Challenges facing urban refugee children in accessing secondary education in kenya: A case study of refugee children (14-18 years) living in eastleigh-nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

The status of refugees across the world, signified by dramatic increase in their numbers has continually captured the attention and imagination of academics, policy makers, humanitarian agencies and the media. This study was set out to find out the various challenges and problems faced by urban refugee children in accessing secondary school education. The research used Eastleigh estate in Nairobi County, which has a high population of refugees as case study. The target population comprised of urban refugee children in Eastleigh, their parents/guardians and representatives of humanitarian agencies working in the refugee sector in Nairobi. Primary data was collected through administration of a questionnaire. The primary data gathered was supplemented by secondary data from published information on urban refugee studies and database in agencies working with refugees. The researcher administered the questionnaire to all respondents. Quantitative data collected was analyzed by the use of descriptive statistics using SPSS. Qualitative data was collected through questionnaires and analyzed and ranked on the weight of the responses based on the assigned codes. It can be concluded that the study achieved its objectives as outlined in chapter one. It is evident that the refugee children experienced challenges in accessing secondary education. These challenges included; discrimination in schools, competition from local citizens, legal barriers and poor living conditions which makes it difficult for the refugee parents and guardians to afford secondary education for their children. However, there are various stakeholders’ that have geared efforts to promote access to secondary education among the refugees. The stakeholders’ were donors/well wishers (such as NGOs, Church organizations etc), international organizations (such as UNHCR) and registration authorities. This has been done through building good relationships between the refugees and local citizens, promoting integration into local schools, building stronger communities that ultimately protect children. The study concludes that there had been no major steps taken to overcome the challenges of access to secondary education for refugees. This study recommends that, the steps aimed at overcoming the challenges of access to secondary education for refugees should include removal of legal restrictions on refugee movement, facilitating entry to formal schooling by the government, speeding for proper documentation, helping parents to earn income and advocacy with local authorities.