Oversight of and access to education for undocumented international child migrants in South Africa
Date
2022
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Abstract
A huge number of people migrate internationally every year because of different ‘push’ and ‘pull’ factors ranging from socio-economic challenges and lack of respect for political rights. Among the people who migrate internationally, there are also children involved who migrate with their families and there are many unaccompanied children. Due to the different challenges that are experienced in African countries including exorbitant passport fees, many people, including children, end up migrating illegally.
This study interrogates the oversight role and support of the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) on ordinary public primary schools in Johannesburg East District. This is because undocumented child migrants’ approach ordinary public primary schools in townships to access education. Research has shown that undocumented child migrants still experience challenges in accessing education regardless of the international and regional instruments that are in place to safeguard their rights. This study showed that oversight by the GDE is at play in the Alexandra township. There is an “open door” policy in which school officials can easily consult in the event that they do not understand something about the Schools Act and the Admission Policies that are adopted to allow undocumented international child migrants access to education.
The study showed that schools generally tolerate undocumented child migrants as they are not turning them away on the basis of lack of documentation or inability to pay school fees. The study showed that a positive relationship exists between implementation of policy and understanding of policy and support from the Gauteng Department of Education which shows that it is not the understanding of policy that matters when it comes to admitting undocumented international child migrants but support received from the Gauteng Department of Education.
Description
A research report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management in in the field of Management, Governance and Public Development Sector: Monitoring and Evaluation to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, Wits School of Governance, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022
Keywords
Socio-economic challenges, Gauteng Department of Education (GDE), Public primary schools, UCTD