Abstract
AbstractThe perplexing numbers of Somali children withdrawn from schools in Norway and sent to Somalia is the concern of this study. These students are often brought back and re-enroll later as adolescents with concomitant educational challenges. The findings are critically analyzed employing John Ogbu’s cultural ecology of minorities and a CHAT-based inquiry that approaches the Somali community and Norwegian schooling as interconnected activities that share commonalities and yet evince several contradictions. The findings reveal the need to engage with Somali symbolic cultural artifacts (e.g. deen (religion), dhaqan (culture), gaal (the infidel or “Other”), and hisho (female modesty) and arrive at interpretations/understandings that are more amenable to educational success. It is argued that given the gravity and scale of the conundrum, both sides will have to think creatively if the aim is to safeguard the educational integrity of Somali children.
Highlights
IntroductionPaul Thomas has a PhD in Education from King’s College, London
This study concerns itself with the following question: Why do some Somali parents in Norway opt to send their children to schools in Africa (Somalia in particular) and the Middle East? Often withdrawn from primary and lower secondary schools, these students experience enormous difficulties when
The findings reveal the existence of a trust deficit between Somali parents and Norwegian officialdom—the educational and Child Welfare Services in particular
Summary
Paul Thomas has a PhD in Education from King’s College, London He is an associate professor at the Faculty of Education and International Studies, Oslo & Akershus University College, Norway. He has experience teaching in high school and undergraduate level in Norway. The findings reveal the existence of a trust deficit between Somali parents and Norwegian officialdom—the educational and Child Welfare Services in particular. It is argued, in the interest of the children whose educational development is hampered, that efforts at building trust will necessitate serious efforts at exploring new and genuinely multicultural avenues
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