17th Economics & Finance Conference, Istanbul

TEACHING IN THE SHIFTING WORLD OF THE MIGRANT STUDENT: TOWARDS A COMMON GOOD

LEILA KAJEE

Abstract:

Post-apartheid South Africa is a fairly new democracy, characterized by diversity, as well as issues plaguing equity and transformation, such as racism and unemployment. Increasingly, South Africa is also playing host to growing numbers of migrants, asylum seekers and refugees, to whom we are obliged to provide refuge. Many take dangerous journeys to cross South Africas borders, yet one of the first steps in settling in the host country is education for the child migrant or refugee. Teachers however, are often at a loss with how to manage these newcomers in their classroom. The children struggle to prosper in South African classrooms, given that they may not be fluent in English, a major language of teaching and learning in the country, or in one of the African languages. Based on a theory of humanising pedagogy, and Stetsenko’s working towards a common good this paper provides considerations for teacher trainees who are preparing to teach these children. Primarily, I consider how to give voice to these children and their stories within already overburdened curricula.

Keywords: migrant students, humanising pedagogy

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