Abstract
The myth that Ghana is stable and peaceful, cause many refugees from across Africa and elsewhere, escaping wars from their countries to flee there. Whilst here, refugees face transitional problems in acculturation and settlement, stemming from a lack of education, as many have not had formal education before coming to Ghana. The problem is worsened by an immigration system and a social structure that delays responding to refugees’ needs. With a lack of viable employment to support parents’ settlement needs, these cumulatively function to affect refugee children’s educational attainment. Using ideas from Giddens’ structuration theory as a conceptual framework, the research seeks to understand how immigration rules and other mediated rules at the Ganfoso Refugee Camp, interlacing refugee parents’ acculturation/settlement experiences, impact children’s educational lives. The article uses narratives from teachers/head-teachers, refugee camp management, and a cross-section of community members to highlight how social structures, policy regulation and implementation, combined with issues of refugees’ agency (personal experiences and responses to situation), impact upon their settlement and affect their children’s education.Through qualitative interviews with 69 participants, the article highlight discussions on the effect of institutional barriers to refugees’ experiences, and impact on educational access of refugee children in Ghana.
Highlights
Refugees resettlement is part of the protection that destinations governments are expected to provide victims who escape to their shores
Whilst in Ghana, most of the asylum seekers settle in Ganfoso Refugee Camp, believe to be a place where settlement is processed and quickly (Akua-Sakyiwah, B (2015): Refugee Education in Ghana, unpublished)
They work hand in hand with the UN, which has a responsibility to secure durable solutions for refugees and to advise the government on issues pertaining to refugees
Summary
Refugees resettlement is part of the protection that destinations governments are expected to provide victims who escape to their shores. The complexity involved in their escape results in challenges for destination countries and asylum seekers themselves. Whilst in Ghana, most of the asylum seekers settle in Ganfoso Refugee Camp, believe to be a place where settlement is processed and quickly (Akua-Sakyiwah, B (2015): Refugee Education in Ghana, unpublished). As a result the camp is one of the largest settlement for refugees and asylum seekers, housing about 15 nationalities, from countries across Africa and Asia: Chad, Somalia, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, The Central African Republic, Togo, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Burundi, Uganda, Congo Brazzaville, Liberia, and Pakistan (Akua-Sakyiwah, B (2015): Refugee Education in Ghana, unpublished). Due to its diverse nature, the camp is described as “a melting pot of cultures, religions, passions, dreams, languages and dialects of Africa, English, French and Arabic” (Kpatindé 2006)
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