Welcoming migrant students in our schools: “Pact for a teaching of hope”

The integration of migrant students into our society requires access to education, which constitutes a fundamental right of the child. Does the welcome given to these students in our French-speaking education system allow this hope of integration? Answer: “Can do better”.

In the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, since 2012, a decree has regulated the establishment of a Reception and Schooling System for Newly Arriving Students (DASPA), formerly “bridge classes”. A reform of this system is currently under discussion in the government and a new decree should be applied from the start of the 2018 school year. The aim of DASPA is to ensure “reception, optimal orientation and integration ^[1]According to the Decree of May 18, 2012 aimed at the establishment of a system for the reception and schooling of newly arrived students in education organized or subsidized by the... Continue reading » of newly arrived students in our education system. It is also aimed at students of foreign nationality who are under 18 years old, who have been attending education organized or subsidized by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation for less than a full school year, who do not know the language sufficiently and whose At least one of the two parents (or guardians) does not have Belgian nationality, except in the case of adoption. What is a “new arrival” student? Are considered as new arrivals, students who, at the time of their registration in a school of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, are at least 2 ½ years old and less than 18 years old, have arrived on the national territory for less than a year and have submitted an application for recognition of refugee status (or have been recognized as a refugee), are minors accompanying a person who has submitted an application for recognition of refugee status (or have been recognized as a refugee ), are recognized as stateless, or are nationals of a country considered to be developing or of a country in transition officially assisted by the OECD Development Assistance Committee. The main mission of DASPA is intensive learning of the French language and appropriate refresher training so that the student reaches the appropriate level of studies as quickly as possible. In general, their training will be supplemented by courses promoting access to Belgian culture and its integration into our society. He can benefit from this system between one week and one year, this duration can be extended by a maximum of 6 months. Then, an integration council, formed by the director, a DASPA teacher and a PMS representative, sometimes helped by a member of an association, guides the newly arrived student. Often, this includes a 1st or 2nd Differentiated ^[2]The differentiated first level classes, 1st and 2nd D or S are “preparatory” classes for the 2nd level of secondary school for students who do not have the CEB (Certificate… Continue reading (the ultimate goal being obtaining the CEB) or a 3rd Professional. If deeper difficulties are noted, he can be referred to special education, where he will be better supervised. However, this system does not apply to Europeans, for whom the equivalence of diplomas prevails and who sometimes find themselves integrated into classes that do not suit them. In practice ? A financing system that does not take into account realities on the ground The DASPA public increases or decreases depending on current events. According to figures from the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, there are twice as many newly arrived secondary school students today as there were 10 years ago ^[3]We went from 968 secondary school DASPA students in 2010 to 2,318 students in 2017 (Source: Belga).. Alain Clignet, DASPA coordinator at the Saint-Jean Campus in Molenbeek, has noted a regular influx of Romanians for 10 years, Spaniards and Italians following the economic crises in their country, migrants from Morocco and, recently, many Syrians fleeing the war. To meet demand, the number of schools offering DASPA has increased while the budget envelope remains closed ^[4]Following increasing demand, the government has launched calls for applications for the launch of new DASPAs. In 2016-2017, 85 schools offered DASPA and 1,130 periods (one period… Continue reading . Each team of teachers must therefore continue to work with fewer resources, which influences the educational supervision and learning of students who need more targeted help. Among other consequences, there are too many students in classes ^[5]A class must have a minimum of 8 students to organize a DASPA but there is no maximum. From 13 students, the school can benefit from additional subsidies for each… Continue reading. Due to lack of resources, students aged 12-13 sometimes find themselves in class with students aged 16-17. In addition, Charlotte Béllière, DASPA teacher at Campus Saint-Jean, tells us that over the years, many initiatives put in place had to be abandoned, such as speech therapy supervision or work in pairs. Teachers have lost hours of coordination to organize remediation, extracurricular projects or manage tenure administration. And, how can we organize parent meetings without an interpreter? A complex job for teachers The task of DASPA teachers is difficult even though they are sometimes not well enough trained or recognized for their work. Teaching in DASPA requires great flexibility and strong nerves. The profiles vary between the students: some already have a little command of French because they come from countries where French is spoken (for example the DR Congo), others are completely illiterate and have never been to school because they do not have only known war or exile. Students sometimes arrive during the school year, change classes depending on their level or leave the class after an expulsion. Supporting students who are experiencing culture shock is not always easy. They must relearn school codes and find their place within a multicultural group, where everyone's stories are sometimes very difficult. It can take time for a student to be ready for learning, especially if they have been traumatized by dramatic events. However, the system was not designed to support trauma linked to war and help manage the psychological difficulties of these young people. In view of all this, it seems logical that the maximum 18 months in DASPA is not a sufficient period for illiterate students. However, they are often very motivated. We should therefore give them a real chance of success by extending this period. In an open letter published in La Libre Belgique, a group of DASPA teachers say: “Integrating these students quickly into ordinary classes is not giving them a gift. It’s preparing them for failure and downgrading.” […] It would be preferable if the length of the device varied according to the student's profile. Let's trust the teachers... ^[6]BELLIERE, C., DOCK, J., LEROY N., MAINGAIN V., PONCIN M., ROUSSEAUX S., “A school of success? Not for everyone…”, La Libre (Opinions), … Continue reading]”. A lack of global vision From the moment of registration, the administrative management of student files and their reception require enormous work and resources. The registration criteria are restrictive and coordinators must manage the different nationalities and diploma equivalences. Certain situations also raise questions. Some migrant students do not have access to DASPA because they did not go through the administration on time. The organization of the reception of migrants in Belgium makes certain situations absurd: difficult in fact to allow academic monitoring when, due to changes in their status, the student constantly moves from one center to another, or even from one linguistic region to another. Remember that immigration is managed by the Federal Government, education by the communities and the integration of migrants by the regions. Depending on whether they present themselves at a Flemish or French-speaking reception office, a migrant's journey is not the same. The choice of a reception center by the Immigration Office does not always take into account the children's previous background and the languages in which they studied. Not to mention the organization of French-speaking education, divided into networks which do not always communicate easily with each other. According to Alain Clignet, there is “a lack of global and coherent vision to coordinate the reception of new arrivals, especially among French speakers”. He also highlights a lack of “long-term” vision and insists: “We must make the transition to DASPA compulsory otherwise it leads to an educational and professional handicap. Mastery of the language is essential! ". In the same vein, the student's integration into society does not stop at school. However, links between schools, reception centers, associations, parents, etc. should be strengthened and facilitated. A social gap We can also ask questions regarding social diversity and equal opportunities in this system. According to figures from the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, after a year spent in DASPA, around 40 % go to general secondary education, 45 % to vocational secondary education and 15 % to transition or qualification technique. Were they really given the opportunity to choose their orientation? Moreover, as the journalist Olivier Bailly points out to us in the Médor magazine ^[7]BAILLY, O., “A few letters for Leyla”, Médor, Autumn 2016, pp. 20-27., out of 18 secondary schools which welcome newcomers to Brussels, 18 are positive discrimination ^[8]These schools receive additional subsidies because they welcome a more disadvantaged population. (D+) and are located in the poor neighborhoods of Anderlecht and Molenbeek. And why not in other municipalities? A new decree in preparation: the opportunity to fight injustices? Currently, a draft new DASPA decree is under discussion in the government, as part of the “Pact for excellent teaching”. The following points will be addressed in particular: the revision of the budget envelope and the granting of periods according to real needs, the training of teachers, the extension of the period within DASPA for children who are not literate or not in school and administrative adaptations to simplify daily management. This decree should come into force from the start of the 2018 school year. Until then, those in the field like Alain Clignet or Charlotte Bellière say they have not been listened to regarding the problems they have been raising for many years. Let us hope this time that the authors of the “Pact of Excellence” will take their remarks into consideration and finally have a coherent, long-term vision of their policy for welcoming migrant students. We must not lose sight of the fact that a lack of resources fuels social injustices instead of remedying them. By not allowing teachers to supervise young migrants properly, we are denying them the right to hope for a better future.. But, by creating the conditions for quality integration, we allow them to find a place in society and to be fulfilled. It is notably through high demands in terms of justice and equal opportunities that we create the future conditions of peace, living together and social cohesion in a plural society. Interviews: Alain Clignet, DASPA coordinator at Campus Saint-Jean secondary school, Molenbeek. Charlotte Bellière, DASPA teacher at Campus Saint-Jean secondary school, Molenbeek. Marie Defreyne, citizenship education officer at Caritas International. Sources: ALEN, P., MANCO, A., “Schooling of new arrivals in FWB. The urgency of an adequate framework”, Irfam, http://irfam.org/upload/etudes/analyse012012.pdf [accessed November 2, 2017] ANONYMOUS, “New arrivals-DASPA (bridge classes)”, http://www.enseignement.be/index.php/index.php?page=23677&navi=117 [accessed October 4, 2017] ANONYMOUS, “Newly arrived students are twice as numerous in secondary education”, Rtl Info (Belga), https://www.rtl.be/info/belgique/politique/les-eleves-primo-arrivants-sont-deux-fois-plus-nombreux-en-secondaire-966516.aspx [accessed November 2, 2017] BACCICHET, M., “Debate on reception classes for new arrivals”, La Ligue, https://ligue-enseignement.be/debat-sur-les-classes-daccueil-pour-les-primo-arrivants/ [accessed November 2, 2017] BAILLY, O., “Some letters for Leyla”, Médor, Autumn 2016, pp. 20-27 BELLIERE, C., DOCK, J., LEROY N., MAINGAIN V., PONCIN M., ROUSSEAUX S., “A school of success? Not for everyone…”, La Libre (Opinions), http://www.lalibre.be/debats/opinions/une-ecole-de-la-reussite-pas-pour-tout-le-monde-opinion-59df84e5cd70be70bcf2abf4, [Consulted October 25, 2017] FERON, J., “Reception and integration of students of immigrant origin”, Ufapec, http://www.ufapec.be/nos-analyses/accueil-et-integration-des-eleves-d-origine-immigree.html [accessed November 2, 2017] HOUSSONLOGE, D., “The reception of new arrivals at school, legislative measures”, Ufapec, http://www.ufapec.be/nos-analyses/3513-primo-arrivants.html [Consulted on November 2, 2017] LOVENFOSSE, M.-N., “DASPA To get back on track at school… and in life”, Free entry, n°94, December 2014, pp. 14-15 “Decree of May 18, 2012 aimed at establishing a system for the reception and education of newly arrived students in education organized or subsidized by the French Community”:http://www.gallilex.cfwb.be/fr/leg_res_01.php?ncda=37785&referant=l02&bck_ncda=5108&bck_referant=l00 [Consulted October 25, 2017] “Archives of the Education Commission of the Parliament of the French Community. 2016-2017 session »: http://archive.pfwb.be/1000000020650d8?action=browse [accessed November 2, 2017] “International Convention on the Rights of the Child”, Unicef, https://www.unicef.fr/sites/default/files/userfiles/50154.pdf [accessed November 11, 2017] Anne Berthet

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