Migration And Education Experiences Of Refugee Children In The East Region Of Cameroon: Appraisal From The Perspective Of Barriers To Effective Schooling And Proposed Strategies To Overcome These Barriers.

Abstract

Education is vital and recognized as a universal human right yet more than 70% of refugee children in the East Region of Cameroon do not effectively school. This study investigated the pre and post migration and education experiences of refugee children in the East Region of Cameroon. Two hundred and eleven refugee children, two head teachers, seven teachers, ten parents, one regional delegate, two workers of UNHCR, two workers of the Red Cross and two community leaders participated in the study. Both qualitative and quantitative designs were used .Questionnaire, school and classroom observations and individual interviews were used to collect data. Results revealed that academic barriers like absenteeism(79.9%),fast methods of teaching (58.8%),lack of academic/parental support at home (33.5%),economic barriers like low socio-economic  status of parents (35.5%),hunger and starvation (36.7%),socio-cultural barriers (7.7%),and psychological barriers(14.0%), have a negative effect on effective schooling thereby leading to high dropout rate . informal schooling ,provisional of educational needs, modification of curriculum and pedagogic practices, additional/specialized programming ,modeling/mentoring by nationals and resident refugees, community participation and a favorable  school climate were proposed strategies to overcome these barriers. Collaborative efforts of policy makers, administrators, teachers and service providers to ensure access, quality, equity and relevance in education for refugees were recommended.