Activist questions slow process to get migrant children into schools

Reporter

carisa.lee@cnc3.co.tt

The Ministry of National Security has received 32 more applications on behalf of Venezuelan migrant children seeking approval to be admitted into local schools.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Catholic Education Board of Management, Sharon Mangroo, said yesterday that they expect to get that batch back in approximately two weeks.

“They will continue to send, so it’s ongoing,” she said.

At a joint media conference on Monday, the National Security and Education Ministries announced that 23 out of the successful 111 migrant children will start school next month. However, Venezuelan activist and co-founder of the Caribbean Kids and Families Therapy Organisation (CKFTO), Sofia Figueroa-Leon, said 23 was too small a number.

CKFTO is a non-governmental organisation that helps train teachers to work with migrant children.

Figueroa-Leon wants to know what became of the original 200 students earmarked to be admitted to local schools and how quickly the turnover of the applications will take.

“In my humble opinion, this whole system has been poorly thought out,” she said.

She said while it was good that 23 children would be attending school in September, she could not understand why the procedure was so slow.

“Education is a human right. Regardless of race, creed, nationality, every child has a right to an education,” Figueroa-Leon said.

However, La Romain Migrant Support Group coordinator Angie Ramnarine said she was not surprised only 23 migrant children were accepted given the criteria the ministries requested.

“In a way, it’s a small battle won, the war has not been won but a battle has been,” she said.

During the media conference on Monday, Chief Education Officer Dr Peter Smith said they faced challenges with the application process, such as missing documents, the language barrier, and expired permits, which delayed the process.

Ramnarine said they will continue to run learning centres and depend on funding, although it’s a struggle to ensure no Venezuelan migrant child is left behind.

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