The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), together with humanitarian organization Intersos, has launched a project to enable 35 unaccompanied refugee children currently living in Niger to move to Italy to continue their studies. The first five minors will arrive in Italy in September, UNHCR said on Thursday, August 12.
Instead of going to classes and learning lessons for life, migrant children on the move are often stuck simply trying to survive. In Bosnia, some have to help their parents scheme their escape into the EU instead of enjoying their childhood.
The enrollment of incoming first-year students in Italy for the 2021-2022 school year will close on January 25. Enrollment is also mandatory for foreign minors, regardless of the regularity of their parents' stay permit, according to regulations issued by the education ministry.
The Italian education ministry has decided to relaunch the observatory for the integration of foreign students and inter-cultural exchange after a two-year break. The goal: to fight prejudices, and to boost multiculturalism in Italian schools.
Europe places a high value on multilingualism and language diversity, but the emphasis remains more on European languages than on the languages spoken by many newly-arrived migrants. The use of other languages is often seen as a barrier to integration. Clear evidence however shows that supporting and preserving migrants’ mother tongues has benefits for the whole of society.