Peaceful coexistence and social cohesion sparks among refugees, host community youth and adolescents
Education for peaceful coexistence
Homosha Woreda (District), Benishangul Gumuz region: Osam Zeruq, 22, is a grade nine refugee student in Tsore Arumela inclusive Secondary School in Homosha Woreda (District). He was born and raised in Blue Nile State in Sudan and fled to Ethiopia with his younger brother in 2016 due to conflict in his province. Osam settled in Tsore Refugee Camp and joined a two-year alternative learning programme provided by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). He later joined Tsore Camp Primary School and completed grade 8. Osam is very happy to have a secondary school very close to his camp.
“There was no secondary school in the camp or in the nearby local community and my only option was to drop out of school and remain without further education. But thanks to UNICEF and other partners, I now have joined grade 9 class and will be able to complete up to grade 12 in this newly constructed secondary school adjacent to my camp,” Osam said.
Under the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF), the Ethiopian Government has made nine pledges towards a more comprehensive response to refugees. One of the pledges was to increase enrolment of refugee children in preschool, primary, secondary and tertiary education without discrimination and with available resources. In support to this initiative, UNICEF in collaboration with the local government, UNHCR and Refugees and Returnees Service (RRS), constructed and expanded secondary schools with the fund from Education Cannot Wait (ECW) in and around refugee camps and host communities in Benishangul-Gumuz Region. One of these newly constructed model refugee-inclusive secondary schools is Tsore Arumela where Osam and other 767 youth and adolescent students, including 562 refugees and 204 host community students, are attending classes from 9-12 grades.
The inclusive secondary school also plays a great role in strengthening peaceful coexistence and social cohesion among refugees, host community youth and adolescents in further consolidating integration of both communities as stipulated in Ethiopian Refugee Proclamation.
“I have many friends in the school from the host community and it has helped me to learn the local language, tradition and culture of the Bertha people,” Osam said.
Nyawiir Ngor, 22, is also a refugee student in Tsore Arumela Inclusive Secondary School attending class in grade nine. She is from Upper Nile, South Sudan and came to Tsore Refugee Camp in 2014. Nyawiir is married and lives with her husband and three-year old son. Her husband joined Addis Ababa University and her child joined preschool class in the camp which is run by Plan International Ethiopia in partnership with UNICEF.
"I would like to live with my family in Ethiopia. After completing my secondary education, I want to become a doctor to support both refugees and host communities to get proper medical care. Currently, there are none in both communities,” says Nyawiir.
Abubaker Abdulkerim, 28, is a grade nine student in Tsore Arumela School from the local host community. He lives near the school with his parents including five brothers and three sisters.
“It’s good to be in one school with refugees because we can communicate with them in English which will improve our language proficiency and learn other subjects easily,” Abubaker said.
Alemu Kasahun and Shumete Sakata are the English and Health and Physical Education teachers in Tsore Arumela Secondary School respectively. They emphasized that teaching refugees and host community students in one classroom helps teachers to improve their teaching skills and prepare well with different methodologies to accommodate diversities and language barriers.
Using thematic funds, UNICEF is supporting the local government to overcome budget constraints through the provision of teachers’ salaries and other school supplies to open Tsore Arumela Secondary School for the 2014 Ethiopian academic year. UNICEF, with the fund available from ECW, constructed three new secondary schools, expanded other three secondary schools with full furniture provision. As a result of these construction and expansion, 4,193 youth and adolescents including 1,925 refugees 2,267 host communities are attending classes in the region in the current Ethiopian academic year.
Due to increasing student enrolment, these inclusive schools are yet facing multiple challenges including a shortage of teachers, furniture, ICT and laboratory equipment which needs to be addressed through concerted efforts and further support by partners.
