSE
IMMERSE is a project aimed at mapping the integration of refugee and migrant minors in Europe. The project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement 822536. The main purpose of IMMERSE is to measure the effective integration and social and educational inclusion of refugee and migrant children in Europe in order to build an inclusive and cohesive society.

Pagella in Tasca
This pilot project, “PAGELLA IN TASCA – Study Channels for Refugee Minors” aims to promote the right to education, recognized by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, by facilitating the legal entry process to Italy to 35 unaccompanied student minors with refugee status in Nigeria. This project will involve foster families and volunteer guardians and private social organizations in creating societal inclusion paths for minors.

Non-profit assistance: NGOs
Italian incomplete provision of policies on refugee education creates a void in the UASC educational path; to a certain extent, this gap has been filled by NGOs and other voluntary associations.

Still I Rise: A World-Class Education for Refugees
‘Still I Rise’ is an independent organisation that offers education and protection to children from disadvantaged communities, particularly refugees. It was founded in Italy in 2018 by Nicolò Govoni and currently operates in six countries (Italy, Greece, Kenya, UK, Turkey and recently DRC). This organisation works to address a variety of discrimination issues, such as racial inequality, socioeconomic status differential and unequal living conditions. By offering education and protection, ‘Still I Rise’ aims to create opportunities for vulnerable young adults leading to a better future.

This NGO is entirely independent of any government as it accepts only private donations, thereby ensuring financial support is not obligated to political systems.

This charitable activity started in Greece (hosting 40'000 refugees over five islands): the first youth centre (Mazi), now offers an educational program that provides a variety of classes, daily meals, psychological support, legal aid and child protection. The educational subjects offered are English, Greek, Mathematics, Art, History, Geography, Computer, Theatre and Music, alongside European Culture, Women’s Rights, and Emotional Intelligence.

Public discourse
Over the years, the issue of migration has had pervasive media coverage, mainly based on alarmist tones and improper or discriminatory language.

In Italy, the conservative media, immigrations is associated primarily with a deepening of the economic and employment crisis:"“Migration has a negative effect on the employment of natives in peripheral countries”."The common stereotypes and monolithic representation of migrants are formed through public discourse using exclusive language that is of no assistance for the public in understanding migration and the difficulties UASC experience.

Discrimination
A large number of immigrants suffer or witness verbal attacks linked to their origins, others suffer damage to property and threats or/and physical violence for the same reasons.

A survey conducted by U- Report on the Move, demonstrated that of the young migrants and refugees interviewed, 74% said they were victims of discrimination. For many (21%) the incidents occurred while looking for work, looking for a home (15%), in the workplace (12%), and in school (12%). For some, even in access to services (12%), including medical care (6%).

The role of political parties
The political debate on the issue of illegal immigration continues.

On the one hand, Salvini's League is increasingly determined to discredit NGOs’ work and hinder the phenomenon of landings on the Mediterranean. In particular, the Lega Nord’s electoral propaganda has focused heavily on immigration, associating it strongly with security and criticizing other parties for having given little weight to the latter.

On the other hand, Di Maio's M5S underlines the urgency of the repatriation of illegal immigrants.

External links section

 * Refugees
 * Refugee children
 * Newcomer education