Author
Beneficiaries of international protection have the right to have access to all forms of education, under the same conditions as Romanian citizens.[1] In order to have access to education, child beneficiaries of international protection need to have the minimum age provided by law for all children: 3 to 6 for pre-school education and 6 for primary education.
Enrolment at schools
The legal provisions regarding Romanian language courses for children were detailed by the new amendment of the Integration Ordinance. Therefore, it is stated that, in order to integrate minor beneficiaries of international protection into the Romanian education system, they would benefit from a preparatory course for learning the Romanian language, emphasising that the course is intensive and free of charge during a school year. It was also added that the enrolment is open throughout the calendar year, and the attendance of the course may continue during the following school year.[2]
During the first year, children are enrolled at schools as ‘viewers and listeners’; they do not receive grades and are not registered in the class book.[3] At the end of the preparatory course, the level of knowledge of Romanian language is assessed and an evaluation commission determines enrolment at school.[4]
For the year 2023, IGI-DAI[5] has indicated that it does not have statistics on the number of children benefiting from international protection who are registered in the Romanian educational system. From the information provided by the organisation Save the Children,[6] regarding children in regional centres, the following points emerge.
Galati: intensive Romanian language courses organised by ISJ takes place in the Galati centre. Both BIPs from the centre and those outside centre have access to these classes. Children, in addition to the intensive Romanian language preparatory course, are also enrolled as auditor students. In 2023, no child or adult BIP was assisted in the procedure of recognition/equivalence of studies in order to continue their studies. After completing the BIP preparatory year, they are tested by ISJ. After that, children are enrolled in classes according to what is mentioned in the certificates given by ISJ. However, school programmes are not adapted to the needs of BIPs. There is a high risk of dropping out of school because they fail to reach the threshold of understanding for the subject matter taught at school. Within the ‘My place’ Project implemented by JRS, JRS offered support for BIPs enrolled in school so that they understand what is being taught to them. However, the needs are great and there is a need for ISJ to take steps to adapt the school curriculum.
There are problems in cities where the number of requests to enrol in the intensive Romanian language course is small and groups cannot be formed.
Bucharest: In 2023 asylum seeking children benefited from Romanian language courses offered by NGOs and School No 25. Save the Children encountered difficulties in enrolling these children as auditors in the Romanian education system, the reason invoked by the schools being the lack of available places in classes. The children have difficulties adapting to school because they have learning gaps.
Rădăuţi: So far, this need has been covered for the minors by the employees of Save the Children, ICAR Foundation and Romanian language teachers from the Suceava County School Inspectorate. Indeed these language courses are a real help and benefit for them, but they do not make it very easy for them to integrate into state schools in Romania. In Rădăuţi, the enrolment of refugee children in school is done within the first three months of their arrival as auditors, with the support of the Integration Department of CRCPSA-IGI in particular. As long as children are auditors, there is no obligation to sanction non-attendance. Children come to school when they want or when their parents send them. There is no minimum number of hours they must attend. Some choose to come to all classes or as many as they want. Some children do not manage to socialise with Romanian children in any other context, not even school. Not knowing the language is a barrier, but also the personal and the life history of the refugee child.
Şomcuta Mare: At this centre there is a good collaboration between NGOs, IGI and the Ioan Buteanu High School in Şomcuta Mare, so that the minors who are accommodated in the centre have easy access to the education system. They are enrolled in the local school, but they also attend Romanian language courses organised by NGOs at the Centre, together with their families. In the centre there is a teacher, appointed by the ISJ, who teaches Romanian language classes, but only people who are beneficiaries of a form of international protection attend these classes.
According to Save the Children, the Romanian authorities do not offer programmes specifically designed to meet the needs of this category of children in the Şomcuta Mare Centre
As of 2022, the situation was the following:
Bucharest (Region 1): In 2022, in Region 1, 208 BPI children were enrolled at school by IGI-DAI, according to the director.
Giurgiu: According to the AIDRom representative two unaccompanied children were attending school classes in 2022. Children were enrolled at school by the Romanian teacher of the organisation. Conversely the director of the centre reported that none of the children attended.
Galaţi: Children are enrolled at school from the moment they become asylum seekers. It was mentioned that the quality of the schooling exercise is falling below standards because it does not take into account the crucial steps of integration of beneficiaries in class cohorts. Some of the children complained that they were bullied by their peers. In one instance a 17-year-old was enrolled in first grade based on the fact that he had no Romanian language skills. In 2022 46 children beneficiaries of international protection were enrolled at school, according to the director of the centre.
Timișoara: The director of Timișoara centre reported that no children were enrolled at school in 2022. However, the AIDRom representative reported that around 15 children were enrolled at school. During 2022 ISJ enrolled the children beneficiaries of international schooling regardless of age at second chance school. The issue was reported to IGI-DAI and as of June-July 2022 children are enrolled in a school within the radius of their residence.
Rădăuţi: Children are enrolled at school during the asylum procedure. The legal counsellor reported that children were enrolled during the year, some of them attended the classes and refused to continue because they did not understand anything in class, and some did not attend because they did not want to or they left the country. According to the director of the centre 63 beneficiaries were enrolled at school in 2022.
Şomcuta Mare: LADO/ASSOC reported that in general there are no issues with the enrolment of children beneficiaries who are accommodated in the centre. However, for beneficiaries who live in Baia Mare or other similar localities, there are problems when enrolling at schools, due to the limited places in classes, especially due to the high number of Ukrainian minors (many of whom speak Romanian), who had priority. Five children were enrolled at school in 2022.[7] According to the director of the centre three children were enrolled at the school in Şomcuta Mare and after they moved to Baia Mare they were easily transferred at the school there. In addition, a girl was enrolled at kindergarten.
As regards children with special needs, the conditions for accessing education are the same as for Romanian children. The child should first be issued a degree of disability by the Complex Assessment Service of the Child with Disabilities within the Directorate-General for Social Assistance and Child Protection (DGASPC). This is a particularly complicated and bureaucratic process, which has to be repeated every year.[8]
Based on the evaluation, the Complex Assessment Service of the Child with Disabilities also decides if the child should be enrolled in a school for children with special needs or in a state school, and at what grade.
According to JRS, the transfer from Şomcuta school to Baia Mare was not easy, due to personal situations, but also difficulties in finding proper schools to integrate foreigners, requiring special conditions for listeners/students. The situation was the same for the other two children living in Baia Mare.
In Timișoara the same rules apply for beneficiaries of international protection as for Romanian citizens. In the case of a girl with disabilities, the case was referred to other NGOs and public authorities dealing with disabled minors. There were no problems regarding their integration, as the mother of the girl is employed as a personal assistant of the girl, and she is paid according to the law applicable to Romanian citizens. The only difficulties faced by the family are the language barrier and bureaucracy, the mother’s employment and the issue of the disability certificate. Without proper support and assistance in this process, the family of the girl would not have managed. No cases were reported in 2019, 2020, 2021 nor in 2022.
Beneficiaries of international protection who have reached the age of 18 encounter the same problems in accessing vocational training or education, regardless of their age, according to the AIDRom representative. The language is an impediment. If they do not have diplomas, they have to be examined for all subjects from the first to twelfth grade, or if they cannot certify the years of study, they have to repeat those school years in Romania following the Romanian curricula. There are very few youngsters that have chosen this path, even though professors were understanding and helpful. Another reported situation is that of youngsters that went to an Arabic school and after one year transferred to public schools. IOM Romania also pointed out the lack of diplomas and language barriers as an obstacle or the fact that certain beneficiaries are illiterate and / or do not have the appropriate level of education (for example for enrolling at certain courses it is necessary to finalise primary education (4 years of schooling). ASSOC, on the other hand, specified that along with the language barrier, in some cases there is also a lack of determination.
Integration courses
The new amendments of the Integration Ordinance stipulate that IGI-DAI, in collaboration with the authorities of the local public administration, organises sessions of cultural accommodation and counselling activities, aiming to familiarise the adult beneficiaries of international protection with the traditions, customs, legislation and specifics of the Romanian society.[9] The previous provision stipulated that IGI organises these activities and may collaborate with public authorities and NGOs. IGI and the local public administration authorities may collaborate with other public institutions and non-governmental organisations in order to organise these activities.[10]
In 2023, IGI-DAI[11] reported that the implementation of the integration programme consisted of a set of measures and activities necessary to facilitate the social integration of foreigners who have obtained international protection in Romania, a programme carried out at their request, implemented through cooperation between public institutions, local communities and non-governmental organisations working in this field under the coordination of the General Inspectorate for Immigration. The objectives of the integration programme consist of participation in the Romanian language learning course and cultural orientation sessions, participation in counselling and assistance sessions for access to education and the labour market, participation in counselling and assistance sessions for access to medical and psychological assistance, counselling for housing, participation in counselling sessions for access to social benefits and the provision of material assistance. 739 adults newly registered in the integration programme in 2023 and 761 adults who had registered in 2022 continued the programme in 2023. 16 unaccompanied minors followed the integration programme in 2023. The main countries of origin were Syria, Somalia, Afghanistan, Ukraine and Iraq.
In 2023, CNRR[12] mentioned that community empowerment activities were organised in Bucharest and in other cities of Romania, having diverse thematic such as: information about the labour contract and employees’ rights (tips & tricks for the Somali community, about 15 participants attended the event), women’s reproductive health, an event organised by CNRR in partnership with ANAIS organisation (about 10 participants), Somali cultural evening during with which the Somali community had the opportunity to share its culture and values and to learn more about Romanian culture (50 participants). CNRR also organised two legal education workshops for children aged 11-14 and 15-18, attended by 34 children from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia. Through interactive exercises, the children were explained the provisions of the law on domestic violence, the risks of consuming prohibited substances and how people under 18 can be held accountable if they commit illegal acts. Also, in partnership with the organisation Active Random, a series of creative workshops were organised for children beneficiaries of international protection (photography, digital art, musical instruments). These events took place over 3 months and ended with an exhibition of photos taken by the children. During 2023, 6 children BIPs attended English language courses through a partnership concluded between CNRR and the British Council.
Adult beneficiaries of international protection benefit from intensive and free of charge Romanian language courses, organised by the specialised structures of the Ministry of National Education, in collaboration with IGI. Enrolment is made throughout the calendar year, and the attendance of the course may continue throughout the following school year.[13] IGI-DAI, in collaboration with NGOs provides the necessary spaces for organising the courses.[14] The Ministry of Education appoints a qualified person to teach the Romanian language course for adults and minors and it also ensures adequate training for these teachers.[15] The Ministry of Education establishes the organisation, duration and schedule of these courses.[16]At the end of the preparatory course, a commission issues a certificate that demonstrates the level of knowledge of the Romanian language.[17]
For unaccompanied minors who are beneficiaries of international protection, IGI-DAI collaborates with DGASPC and NGO representatives. They establish the integration plan for the children and implement the activities included in the plan.[18]
In 2023, at the level of Region 2, JRS Romania implemented the My place Project. In addition to the Romanian language courses, cultural, recreational and educational activities were organised as part of this project. JRS benefited from the support of the Agency Against Human Trafficking, the National Anti-Drug Agency, Non-Governmental Organisations/public and private educational institutions/Universities, etc. who helped organise joint activities and activities necessary for a good integration into the Romanian society.[19]
As of 2022, the situation was the following:
In Timișoara, according to AIDRom the courses are held by a Romanian language teacher from the ISJ, once a week. They are grouped based on their age and knowledge of Romanian language. They are addressed in particular to the beneficiaries in the integration program for whom participation in this course is mandatory for the successful completion of the integration program. It was also reported that the courses were held online, depending on the restrictions in place, and sometimes were also cancelled.[20] AIDRom also organises Romanian language classes twice a week in the same way as the ICAR Foundation, online and in person.
Rădăuţi: As of September 2019, beneficiaries were grouped based on their age, but they were not grouped on their level of education or level of Romanian language knowledge. The classes are held on Monday and Thursday for children and on Wednesday for adults. During the summer break the Romanian language course was not held. On the other hand, ICAR Foundation is also organising Romanian language courses. These courses are framed on the needs, level of education and knowledge of Romanian language of the beneficiaries. Before starting the course, beneficiaries have to take a test.
Şomcuta Mare: Romanian language courses are held 3 times a week in the Regional Centre with beneficiaries of international protection by a teacher from ISJ. The language courses are held for adults and if there is a high number of beneficiaries they are grouped based on their nationality and Romanian language skills, according to the director of the centre.
AIDRom also organises Romanian language classes in the same way as the ICAR Foundation.
In Galaţi, JRS representative was not aware if beneficiaries were grouped based on their knowledge. due to the high number of beneficiaries. There are two teachers, one for children and the other for adults. The classes are held three times per week for two hours. JRS is also organising Romanian language courses every weekday in Constanta and Galaţi. Also in 2023, classes were not held during school holidays. The director of the centre mentioned that the course may be held separately for children and adults, but not so many are interested in attending the class.
Curriculum organised by the JRS project until October 2023 (end of AMIF national funding) took place from Monday to Friday for 2 hours/day with the possibility to participate online.[21]
In Giurgiu, according to AIDRom representatives the Romanian language classes were held by AIDRom for asylum seekers and beneficiaries of international protection. The director of Giurgiu Regional Centre mentioned that the preparatory course for learning the Romanian language takes place at the Tudor Vianu Theoretical High School in Giurgiu, for one year, twice a week for two hours. The enrolment of asylum-seeking unaccompanied minors at the preparatory course was done by the legal representative. Nevertheless, at the time of registration they had already left the centre and none attended the course.
In Bucharest there is only one educational institution (School no. 25) where Romanian language courses are organised for foreign citizens. Participants were divided into age groups, respectively: 6-10 years, 11-14 years, 15-18 years, over 18 years. The main difficulties identified were the distance to school and the lack of electronic devices when the courses were held online.[22]
[1] Article 20(1)(h) Asylum Act.
[2] Article 10(1) Integration Ordinance.
[3] Article 10(2) Integration Ordinance. During the preparatory course children beneficiaries of international protection participate free of charge in pedagogical activities within the school units, without their presence being registered in official documents.
[4] Article 10(3) Integration Ordinance.
[5] Information provided by IGI-DAI, 18 January 2024.
[6] Information provided by Save the Children, 15 January 2024.
[7] Information provided by LADO/ASSOC, 20 February 2023.
[8] For the highly onerous administrative requirements to be met for this process according to Common Order No 1985/1305/5805/2016, see DGASPC, Necessary documents for the complex assessment of the child’s disability, available in Romanian at: http://bit.ly/2hK8T0r.
[9] Article 13(1) Integration Ordinance.
[10] Article 13(2) Integration Ordinance.
[11] Information provided by IGI-DAI, 18 January 2024.
[12] Information provided by CNRR, 16 January 2024.
[13] Article 14(1) Integration Ordinance.
[14] Article 14(2) Integration Ordinance.
[15] Article 14(3) Integration Ordinance.
[16] Article 14(4) Integration Ordinance.
[17] Article 14(5) Integration Ordinance.
[18] Article 35(3) Integration Ordinance.
[19] Practice based observation by JRS Romania, April 2024.
[20] Information provided by AIDRom, 14 January 2022.
[21] Practice based observation by JRS Romania, April 2024.
[22] Information provided by IOM Romania, 19 February 2022.