Uganda’s Education System and Refugee Enrolment: a Case Study of Somali Refugees in Kisenyi-Kampala District

Abstract

The study examined the impact of Uganda’s Education system on school enrolment of Refugees with a case of Somali refugees in Kampala district. It was guided by three research objectives which were; to examine the influence of education policy systems, education financing systems and institutional systems on school enrollment of Somali Refugees in Kampala district.

The study used a case study design with a qualitative approach. The study adopted a qualitative approach because it helped to provide a greater detail on how the Uganda’s education system affects school enrollment among Somali refugees covering all the objectives of the study. The study population involved local council leaders, Somali Refugees in Kisenyi, refugee leaders and UNHCR employees. The study used purposive sampling to select the key informants.

The study also used convenience sampling to select potential and accessible refugees. The study used content analysis to analyze the data from interviews. Thematic content analysis was used to capture all the relevant quotations and statements that were very relevant to the objectives of the study. Data was collected using interviews that were administered to all the respondents where content analysis was used to analyze data according to the themes in the objectives of the study.

In the study, it was found out that the period as stipulated by policies in Uganda for one to complete each level of school is not being favorable to refugee students, prompting many to go for shorter carrier passes that can easily meet their needs. The Ugandan curriculum in place does not favor the learning of most Somali refugee school going children since many don’t know the language of instruction.

It was therefore concluded that policy, financing and institutional system at hand poorly caters for the needs and interests of refugees in the education process in Uganda and does not directly favor the refugee children to enroll into school.

It was therefore recommended that Ministry of Education may put in place a structured system with a curriculum that addresses the challenges of refugees, it should reconsider easing the transition to Uganda’s curriculum removing any additional fees paid especially by refugees, it can source for funding from different development partners such that refugees are directly funded by government financing system to directly enroll into school, it needs to carry out capacity building on all head teachers on how best they can improve the school environment especially for refugee students, in terms of dressing, flexibility in the language during instructional process.

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