Opportunities And Challenges Of Refugees On Host Communities Primary Education In Itang Special Woreda Gambella Region

The purpose of this study was to assess the opportunities and challenges of refugees on host communities’ primary education in Itang Special Woreda of Gambella Region. To conduct this study, mixed research methodology was employed. To address the opportunities and challenges, two host communities’ primary schools have been selected in Itang those expected to be affected by refugees as the refugee camps established nearest to those primary school systems. Structured questionnaires, interviews and focus group discussion were the main research tools to collect data from the selected communities. The Sample size of 1085 students in the data collection, 281 students participant filled the structured questionnaires and different groups from Governmental and Non-Governmental organizations who participate in education sector were targeted to twelve (seven educational experts and two school principal and two ex-teachers) interview and 36 (17 teachers, 6 Parents Teachers and Students Associations, Two Cluster Supervisors, Two Vice School Principals, Five Educational Experts, Two NGO`s and Two Partners) participants focus group discussion . Thus, stratified simple random sampling techniques was employed to select all target groups who participate through filling in questionnaires; besides, purposive sampling techniques were used to select participants in the interview who participate in the interview and focus group discussion. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive and thematic data analysis. Thus, the result identifies the status of the host communities’ primary schools and refugees based on its opportunities and challenges. In this case construction of class rooms, latrines, and provision of educational materials such as desks, black boards, books, and others can be taken as enabling opportunities to the host communities’ primary school. However, the presence of refugee in that area has many challenges to the host communities’ primary schools. For instance, many refugee children were enter in the schools and share class rooms and other school resources which resulted to shortage of books, class rooms, desks, and others. Besides, lack of pure water, fence, high turn-over of teachers, students’ absenteeism from class leads to students’ drop out from school were some of the main challenges of host communities’ primary schools. Based on these findings, some applicable recommendations were forwarded to strength the opportunities and to minimize the challenges. The recommendations were to solve high overcrowded of the class rooms, to it is advisable to construct additional classrooms, appropriate to recommend the provision and construction of appropriate educational materials and facilities including school fences.

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