Reducing the gap in access to quality preschool education for migrant children.

• In Event: A sustainable university in challenging circumstances. A case from Russia.

Proposal

My MEd paper discusses the role of education in the migrant and refugee children adaptation and integration in the host society. In my paper I studied the preschool educational systems implementing various acculturation strategies: French (assimilation) and Swedish (multiculturalism/ integration). Both countries have a high number of immigrants as a proportion of their population and well developed preschool educational systems. Transnational migration creates a serious challenge to national states. Its main reasons are search for a better life, work and security. Social mobility of today's world, more open borders and the demographic crisis of the Old World reinforces the process.
The world community has to develop a clear strategy in the field of integration and adaptation of migrants, especially children. Availability of high quality education for all children has become the key element of the national strategies in many countries.
Various theories and models of interaction between migrants and the host community have been developed. The acculturation theory is one of the most dynamically developing concepts in this area. The four acculturation strategies are traditionally identified as assimilation, integration, separation, and marginalization.
In modern Europe, the two models have spread out more: integration (multiculturalism) based on pluralism of cultures, and assimilation based on “conclusion” of a social contract between a migrant and the host country and his/her accumulation of the country’s cultural and social values.
Modern research suggests that the earlier a migrant gets involved in the educational process the better integrated into the society he/she becomes. Preschool is an ideal stage for that.
My research shows that, compared to non-immigrant children, migrant children are far more likely to experience social and economic adversity, and growing evidence suggests that disparities between immigrant and native-born peoples are widening. Reducing the gap in access to quality education at the early, preschool stage gives migrant children a chance to continue their education and socialization without dropouts and marginalization.
Russia is still on its way to become an “immigration country”. The country faces many problems related to the availability of preschool education for migrant children. Considering the fact that Russia is a multi-national state with over 190 ethnic groups designated as nationalities, it is not possible to apply only one acculturation strategy here. However, studying the experience of the two countries implementing the two various leading strategies can be useful for Russia. My analysis results in a list of strategies and policies that have proved their efficiency in France and Sweden and could be, if properly adapted, applied to the Russian context.
Working on the thesis gave me a valuable experience in data collection and research, helped me improve my analytical and critical thinking skills; it exposed me to the most actual global educational agenda. All these skills and competences help me in my daily job of an educational program director at Vladimir Potanin Foundation where I am responsible for the fellowship program for university students and teachers.

Authors

• Natalia Shulgina, MSSES

• Elizaveta Krichivets, MSSES