On 1st June 2020, Jaslika hosted an expert interview on Children, Education and the Venezuelan migrant crisis which was facilitated by Dr. Sheila Wamahiu, Director of Jaslika. Our guest speaker was Dr. Pilar Aguilar, an education and emergency expert and director of the Fundación Henry Dunant, which is a  foundation that dedicates its efforts to public policy and human rights. 

Since 2015, Venezuela, a country located in Latin America has sparked media attention due to its unprecedented migrant crisis. Venezuela’s neighbouring countries in Latin American such as Colombia, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Brazil, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago have lent a helping hand and opened their borders to host Venezuelan migrants prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. In the interview, Dr Aguilar addresses the implications of and responses to this unprecedented humanitarian crisis in Latin America with particular reference to education. Below are my seven key takeaways from the interview.

1. What led to the migrant crisis?

The migrant crisis began in 2015. It involved migration of Venezuelans moving to different parts of Latin America. President Obama’s administration (2009-2017) imposed the first set of sanctions against  Venezuela perceiving it to be a threat to the United States national security. These sanctions have progressively gotten worse from 2017 to 2019 under the current administration of US President Trump. He imposed an oil embargo that blocked the purchase  of petroleum from Venezuela’s state oil company PDVSA. This was a   huge blow for Venezuela since 90% of government revenue stemmed from the oil industry. 

These sanctions have led Venezuela to experience an economic, social and political crisis that has pushed its citizens to migrate to other parts of Latin America. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) statistics there are currently 272 million migrants worldwide. Of this, 4.8 million are Venezuelans that are located around the world: 3.9 million people are said to be in Latin America and the Caribbean and 1.2 million children are reported to be in need of assistance.

2. How is this migration different from the others?

Dr. Aguilar mentions that before this crisis, Venezuela used to be the country where many Colombians, fleeing from internal conflicts in their country, would come to seek refuge. However, today it's the opposite as Venezuelans are currently fleeing to Colombia. A humanitarian corridor (with seven official crossings) was opened between these two states to allow people trapped on both sides to cross so they can repatriate. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, 40,000-50,000 people used to cross the borders daily. Currently, barely 200 people are crossing the border because of the Covid-19 pandemic. She clarified that there has not been a set definition for migration, but provides her thoughts on the differences between migrants, refugees and Internally Displaced People (IDPs).  According to Dr Aguilar, a migrant is any person who moves away from his or her place of usual residence voluntarily, whether within a country or across an international border, temporarily or permanently, and for a variety of reasons. She argues that the status of an IDP is slightly different as they have not crossed an internationally recognized state border but have been forced to flee their homes due to causes such as generalized violence, armed conflict, violations of human rights or natural or human - made disasters. In contrast, refugees are people who have fled their country involuntarily due to war, violence, conflict or persecution and have crossed an international border to find safety in another country. Dr Aguilar pointed out that the line between migrants, refugees and IDPs can sometimes be blurred depending on the specific context.

3. What is the demographic profile of the migrants and how have they been received in the host countries?

The migrants are not a homogeneous group. It is made up of Venezuelans from different races, ethnic groups  and some indigenous communities. Colombia, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Brazil, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago are the seven countries that are hosting a large percentage of Venezuelan migrants, of which children and adolescents are estimated to be 25%.

These host countries have been generous and have provided an open door to the Venezuelan community. However, as they try to settle into their new communities, they have been faced with other challenges. The host countries themselves are struggling with the lack of good infrastructure, access to quality education,  and insufficient teachers. A good example is Peru, which is currently hosting the second largest group of Venezuelan migrants. Its education sector has been overstretched and lacks enough teachers even for its own citizens. It is thus unable to adequately cater for the Venezuelan migrants.

4. Implications of the crisis on Education

We have already noted that the host countries lack adequate capacity to accommodate the additional migrant large children within their education system.  Language of instruction may pose additional barriers for their integration. First, the majority of the migrants speak Spanish which is the language of instruction in a number of host countries (for example, Peru and Colombia). Nonetheless, among them, there are indigenous people that speak indigenous languages, as is the case of the Warao. The Warao have migrated to Brazil, which is a Portuguese-speaking country. This is what Dr Aguilar describes as “double injury” as the Warao in most cases are not only illiterate in Spanish, but they are now compelled to learn Portuguese in order to get by in Brazil.

Language may also be a barrier even for the non-indigenous Venezuelean migrants populations - both children and adults -during the transitional period of integration. They too have problems communicating in portuguese speaking Brazil as well as English speaking Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago. The language barrier affects those seeking employment as they are forced to accept low wage jobs despite being well-qualified. The children are also faced with additional challenges such as gender-based violence, discrimination and bullying.

Dr. Aguilar stated that for many years the issue of accreditation, validation and certification has been overlooked everywhere. This means that if a child lacks any of the mentioned requirements their right to education is not fulfilled. She used Latin America as a case study, stating that there has only been one agreement at the regional level for the recognition of curriculum, which has been designed only for documented children. This agreement is currently being reviewed. In the interim, Ministries of Education have issued specially tailored levels of recognition for migrants. This is very important because a majority of the migrants have integrated into their new environment and many of them end up staying there.

5. How has COVID-19 affected the crisis?

Due to the unprecedented nature of the pandemic, it is very difficult to monitor its effects on the crisis. The pressing issue is the fact that not everyone has access to internet facilities thus inhibiting education to continue seamlessly. Dr. Aguilar sadly highlighted that the pandemic has caused an estimated 1.7 billion children outside Venezuela to miss out on education at the moment. She also mentioned that the pandemic has led some Venezuelans to try to return home to their families. However, the closed borders make this difficult.

6. What was the quality of Education in Venezuela prior to the crisis?

Venezuela had an extremely good educational system with very high standards prior to the crisis. Dr. Aguilar argued that when Venezuelan’s migrate to other countries, they are better prepared and are already equipped with a good educational foundation. The challenge arises from the need for accreditation, validation and certification; without necessary documents, they do not have a way to prove their level of education. Furthermore, the process for documentation, validation and accreditation takes an awfully long time and is full of hindrances. Owing to the impact of the sanctions in Venezuela, the quality of education has deteriorated over the years and  schools are at the brink of being closed in the country.

7. Regional Responses

Dr. Aguilar observed that the leaders at the Ministry level within different Latin American countries hardly see the sense of urgency to change the documentation system for migrants. She further mentions that the only country which has not complied with the Convention on the Rights of the Child has been Trinidad and Tobago. Here, the children must be fully documented and registered in order to be granted full access to education, though they have been looking at providing online non-formal education for them.

Fortunately, Colombia has proven to be a good example as it has maintained good pedagogical standards for very many years. ‘Escuela Nueva’ (New School) is a 30 year old educational pedagogy that has been adapted for people on the move, IDPs, refugees and migrants .‘Return to Happiness’ is another methodology  used to assist  in providing psychosocial support.

Final Words

Dr. Aguilar concluded by arguing that despite being a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented proportions, the Venezuelan migrant crisis provides an opportunity for change.   It has the capacity to contribute to the SDGs Agenda 2030 goal on education (Goal #4) and to the inclusive education vision of  leaving no child behind.

She says that Latin American and Caribbean countries have shown remarkable resilience in the face of some of the largest migration flows anywhere in the world. Most migrants from Venezuela  have begun the process of integrating themselves into communities in neighbouring countries, finding employment, accessing basic education and health care, and obtaining legal documents. This is encouraging to see given the size and scale of the flow of migrants and the little experience most countries in the region had until recently in dealing with large-scale immigration. Countries should now focus on evolving their policies and institutional structures to adapt to this new reality as Venezuelans are likely to remain in their host countries. Therefore echoing on the title, that migrants should not be viewed as a burden but actually an addition to society as a whole.