Chapter 2 on National Programs for Integrating Migrant Adults
“The critical importance of literacy, numeracy and language learning, at different proficiency levels, for the resettlement and integration of refugees and migrants is supported by research evidence” (Unesco 2019, p. 2).
The quotation is taken from a background paper commissioned for the 2019 Global Education Monitoring Report (Migration, displacement and education: Building bridges, not walls). The background paper prepared by Ulrike Hanemann, and published by the UNESCO Institute of Lifelong Learning, focuses on national “programs that enable youth and adult refugees and migrants to learn a new language, usually the national language of the host country or the community where they resettle. It further focuses on programs that develop literacy (and numeracy) of refugees and migrants who have never been to school or have not been to school long enough to become proficient in reading and writing in their native language” (p. 2).
This paper is an excellent presentation of the many diverse issues that need to be considered when creating sustainable and efficient national programs for the linguistic integration of migrants.
Case study: Denmark
The share of inhabitants of Denmark who have “foreign background” (defined as born outside Denmark or with parents born outside Denmark) has steadily risen since the 1970s, reaching 11 % in 2015. Integration has been a highly debated topic in Denmark in recent decades, and, despite the country’s democratic tradition and principles, the current attitude towards immigration has raised some objections.
The country’s educational system for adults is well-developed, and a variety of language courses are on offer. Language classes for refugees and adults who have arrived in Denmark via family reunification are free, but other newcomers have lately lost their right to free Danish classes, although they remain subsidised if taken at approved schools.
Under the Danish Education Act people can learn Danish in a public language school from the age of 18 years, if they have a Danish CPR number (i.e. Central Person Register, find more details here) and legal residence in Denmark, and have lived in the country for less than 3 and a half years. The new rules (2018) have different types of provision for adults who are self-supporting and those who are enroled in an integration programme.
For an overview of the different types of further education provision immigrants can have access to, please read the following article by Lars Alrø Olesen.
For further reading
- On Denmark’s and the other Scandinavian countries’ current immigration policies we recommend an article by Arno Tanner, published on the website of MPI, the Migration Policy Institute, in February, 2016.
- Check also the MPI’s resource pages on European countries.
- Read this article from Rockwool Foundation for a retrospective view on the policy developments in asylum process in Denmark.
Case study: Germany
VHS
Knowledge of the host country’s language and a good level of functional literacy are key factors in Germany for a successful integration process. The largest provider of language courses, as well as of courses of basic skills in Germany is the VHS, the National Association of Folk High Schools. When the refugee crisis started in 2015 the demand for VHS language and integration courses increased dramatically and professional course instructors became scarce. With the support of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), VHS created an online portal presenting free applications and resources. The freely available Einstieg Deutsch language application offers a variety of exercises for initial language support, and an equally free learning portal (www.ich-will-deutsch-lernen.de) enables adult learners to customise their German learning program and offers exercises for levels A1 to B1 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The VHS has also created a similar portal for literacy and basic education called Ich will lernen (www.ich-will-lernen.de). It is the largest open learning portal in Germany, and it offers more than 31,000 exercises from learning the alphabet and basic education to preparing for final school exams and basic economic education.
Literacy Decade
Language and literacy are inextricably linked and the current Literacy Decade is very relevant to current German policies for linguistic integration. For more concise information about the German Literacy Decade, read this excellent EPALE blog by Timm Helten.
DAAD programs
The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) has also organised language course provision for newcomers who want to attend tertiary education. With funding from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), DAAD has developed a set of targeted measures to enable universities to offer access to higher education to refugees who wish to study and possess sufficient academic qualification. With funding from the BMBF, DAAD has also developed an extensive package of long-term measures.
For further reading
- A wide and differentiated language course offer: the approach of the Goethe Institute,
Case study: the Netherlands
The Dutch Government’s own webpage on immigrant integration (New in the Netherlands) states that learning Dutch is compulsory for all newcomers. Integration is an obligation, and the process must begin before one arrives in the country.
Over the years the immigration and integration policies of the Dutch Government have changed considerably. For a historical overview of this development, read the following excellent summary presented by the University College London’s Department of Dutch Studies.
Many experts coincide in thinking that the current policy is less conducive to integration. For a deeper discussion of this issue, please read the following blog post by Ina den Hollander, a contribution made during one of EBSN’s online discussions on this theme on EPALE.
Case study: OSCE
Training national stakeholders for cohesive implementation of national programs
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) through the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) published a manual in 2018 (Good Practices in Migrant Integration: TRAINER’S MANUAL), a very comprehensive handbook to use during training courses for all stakeholders involved in developing, implementing and reviewing migrant integration policies in the OSCE region.
The aim of the manual is to support the implementation of policies and practices that meet OSCE commitments and international legal standards in the field of migrant integration. The manual presents 10 modules with a suggested course length of half a day per module and it gives detailed instructions for the themes and the approaches to use in a five-day course. Module 4 (p. 65) is titled Facilitating the civic and linguistic integration of migrants.
For further reading
- Read this article from the Rockwood Foundation to compare how the requirements in language proficiency have changed in Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands and Norway (p. 1).
Recommendations for further relevant resources are welcome in the comment section below!
Continue here:
Chapter 3 on The Linguistic Integration of Adult Migrants (LIAM) project by The Council of Europe
Chapter 1 on Key Documents for Policy-makers by the EU
Back to the main page
