Learning on the Margins: Factors that Structure the Education of Refugee Children in South Africa

The exclusion of refugee children in the South African education system in the post-apartheid period has attracted the attention of non-state actors, human rights organizations and non-governmental organisations to intervene with alternative solutions to close this gap. This paper examines the factors that shape the schooling of refugee children in South Africa, as well as their experiences in accessing education in both public and private settings. This paper looks at the role played by non-state actors who fill this inadequacy gap; how responsive are these alternatives to the government discourse & practises for education of the refugee children. This study situates the Right to Education of a refugee child within the context of inclusion and exclusion approaches by looking at the experiences of the refugee children within the system. Views and perceptions of refugee children with regards to the type and quality of education they receive are analysed and the way they engage and interact within the system with their fellow learners, teachers, new environment taking into consideration the language, diversity and ethnicity. New government policies have recently been adopted to include refugees in the mainstream system; however findings high-light a social problem (xenophobia) that exacerbates the exclusion of refugee children within the system.