Young Venezuelan refugees get a fresh start in Trinidad schools
When 11-year-old Venezuelan refugee Astrid Saavedra walked into her fourth-grade classroom in Trinidad and Tobago on her first day of school in September, she was eager to begin lessons in her favorite subject, math. But the prospect of teaching students about her native Venezuela is equally exciting.
Astrid was one of the first refugee and migrant children from Venezuela to be allowed into the Trinidadian national public education system, following a change in the country’s immigration regulations.
Thousands of Venezuelans have left their country (file)
She was part of the first group of 60 children who met the admission criteria, which included possessing a translated birth certificate and vaccination records, being certified and assigned a school, marking a important milestone in the implementation of Trinidad and Tobago’s commitment to fully meet its requirements. obligation according to Convention on the Rights of the Childan international human rights treaty of the United Nations.
“These young people, if they stay in Trinidad and Tobago, will be fully prepared to enter this country’s workforce, filling gaps in the market,” the United Nations’ peak migration agency said. labor market and contribute to innovation and sustainability”.IOM) officially, Desery Jordan-Whiskey. “This is also an opportunity for these children, who primarily speak Spanish, to contribute as much as possible by helping their peers learn a second language.”
An investment for the future
Changes in the law allowing children like Astrid to attend school took place in July 2023, during a meeting of United Nations officials and politicians, at which Trinidad’s Minister of Foreign Affairs officially announced Government decision.
United Nations agencies agree that the right to education is an example of the overlap of human rights with sustainable development.
“Advocating for access to education is key to bridging the gap between immediate humanitarian needs and long-term development goals,” said Amanda Solano, head of the United Nations refugee agency. .UNHCR) in Trinidad and Tobago. “By providing education to refugee and migrant children, we are not only meeting their immediate needs but also investing in their future and the future of Trinidad and Tobago.”
More than 2,000 refugee and migrant children remain excluded from the school system. The United Nations has attempted to provide the children with alternative learning opportunities or place them in private schools but has expressed a desire for wider acceptance into the public school system.
A committee of United Nations agencies and partners, the Education Working Group (EWG), is working with the Government of Trinidad and Tobago to better understand the training and logistical support needed to respond. Larger numbers of refugee and migrant children enter local schools.
Hopefully, more students like Astrid will be able to enter classrooms across the country to begin the 2025-2026 school year.
