Model School in Lebanon- UNHCR

UNHCR) – It’s test day at the Arsal Public Second Shift Middle School and the students in the 8th Grade maths class are engrossed in their exam. They factor numbers, write a series of equations in the form of a single power – all in French, a language they have come to learn only since starting school here in north-east Lebanon two months ago.

“These children come to school with a deep desire for learning,” says Ali Hujeiri, 55, the school principal. “They know what they’ve missed and now they appreciate the value of their education.”

They have arrived from Syrian towns and cities such as Qusayr, Dara’a and Homs – places that are now battlegrounds. At least one of the boys in the class has seen his home blown to pieces. But somehow the silent walls of school that provide them a place for study also nurture a sense of hope beyond conflict. Here Billal, aged 11, can dream of becoming a teacher. Halid, also 11, aspires one day to be a doctor. Ten-year-old Selieman wants to be a hairdresser.

Arsal was once a sleepy town nestled in the hills a few kilometres from the Syrian border. When war broke out in Syria two years ago, the town bulged as civilians, most of them women and children, fled to Lebanon. Soon Arsal grew by 10,000 people – roughly half were children.

There wasn’t enough room in the schools to handle all the newcomers, so the municipality was asked by the Lebanese Ministry of Education to create a second shift between one and six in the afternoon. Arsal Middle School gladly complied and 236 Syrian students were enrolled. “I look at these children and I say, ‘What in this war is their fault?’” says Hujeiri. “They didn’t do anything to deserve their fate. These children need to be educated.”

Throughout Lebanon almost 40 per cent of the refugee population is of school age. But enrollment in the education system remains critically low. In the current academic year, only 30,000 of the estimated 120,000 school-age refugee children go to state schools.

It is estimated that another 10,000 receive some form of private education. This level of refugee participation in education is nowhere near the ambitious goal set by the Lebanese government to have 60 per cent of all refugee children in school.

While the Ministry of Education has promised that all refugee children are entitled to attend a state school, many schools are either overcrowded or lacking in basic resources such as books.

The Arsal approach of double shifts represents one solution. Tuition fees, which cost US$136 per term, are paid for by the UN refugee agency. Other UNHCR partners fund books, supplies and other educational needs. The Syrian students arriving in the village are unfamiliar with the Lebanese curriculum or the French language in which some courses are taught, but they have managed to excel in just a few months.

“We see the approach that Arsal has taken as a model for the rest of the country,” says Linda Kjosaas, a UNHCR education expert in Lebanon. “With an increasing influx, the number of children in school-age at the end of 2013 will exceed the current number of children enrolled in state schools, and in some places even a second shift will not solve the space problem. The impact of the conflict is staggering, but despite what these children have had to endure in the past, they need to be given a real chance to further their education and not become a lost generation.”

The refugee children of Arsal still face daunting problems. Many children cannot go to school because they are required to work by their parents. Others are traumatized by war as well as the transient nature of their lives. “It is the lack of stability that has affected them the most,” says the school principal, Hujeiri. “They don’t have food on their tables each day. They don’t live in the same place every day.”

To that extent, the educational environment at the school is more than just a learning tool. It is a way to create a shared space of safety. Children who are not in school are at much higher risk of ending up as child labour. Moreover, it would be more difficult for the government and humanitarian agencies to identify the health and other needs of the young not at school.

“For many villages, the school is the heart of the community, and to be able to bring children to the safety of a school and offer them needed services is very important. Quality education is the only way for these children to integrate well in their new reality and have a real chance for a future,” notes Hujeiri.

Currently UNHCR, UNICEF and partners are planning for next year’s Back to School programme. With a forecast number of 300,000 registered refugees in school-age in Lebanon, the costs of failure for these students is simply too high and so a strong spirit of cooperation has flourished between school officials, local government, UNHCR and other key partners. “We are all team players here,” says Terra Mackinnon, UNHCR associate field officer. “Gold stars for collaboration for everyone!”

Home Office Building

The number of people coming to the UK has fallen by over 80,000 in the last year, according to official figures showing net migration fell by a third.

In the year to September, 153,000 more people came to the UK than left – down from 242,000 the previous year, says the Office for National Statistics.

There was a drop in new arrivals while the number of people leaving rose.

Immigration Minister Mark Harper said the figures showed the government had “cut out abuse” from the system.

The number of immigrants coming to Britain fell from 581,000 to 500,000, while the number of migrants leaving the country was up from 339,000 to 347,000.

Prime Minister David Cameron made cutting net migration – the difference between the number of people coming to and leaving the country – a key pledge in the run-up to the 2010 general election.
A 61,000 drop in the number of people coming to the UK from African, Asian and Caribbean countries
The number of people coming to the UK whose main reason was to “accompany or join others” fell by 18,000
56,000 fewer people coming to the UK to study
A 5% increase in the number of visa applications in the universities sector. But overall a 10% reduction in the number of student visa applications
The Conservatives say they want to reduce the net migration figure from non-EU countries to less than 100,000 a year.

‘Economic cost’
But Sarah Mulley, from the Institute of Public Policy Research think tank, said progress towards the target was “still in large part being driven by falling numbers of international students”.

“This decline in international student numbers comes at considerable economic cost to the UK at a time when we can ill afford it.”
Home Office minister Mark Harper said: “The figures show we have cut out abuse while encouraging the brightest and best migrants who contribute to economic growth”.

He pointed to five per cent increases in both “the number of sponsored student visa applications” and “the number of visas issued to skilled workers”.

“We have made substantial inroads in cutting immigration and now have a more selective system that works in our national interest,” he said.

Labour welcomed the fall, saying the “pace and scale of immigration” had been too high.

But the party’s shadow immigration minister Chris Bryant added that the government, “is not doing enough on illegal immigration, failing to deport, failing to prevent absconding, and failing to take action to stop employers using both illegal and legal migrants to undercut wages.”

“This is the sort of immigration the public worry about rather than international students at our universities, or the number of British citizens leaving or coming home,” he added.

BBC © 2013

A steep decline in foreign students coming to study at UK colleges and language schools has prompted fears of a knock-on effect on universities.

The latest figures show a 46% drop in visas for these types of students, a large chunk of whom go on to study degree courses at UK universities.

A key provider of foreign students to UK universities, Study Group UK, says the drop is a real cause for concern.

The government says many language students now come on visitor visas.

These were not included in the latest migration figures but the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said there had been a 6% rise in the 11-month visas. It also pointed out that university applications from non-EU students were 5.5% up on the previous year.

Overall, the Office for National Statistics data shows net migration to UK has fallen by more than a third.

A net total of 153,000 migrants came to the UK in the year to September 2012, down from 242,000 in the previous year.

‘Supply strangled’
It comes after steps to tighten student visa rules required applicants to have better English language skills than in previous years and also required face-to-face interviews between potential students and colleges.

Study Group UK’s managing director for higher education James Pitman said: “Today’s international FE and English language students are tomorrow’s university students and a drop of almost half in visa applications here is real cause for concern. Even conservative estimates suggest 40% of international students arrive at universities through FE and independent pathway routes.

“This supply is being slowly strangled and is a catastrophe waiting to happen for UK higher education.”

He added: “It’s quite right that abuse of the student visa system be stamped out. But, finding itself without the proper migration exit data required to address the issue precisely, rather than make considered reforms, the government has reached for the sledgehammer to crack this particular nut.

“The modest increase in university sponsored visas may give the illusion that all is well, but it simply reflects applications from non-EU students who have been in the country for years already, taking GCSEs and A-levels in preparation for higher education study.”

Study Group works with about 20 UK universities to deliver pathway courses in which foreign students follow English language and foundation year courses either alongside or ahead of their degree courses to help acclimatise students to studying in the UK.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills denied that the tightening of visa rules for students would have a knock-on effect on universities, saying its strategy was to eliminate abuse and focus on the high quality, high value sectors.

“We are achieving our aim, as sponsored visa applications fell to 46%, 46% and 7% respectively for the further education sector (tertiary, further education or other colleges), English language schools and independent schools.

“The latest University and College Admissions Service figures show applications from non-EU students are currently 5.5% higher than this time last year.”

The Higher Education Statistics Agency (Hesa) figures for the year 2011-12 show a 1.5% increase in the total number of non-EU students at UK universities while the number of UK domiciled students fell 0.6%.

‘Economic cost’
She added: “We want to attract more world-class individuals with the knowledge and expertise that will drive leading research and economic growth. However we have reformed the student visa system because it has been abused for too long, with providers selling immigration, not education.”

But Sarah Mulley, associate director of think-tank the IPPR, said the fall in reducing net migration was largely driven by declining numbers of non-EU students.

“This decline in international student numbers comes at considerable economic cost to the UK at a time when we can ill afford it,” she said.

She added that because most students stay in the UK only for a short time, reduced immigration now will mean reduced emigration in the future.

“For example, the latest research suggests that only 18% of student migrants are still in the UK after 5 years.”

Chief executive of Universities UK Nicola Dandridge said: “Despite these figures indicating a rise in the number of university-sponsored visas, more recent data from universities show that new enrolments, the clearest indicator of future numbers, have remained broadly flat this year.

“University data also show a mixed picture, with some specific drops from countries such as India and concern about a decline in the number of international post-graduate taught students.”

But she added that it was too soon to assess the exact impact of the government’s immigration reforms.

BBC © 2013

(UNHCR) – Sharjah’s Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al-Qasimi has called on the Arab world and the international community to do more to help Syrian refugees after visiting families living in Beirut and other parts of Lebanon.

“This is not a Syrian problem or a Lebanese problem, or even an Arab problem – although the Arab world should take the lead in helping our neighbours,” said Sheikha Jawaher, who was in Lebanon last week on her first mission as UNHCR’s only Eminent Advocate.

“The enormity of the problems we are witnessing first-hand can only be resolved through the collective efforts of the entire international community,” she stressed, while adding that it was “time to show that we are one world and our heart is big enough to comfort every refugee child.”

UNHCR

During her one-day trip, Her Highness met Syrian refugee women at a community centre in the Lebanese capital and discussed the challenges they face. She later met Syrian children studying at a state-run school in Beirut under a UNHCR-backed refugee education programme.

Sheikha Jawaher’s humanitarian mission to Lebanon came at a time when the number of refugees fleeing the two-year conflict in Syria continues to rise sharply. Today, more than 470,000 refugees are assisted by UNHCR and other organizations in Lebanon. The total number of Syrians registered as refugees or waiting to be registered has passed the 1.5 million mark.

The royal visitor praised the determination and resilience of the refugees. “The fact that some refugees are willing to navigate through minefields and mortar fire to reach Lebanon, illustrates just how determined they are to create better lives for their children,” she said after talking to the refugees at the women’s community centre.

She also stressed the importance of the registration process, recounting her meeting with a boy who had arrived in Lebanon unaccompanied and had no idea if his family was dead or alive. “This makes the registration process ever more crucial, in the sense that it can help reunite children with their parents or family,” she said.

Ninette Kelly, UNHCR’s representative in Lebanon, welcomed the visit of Sheikha Jawaher, who is the wife of Sharjah’s ruler, Sultan bin Mohamed Al-Qasimi. “I am confident her compassionate voice will help relay stories of hardship and resilience of hundreds of thousands of refugees to her country and the Arab World.”

Sheikha Jawaheri was appointed as UNHCR’s first Eminent Advocate earlier this month. In this role, she will help increase public awareness in the Middle East and elsewhere about refugees and the work of UNHCR, with a special focus on refugee children.

She is well known in the region for her humanitarian work and has devoted herself to helping victims of conflict, especially children. She chairs more than a dozen organizations working on behalf of vulnerable women and children, including Sharjah’s Supreme Council for Family Affairs. Sheikha Jawaher is a valued supporter of UNHCR and has provided the refugee agency with funding to provide health care for displaced Somali women.

Eighteen people have been arrested in Britain and France on suspicion of helping to smuggle Sri Lankan illegal immigrants into the UK, the Home Office says.

Immigration enforcement officers and Kent police carried out simultaneous raids on addresses in London, Luton and Essex at around 05:00 BST, it said.

Properties in France and Germany were also raided.

The Home Office said 11 people were held in England, and seven in France.

Those arrested in the UK have been taken to a police station in Kent for questioning. All those arrested were of Sri Lankan origin, with the exception of a 41-year-old Dutch national who was arrested in Kent.

Officers also seized computers, documents, cash and mobile phones from a number of addresses.

‘International crime’
The pan-European operation follows a joint investigation involving Home Office immigration enforcement investigators, Kent Police, the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca), Europol and French and German law enforcement agencies.

Those under arrest are suspected of being part of an alleged criminal network that smuggles Sri Lankans into the UK in vehicles through Channel ports at a cost of about £4,500 per person.

Rob Allen, assistant director for Immigration Enforcement Criminal and Financial Investigations, said: “People smuggling is an international crime which requires international co-operation, and the arrests made today show that co-operation is yielding results.

“We believe this operation will have a significant impact on an organised network we suspect has been a major player in terms of bringing Sri Lankan nationals to the UK illegally.”

He added: “Our investigation will continue with the evidence we have seized today.”

Deputy Chief Constable of Kent Police, Alan Pughsley, said: “This sends a strong message to the criminals who seek to use our ports in this illegal trade – we will work together with UK and overseas partners to track you down and bring you to justice.”

Details of arrests in the UK are as follows:

38-year-old man arrested at address in Balmoral Drive, Hayes
50-year-old man arrested at address in Aurelia Road, Croydon
51-year-old man arrested at address in Rayners Lane, Harrow
46-year-old man arrested at address in Brick Lane, Northolt
33-year-old man arrested at address in Bradley Road, Luton
33-year-old woman arrested at address in Mitcham Road, East Ham
32-year-old man arrested at address in Drenon Square, Hayes
24-year-old woman arrested at address in Salisbury Avenue, Southend
31-year-old man arrested at address in Salisbury Avenue, Southend
29-year-old woman arrested at address in Salisbury Avenue, Southend
41-year-old man arrested after attending a police station in Kent

Britain’s decision to give many of its Afghan interpreters the right to come to the UK has been welcomed by campaigners as a victory for common sense.

Could it be another example of British officialdom’s ability to stand Canute-like in the way of taking decisions that are later regarded as no more than natural justice?

Lawyers for Afghans whose service could mark them out for murder if they stay in their country say they are happy with the government’s decision, as far as it goes.

It would allow interpreters who had been employed for more than 12 months and whose work meant going “outside the wire” – in the war zone rather than just on bases – to have five-year British visas.

Read more at BBC

Up to 600 Afghan interpreters who worked alongside British troops are to be given the right to live in the UK, government sources have confirmed.

The plan marks a climbdown from ministers who had decided they should not get the same UK resettlement rights as interpreters in the Iraq conflict.

Afghan interpreters who worked on the front line for a year or more will initially be offered a five-year visa.

The move covers about half of Afghan interpreters who helped the UK.

A Downing Street source said the proposals would give interpreters a choice – “the opportunity to go on working in Afghanistan, learning new skills and to go on rebuilding their country or to come and make a new start in Britain”.

BBC defence correspondent Caroline Wyatt said the coalition previously appeared to be split on the issue.

Liberal Democrats, including former Royal Marine Lord Ashdown, had called for a resettlement package.
We should recognise the service given by those who have regularly put themselves in real danger while working for us”

Downing Street source
Others feared a blanket right to come to the UK could be taken as a sign of a lack of faith in Afghanistan’s future after Western forces left, our correspondent added.

Three Afghan interpreters had already issued a High Court claim for a judicial review of the UK government’s previous decision.

The Downing Street source said Prime Minister David Cameron had been “very clear that we should not turn our backs on those who have trod the same path as our soldiers in Helmand, consistently putting their lives at risk to help our troops achieve their mission”.

“We should recognise the service given by those who have regularly put themselves in real danger while working for us,” the source added.

Many of the interpreters who will be helped say they have received serious threats to their lives, while some have already fled to the UK to claim asylum.

‘Generous’ package
Under the plans, which have yet to be signed off by ministers, those allowed into the UK on a five-year visa will then be able to apply for indefinite leave.

The Border Agency will approve how many close family members they are allowed to bring.

These are men who have been on the front line with our troops, risking their lives, involved in frontline battle, so we’re delighted that the government has finally seen sense”
Interpreters who choose to stay in Afghanistan will be allowed to sign up for for fully-funded training and education for five years, or instead be paid at their current rate for a further 18 months.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister David Cameron said the UK should “do everything we can to encourage talented Afghans to stay in their country and contribute to it”.

That should include a “really generous” package of support for interpreters, he told Radio 4′s World at One.

Under the new plan, some other locals who had helped British soldiers in non-front-line roles, such as cooks and security guards, will also be given the choice of training and education, or further payments.

Lawyer Rosa Curling, who is representing three interpreters who launched a legal challenge against the UK government, praised the decision “to recognise their bravery and to make sure that their lives are now kept safe”.

“These are men who have been on the front line with our troops, risking their lives, involved in frontline battle, so we’re delighted that the government has finally seen sense and decided to provide them with the assistance that they provided to the Iraqi interpreters,” she told BBC Radio 5 live.

She said that, for her clients, “the death threats continue, so resettling in Afghanistan does seem to be very difficult – the Taliban are very effective at following them”.

Dave Garratt, chief executive of Refugee Action welcomed the decision, saying: “This move now puts the UK in step with other Nato countries who have granted their interpreters the right to asylum.”

He called for a “fully funded support programme to aid the relocation, resettlement and successful integration” of Afghan interpreters and their immediate family members in the UK.

Several other countries who have fought in Afghanistan, including the US, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, have put schemes in place to offer asylum to at least some of the interpreters they employed.

After the Iraq war, Britain gave Iraqi interpreters either one-off financial assistance or exceptional indefinite leave to remain in the UK with help to relocate, or the opportunity to resettle through the UK’s Gateway programme run in partnership with the UN’s High Commissioner for Refugees.

In an answer to a Parliamentary question earlier this year about asylum for interpreters, the government referred to “the previous government’s mass resettlement of over 900 locally employed staff in Iraq”.

BBC © 2013

(IRIN) – Every year, hundreds of thousands of people are forced from their homes by violence or natural disasters. But the face of displacement is changing: While the popular view of displacement is one of sprawling rural camps, displaced people are now just as likely to be living in urban areas, often hidden from view.

The Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG), based at the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), has explored this phenomenon in a series of studies called “Sanctuary in the City?”, which examines displacement conditions and policies in eight urban centres around the world.

HPG’s Simone Haysom told IRIN, “Urban displacement is the future of what displacement is going to look like. Many of the displaced come from cities and are not going to put up with camp conditions. Already more than half are in urban areas, and that percentage is only going to grow, except where governments enforce strict encampment policies. And humanitarians are not equipped with the right tools and resources to deal with urban displacement.”

Read more here

Student Aunty was conceptualized from going through the education system in the United Kingdom and understanding the social daily challenges that students are faced with.  Surely we all know, from looking at examples around us, the right guidance and assistance can often mean the difference between success and failure for a foreign student.

Read more here

The Home Office has been ordered by the high court to pay compensation to four torture survivors who were unlawfully held in British immigration detention centres.

More than 100 other torture victims who have been wrongly detained are expected to make compensation claims following the test case ruling. A fifth case was settled at the doors of the court. The amount of compensation is being negotiated.

Mr Justice Burnett, who made the ruling, said he found it disturbing that the Home Office’s own rules, which require those who claim to have suffered torture to be medically examined and released from detention, had not been followed.

Read more at the Guardian