Children of asylum seekers challenge with home learning

SINCE the Covid-19 has spurred both the UK government and Northern Ireland executive to shut down schools in March 2020 to slow down the rise of infections, schools, on the other hand, have also come up with homework packs via online learning to keep up the knowledge.

The genuine intention of the schools to support the children through online learning tools – is applauded. But asylum-seeking parents have some reservations about this support.

Although this support is not to grade the performance of the children, but to simply keep them in shape. The major challenge is that children of asylum seekers are unable to take advantage of this support because it is IT-oriented. The helpsheet and the reading books are uploaded on the schools' websites or through an educational app.

The asylum-seeking families are not even able to afford the basic essentials like foods – then the system is asking them to buy a computer, printer and fix broadband in the house for the children to access online learning. And still struggle to buy the printer's ink, and pay for broadband subscription.

Before this pandemic, asylum seekers wholly relied on public libraries and charities for the usage of computer, internet and to print out documents, but now, it is unfeasible to explore these free opportunities.

One of the effects of this Covid-19 is that asylum seekers are fighting hard to live independently; their normal lifestyle is always revolving around many organisations and people for help and support. Prior to Covid-19, several charities and volunteers used to help the asylum-seeking parents and their children with school homework and other after-school activities. But with this lockdown, it has become a considerable challenge to the families, especially with no computer, printer and internet in the homes.

This idea of remote learning has impliedly become the preserve of the few. Thereby, education cannot be for all. The danger of this predicament is that children of asylum seekers are already lagging. By

the time the schools resume after the lockdown, it will be exceedingly difficult for them to meet up academically with the other children. And this will be so strenuous for the teaching staff to cope with this imbalance.

I hereby urge the Home Office and the other authorities to address this inequality by providing IT equipment for the asylum-seeking parents as additional needs because of the present circumstances, which is vividly evidenced by Covid-19.

According to The Children's Society, "children of asylum seekers have the same needs as all children in the UK, yet by giving them less financial help, they are being treated as inferior".

This disparity is already hindering the chances of scads of asylum seekers from tapping into higher educational opportunities in Northern Ireland.

It is saddening to note that no registered asylum seeker qualified for the two scholarship slots for asylum seekers at Queens University Belfast to study full-time undergraduate course for 2019/2020. From

research, it is revealing that the effort of asylum seekers to acquire prerequisite qualifications that will facilitate their university admission through Ucas – is a tug of war.

Thus, without an admission offer from the university, asylum seekers cannot apply for the scholarship. Furthermore, the free courses that are available to asylum seekers at the higher education colleges in Northern Ireland – cannot guarantee entry requirements for university admission. So, asylum seekers are left with self-help – struggling to no avail.

The question is - how does the system expect them to raise money to register for relevant courses or examinations to meet academic and language conditions attached to secure university admission – when they only live on £5 per day?

Covid-19 has presented an opportunity for asylum seekers to articulate some of many of their frustration and angst, which has been difficult to explain before now. I think this should serve as a wake-up call not only to those charities, representing the interest of asylum seekers but also the authorities that asylum seekers are dying in silence.

If humanity must thrive, we all need to be heard.

:: Adekanmi Abayomi lives in Belfast. He is a lawyer, community leader and an advocate of social justice.