Educational and socio-cultural experiences of immigrant students in South African schools

Abstract

The advent of democracy and the easing of both legal and unauthorised entry to South Africa have made the country a new destination for Black asylum-seekers, long-distance traders, entrepreneurs, students and professionals. As this population continues to grow, its children have begun to experience South African schools in an array of uniquely challenging ways. In addition to opening their doors to all South African children irrespective of race, colour or creed, most public schools in South Africa have also opened their doors to a number of Black immigrant children. There is, however, very little research on the socio-cultural experiences of Black immigrant students within the dominant institutional cultures of schools. Accordingly, this study asks what are the educational and socio-cultural experiences of Black immigrant students in South African schools? To what extent has the ethos of these schools been transformed towards integration in the truest sense and how do Black immigrant students perceive this in practice? Utilising the theoretical framework of Critical Race Theory this research study attempts to understand the unique educational and socio-cultural experiences of Black immigrant youth in South African schools.