When 11-year-old Venezuelan refugee Astrid Saavedra walked into her fourth-grade classroom in Trinidad and Tobago for her first day of school in September, she was eager to start teaching math, her favorite subject. But the prospect of teaching fellow students about her native Venezuela was equally exciting.
Astrid is one of the first refugee and immigrant children from Venezuela to be admitted to Trinidad’s public education system following changes to the country’s immigration rules.
IOM/Gema Cortes
Thousands of Venezuelans have fled their country (FILE)
She was part of the first cohort of 60 children who met the entry criteria, including having a certified and translated birth certificate and immunization record and being placed in a school, which fulfills Trinidad and Tobago’s commitment to fully meet its goals. An important milestone has been achieved. We are fulfilling our obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, an international human rights treaty.
“If these young people stay in Trinidad and Tobago, they will be ready to enter the country’s labor market, filling gaps in the labor market and contributing to innovation and sustainability,” said Desery, a senior UN migration agency (IOM) official. Jordan – Whiskey. “It’s also an opportunity for these predominantly Spanish-speaking children to contribute as much as they can by helping their peers learn a second language.”
investment in the future
Changes to the law to allow children like Astrid to go to school were made at a meeting of UN officials and politicians in July 2023, with Trinidad’s Minister of Foreign Affairs officially announcing the government’s decision.
UN agencies agree that the right to education is an example of how human rights overlap with sustainable development.
“Advocating for access to education is key to closing the gap between immediate humanitarian needs and long-term development goals,” said Amanda Solano, UNHCR Representative in Trinidad and Tobago. “By providing education to refugee and migrant children, we are not only meeting their immediate needs, but investing in their future and the future of Trinidad and Tobago.”
UNHCR Trinidad and Tobago
More than 2,000 refugee and migrant children are excluded from the school system. The United Nations has tried to provide them with alternative learning opportunities or place them in private schools, but has expressed a preference for wide admission into the public school system.
The Education Working Group (EWG), a committee of UN agencies and partners, is working with the Government of Trinidad and Tobago to better understand the educational and logistical support needed to accommodate larger numbers of refugee and migrant children in local schools. .
We hope more students like Astrid will be able to enter American classrooms to begin the 2025-2026 school year.
