Officials discuss integration of refugee children in schools

Governmental and UN officials responsible for education, social protection and related issues began meeting on Monday in the Ivorian capital, Yamoussoukro, to discuss plans to integrate young Liberian refugees into Côte d'Ivoire's education system. The agenda of the three-day meeting includes discussing the cost of the proposed programme as well as ways to overcome social and psychological obstacles to the integration of the more than 20,000 Liberians of school age living in communities in western Côte d'Ivoire. These children are among some 120,000 Liberians who have remained in the country despite voluntary repatriations begun in 1997. Participants will also discuss the challenge of integrating children who speak mostly English and/or their mother tongues, into an education system in which French is the medium of instruction. The workshop is being attended by representatives of the US Agency for International Development, UNHCR, WFP, UNICEF, and Côte d'Ivoire's ministries of National Education, and Defence and Civil Protection. The partners have set October as the target date for the start of the programme.