Refugees and English Language Teachers’ Training Needs in Sudan

Outline Background Information Facts about refugees Statement of the Problem Study Results of the Study Observations

Background Information 1 Sudan has been historically both a north-south and an east-west migration crossroad. The constant population movement as a result of drought, famine, civil war and emigration from neighbouring countries has always made Sudan a hosting country for refugees.

Background Information 2 Sudan used to be the largest country in Africa up to 2011, whereby the country broke into two countries. The Republic of Sudan The Republic of South Sudan Up to 2011 Sudan used to have its own problems of displaced population due to internal strife in different parts of the country

Refugees in Sudan In recent years even after the end of the Eritrean-Ethiopian war refugees continued to arrive in Sudan. It is estimated that 1,600 Eritreans and Ethiopians cross the border every month to seek refuge in Sudan. This influx of refugees has become one of the UNCHR largest and most intractable refugee problems.

Refugees in Sudan Refugees exist in four distinct areas: Khartoum; the Protocol Areas; eastern Sudan; and Darfur. The population of concern includes around 2.3 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), some 140,000 refugees, 7,000 asylum-seekers and an estimated hundreds of thousands persons at risk of statelessness. Most are refugees from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Somalia. UNHCR works in cooperation with COR to support the refugees.

Refugees in Eastern Sudan In 2012 UNHCR successfully launched the Transitional Solutions Initiative (TSI) with UNDP and the World Bank, in close partnership with the Sudanese Government, to promote self-reliance among some 77,000 long-staying refugees in eastern Sudan. UNHCR also began to implement a project with IOM and the local authorities to address the trafficking, smuggling and kidnapping of refugees and asylum-seekers in eastern Sudan.

Refugees in Eastern Sudan Refugees and the local community in eastern Sudan face acute poverty and lack of access to health care, education and employment. Refugees also face difficulties in integrating locally, and there is no possibility of voluntary repatriation at this time. Persistent drought has degraded the land and shrunk pasture lands, leading to malnutrition among refugees and host communities. Meanwhile, the 1,800 new refugees and asylum-seekers arriving each month brave often violent traffickers, smugglers and kidnappers.

Statistics Eastern Sudan’s refugee population, November 2010 Nationality Number % Eritrean 75,5723 94.6 Ethiopian 4,197 5.3 Somali 46 0.1 Sudanese 28 0.0 Other 4 0.0 Total 79,847 100.0

Statement of the Problem In recent years the profile of the refugees has changed, they are younger and move mostly with their family. They emigrate for economical reasons.They take Sudan as a transit country in which they stay for a short time to move then northwards. English language, as the lingua franca of the world, plays a very important role in future life of these refugees especially for the asylum seekers who mostly go to Europe and United States.

The study 1 The presentation is based on a study carried in the year 2011/2012 to investigate the training needs of English language teachers who work in refugee schools in Gedarif State in the Eastern State. The UNHCR funds education in refugee camps through its implementing partner, Sudanese Commission for Refugees (COR).

The Study was carried in 9 refugees camps with a total 14 schools.

The study 2 The study was carried in Gedarif State Two tools were used in collecting the data The first tool was a questionnaire disturbed to 30 English language teachers working in refugee (Eritrean)schools for basic level. Interviews of key personnel in COR (Sudanese Commission for Refugees)

The results 2 Nationality of teachers Sudanese 25 Eritrean 5 Academic qualification Secondary School 20 University degree 9 Postgraduate 1 100% of the students are Eritrean

The results 1

The results 3 Type of training (single short training courses) Teaching Readers 3 General English Language 18 Spine 4 (The Sudanese English language text book)

The results 4 Training needs CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning) Teaching the language skills and sub-skills Classroom management skills Teaching literature /Readers TKT (Teaching Knowledge Test) Teaching in low resourced classrooms Raising Students Motivation Teaching English Primary Essential

Teachers’ Comments The majority stated that they: need more than one or two short training courses. English should be taught in earlier grades(currently is taught in grade 5) Teachers were not qualified enough to teach English for refugees. Special programmes designed for teaching refugees English are needed.

The results 5 Interview There is no specific curricula or training programmes for refugee schools. The Ministry of General Education is responsible for the training programmes for the refugee schools. No special curricula for refugees school. COR is responsible for supervising the schools. UNHCR is responsible for funding

Observations 75 % of the teachers are Sudanese while 100% of the students are Eritrean. Cultural differences present a huge obstacle in the classroom English is a third language for the refugees. Training of the teachers is not built on real needs. Coordination between the different bodies is nil.

Observations 2 Arabic language is essential for survival English language is also essential for survival and occupational success. Due to the fact that no plan or policy was developed for English language teachers training, the results of the study can be very informative in leading to better planning and good practice.  Identify ways of improving provision based on the needs of refugees. Develop better ESOL services at the transitional country.

Final comments Shields and Price: “We found that English language speaking fluency is the second most important determinant of occupational success, after possession of a degree”. “Our most statistically reliable estimate suggests that being fluent speaking English language raises the mean occupational wage by 16.5 %”.

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