Образование как способ интеграции совершеннолетних иммигрантов (на английском языке)

Исследовательская работа о возможностях использования образования для улучшения интеграции иммигрантов в современном обществе (на примере России, Испании и Австралии). Работа защищена в Университете Кадиса в октябре 2012 г., оценка - "отлично". ...

Introduction
1. Right to Education
2. Use of education for immigrants’ integration
2.1. Theories of integration
2.2. Reasons to use education for the adult immigrants’ integration
2.2.1 Advantages of using education for immigrants’ integration
2.2.2. Problems of using education for immigrants’ integration
3. International experience of using education for immigrants’ integration
3.1. Education as a tool for the immigrants’ integration in Spain
3.1.1. Education for legal immigrants in Spain
3.1.2. Education for the illegal immigrants in Spain
3.1.3. Teaching Spanish to the immigrants
3.2. Education for immigrants’ integration in Russia
3.2.1. Educational opportunities for the immigrants in Russia
3.2.2. Educational requirements for the migrant workers in Russia
3.3. Education for immigrants’ integration in Australia
3.4. Corollaries
Conclusion
BIBLIOGRAPHY

Apart from regulating the peoples’ movement itself, there is a question of immigrants’ legalization and integration as soon as they arrive to the new country. Many researchers agree on the fact that migration cannot be reduced just to one dimension – be it working, social, economical or cultural one – because it affects all the aspects of the reality. On the one hand, their presence creates certain tension in the society, since they have a different, culture, language, religion and even look differently. And whatever is new and different naturally causes various primitive fears: for one’s life and security, for the work (which is so common with today’s crisis), etc This denial leads to the creation of two group in the society: “us” and “them”, which, as practice shows, rarely live without having conflicts between them. However, if we look at the phenomena of immigration from the other perspective, it has an enormous potential of enrichment for both of the countries, the foreign and the hosting ones. Working with the migrants rather than creating barriers for them could also be a step in the cooperation for development of those countries which are in need. Thus logically, the major effort in the field of migration now days should be aimed at improving the level of the migrants’ integration in the host communities. Fortunately, seems like the there are some movements made in this direction, but it is always worth looking for the new ways of solving the problem.

The social educator is normally defined as an agent of social change who coordinates social groups through educational strategies that help citizens to understand and participate in their social, political, economic and cultural surroundings, and to fully integrate in the society, for this reason immigrants are one of the groups these professional are trained to work with. However, if we are speaking about the development of a special educational course, there is a need to train a special group of social educators who would be aware of the specific problems the newcomers face and know the ways to deal with them, being able at the same time to explain the cultural differences and suggest ways to tolerate them. The other questions that are to be answered yet are “What to teach?” and “How long should the formation last?” Probably, there are no exact answers for these ones. According to many researchers the most common problem the immigrants have is the language one. As pointed out by Héctor Cebolla Boado, “the sufficient knowledge of the dominant language of the educational system is an inexcusable requirement for staying and moving within any offered pathway”. It could happen so that the immigrant does not speak much of the local language, or has such a thick accent that it can make it difficult for locals to understand them. The difficulty of expression also affects the common psychological state by creating the feeling of being mistreated and misunderstood. It also makes the immigrants tend to join the diasporas that speak his language and belong to his country. Even though it helps the immigrant by giving the sense of being protected and permitting to use the existing integrational paths worked out by the compatriots who arrived earlier, it leads to formation of the closed groups within the given society, which is not what the whole idea of integration is about according to the chosen interculturalism model. On the other hand, according to many comparative international studies in those countries, where the distance between the immigrants and the natives is smaller, coincide with those that have programs of linguistic support of high standards – Australia, Canada, Sweden, etc. Thus the main things the immigrants should be introduced to in terms of an integrational course are the language and the culture, since it seems like these two elements are the key ones. Apart from that it is worth informing the newcomers about their rights and responsibilities. Not only would it ease the immigrants’ life, it would also help to prevent the individuals from taking advantage of the situation and charging extra fees for the paperwork and over services. In all of the advanced countries education is the connecting bridge between the social beginning and destination of an individual. It explains the effort made by the governments to distribute the formal education equally in its society. Thus in future for a society to be just, efficient and competitive it has to reduce as much as possible the educational inequality and its integrational transmission. It concerns especially the ethnically heterogeneous societies since, as it is seen from analyzing the benefits of using education as means of immigrants’ integration, it means creating an effecting tool for promoting peace, understanding and tolerance between its members. Even though there are certain difficulties connected with developing the system that would permit to use education for the adult immigrants’ integration, it is possible to solve them by means of careful and organized work. Moreover, the effort is worth making since using education as a tool of integration seems to be quite rewarding. Although the newcomers need to integrate into the population through an intercultural action, the reality that we cannot deny is that the adult immigrants are interested in improving their professional and cultural knowledge as a way to rise economically and socially. However, if guided wisely this impulse will not only benefit the immigrants materially, but become the connecting bridge towards establishing dialogue between the cultures, as it is supposed by the intercultural model of a democratic society.3. International experience of using education for immigrants’ integrationThe next part of our investigation is dedicated to the experience that different countries possess using education as a tool for integration of the adult immigrants of the first generation. As it was mentioned in the introduction, our special interest lies in easing the integration by means of education of the adults, although we admit the importance of using the education in the case of minors, both unaccompanied and those who immigrate with their families. Within the course of studying the literature dedicated to the connection between the education and the immigrants’ integration, we found out that the greatest attention is paid to educating the minors, which is most logic, since it is about the time for the society to become in charge of the children’s future without making exceptions connected with the racial, ethnical, cultural or any other superstitions and stereotypes. All the investments made in the children’s development are the best ones that could be made for the development and well-being of the society and the planet in general. However, taking in account the numbers of the immigrants arriving to such countries as Spain, France, USA, Canada, Australia, Russia and many other, it is important to count not only with the minors, but with the adult immigrants as well. After all, the “term migrant is usually understood to cover all cases where the decision to migrate is taken freely by the individual concerned for reasons of “personal convenience” and without intervention of an external compelling factor”, as defined by the International Organization for Migration. Thus the majority of the immigrants are those who are old enough to make this very decision. For this reason we believe that it is important to look for the opportunities to engage the adult immigrants in some sort of an educational process in order to facilitate their integration in the new society they find themselves in. As mentioned in the work of Héctor Cebolla Boado, according to the PISA study in its 2003 edition, the immigrants obtain similar results in education with the natives in the majority of Anglo-Saxon countries in which the immigration is part of the history – Australia, Canada or New Zealand, while in the other countries, such as Luxembourg, USA, Russia, Norway and Sweden, the immigrants have worse results, but not significantly, not to mention the majority of the states of the Continental Europe, where the immigrants are clearly disadvantaged in respect with the natives. Therefore, in order to provide a fuller view of the educational programs offered to the adult immigrants, we decided to examine the situation existing in a country, belonging to each group. We decided to chose those, where the immigrant flow and the number of the immigrants seem to be imposing enough to make these newcomers’ integration a hot topic. Spain is a border country which receives a significant number of immigrants from the African countries due to its geographical position and from the countries of the Latin America for linguistic and historic reasons. Russia, being the biggest country in the world, occupies the second place among the countries with the biggest immigrant population with 13.3 million immigrants which makes up 9.1% of the total population. While Australia, ranking in this so-to-say “top ten”, became home to 4.7 immigrants which is 24.6% of its total population (almost a quarter). Thus, analyzing the experience these countries have in the question of immigrants’ integration is a logical step on the way to developing of the common strategies of using education for the immigrants’ integration.3.1. Education as a tool for the immigrants’ integration in SpainSpain, being a part of the EU has certain basic strategies common to all of the European countries, for example the first manual dedicated to this issue was published in terms of the Hague Program on 19th of November, 2004. The basic European guidelines aim at immigrants’ social and political integration. These undeniable values are stated in European Convention of the Human rights and the Lisbon treaty. However, fair enough, apart from the basic guidelines each European state has its own ideas about this question reflected in their integrational policies. The migrant worker tends to realize rapidly that only though a complete professional formation one can achieve an advantageous work on the Spanish labor market. They also find themselves in a disadvantaged state, comparing to the native population, due to linguistic skills, etc. Therefore, there is nothing strange in the raise of the number of the immigrants applying for different courses of professionalization and re-education. However, the access such an individual has to any kind of formation is defined on the first place by their legal situation. 3.1.1. Education for legal immigrants in SpainThe article 27 (1) of the Spanish Constitution states that everyone has the right to education. Apart from that the immigrant workers, legally residing in the country, can receive specific formation courses on the same conditions, as the native population. Here are some examples of the programs the immigrants can participate in order to achieve these academic objectives. Firstly, there are training plans. They are formed by series of trainings promoted by the companies and labor unions. They can be classified according to the number of the people it is addressed to. Generally, they can be divided into the follow: company plans for more than a hundred employees, which can take advantage of the programs financed and promoted by FORCEM (Fundación para la Formación Continua Empresarial – Spanish Foundation for Company Training) if they fulfill a number of criteria; group planes for the companies with less than a hundred employees, which can benefit from the FORCEM financing as well and intersectional plans. There are also individual training permits aimed at development and adaptation of the technical and professional qualities of the workers or his personal or individual education. Another source the legally immigrants can take advantage are those offered by the INEM (the Spanish National Institute of Employment – an autonomous body attached to the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs). These annual courses are programmed according to detected by its occupational observing center training necessity. This INEM department observes and analyzes the most demanded professional profiles and the profiles that are not covered completely because of lack of the qualified staff. Using this information as a starting point, they organize intramural and/or extramural courses that not only provide a professional training for the job seeker, but also provide a minimal payment as a reimbursement for their studies. For the immigrant population it is one of the best ways to receive professional training in Spain, as well as receive some sort of economic aid and receive an official professional certification. Such a document is valid throughout the whole national territory, will open the doors to the labor market and help to achieve a job of a higher specialization. The employment workshops are designed for the unemployed who more than 25 years old and have specific difficulties entering the labor market for various reasons: unemployed for a prolonged period of time, are more than 45 years old, immigrants, women, handicapped or those who are included in the groups with a high level of marginalization and a serious risk of social exclusion. The courses are similar to the workshop schools, that form part of the state or public initiative and have a general objective of creating the minimal qualifications so that the unemployed workers of less than years old could enter the labor market. The employment workshops last from six to twelve months. During this period of time the unemployed obtain not only professional training, but also practical work training and minimal knowledge about the general culture. Apart from the training they benefit from the work contract, a salary and professional and labor counseling (for example, advices how to find a suitable job, etc). There are other options, like the Socrates Program, the European cooperation plan in area of education, various complimentary educational activities, etc; even the universities offer courses of professional training for those, who do not have a previous degree (Open Education Programs – Programas de Enseñanza Abierta), need or want to improve their previously received education in teaching (Programs of Preparing the Professoriate – Programas de Formación del Profesorado), and for professionals with a university degree who want to receive a specialization of a superior character. According to the studies, immigrants rarely apply for these last types of university education. They tend to prefer vocational training and professional specialization. In any case, the result of the present overview of the education opportunities for the legally residing immigrants in Spain is quiet wide and is aimed at their integration not as much by means of education itself, but by providing them with the knowledge that will facilitate their labor integration. In any case, seems like the immigrants in Spain find themselves quite in a favorable state and educational paths help the newcomers to fill up the gaps in their professional knowledge.3.1.2. Education for the illegal immigrants in SpainThe legal immigrants, as mentioned and demonstrated before, have various educational opportunities in Spain, which they are free to use on the same bases as the natives. However, that is not the case with the illegal immigrants. The immigrants, whose stay in the country is not regularized, do not have a legal basis to access the rights determined by the local laws and, therefore, are an even more vulnerable category of population. Besides, generally speaking, the illegal immigrants tend to have less professional formation, as well find themselves in a less favorable economic situation then those, who have their labor situation regularized. According to various sources the illegal immigrants are not only those, who cross the Gibraltar straight illegally in small boats. Most of those belonging to this category arrive to the country with official permissions to enter – visas, and then stay, violating the visa regime. There are also individuals, for whom Spain is not the final destination, but a transit country. This transit population does not have perspectives of finding a decent work either for the shortness of their stay, or for the uncertainty of its length. This sad reality leads to the growth of their debts and increasing poverty, month through month. Because of this unfortunate situation, they do not have an opportunity to enter neither any of the described earlier courses offered by the governmental institutions, nor the private ones, since enrolling in those has high costs. Therefore, the only solution left for this category of the immigrants is enter the free privet courses, offered, that are usually offered by NGO´s. As it can be seen from the NGO´s reports, a lot of times these courses offer the same training as the official ones: language, basic professional skills, etc. However, the problem is that these private organizations do not have the right of giving official certificates or academic credits, which can serve as a starting point for entering the labor market. Luckily, there are organizations that dedicate their time and energy not only to educating these disadvantaged individuals, but also helping them to find employment. However, it is a difficult process and most of the work opportunities found are those from the private sector and are less stable and less paid, then the official ones. In order to perform this social assistance work these organizations receive economic aid from various sources, including non-profit funds and religious groups. Examples of these organizations are Cáritas Diocesana and Hermandades del Trabajo, that organize free professional formation courses and workshops for these individuals. However, the problem is that not all of the illegal immigrants have access to these organizations for various reasons: lack of information, fear of expulsion, poor linguistic skills and even incapacity of these very organizations to deal with all of the individuals, since the number of the organization and their financing is limited. Therefore the sad reality is that not all of the immigrants have access to the education even in such a developed country as Spain. Apart from not being able to integrate into the society because of their stay being non-regularized they are deprived from the opportunity to secure their economic state and improve their professional and cultural knowledge. Even psychologically might feel rejected, in case their linguistic skills do not permit them to manage with the new reality of their life. The conclusion that might follow this might be the following, as stated by María del Pilar Quicios García: “It is possible to give an adequate response to the immigrant population and try to integrate all of these persons into our society in such a way that they can turn in the full-righted citizen, only by regulating their access to this country [Spain].” We do not agree with this idea, because it means establish a sort of filter. It means, for example, that if the government will not have the capacity to give concrete answers to the persons who aspire to live and work in this country, it is ought to prevent from settling those who cross the border without a work contract in their luggage. However, it is quite far from the idea proclaiming Europe to be the Space of Liberty, Security and Justice. The people who flee from hunger, social and natural disasters, poverty and other troubles cannot be turned down only because they do not have certain knowledge, that they are willing and are able to assimilate and, moreover, will help them to become a harmonious part of the society, not the black sheep. Therefore, in our opinion developing and applying the educational strategies is one of the most important steps on the way to immigrants’ integration, especially in a developed country, where most of the received newcomers arrive from the place with educational deficit.3.1.3. Teaching Spanish to the immigrantsThe last sub-group dedicated to the adult immigrants’ education is language. According to the Article 3 (1) of the Spanish constitution Castilian is the official language of the State. All Spaniards have the duty to know it and the right to use it. Even though there is a big proportion of the immigrants arriving to Spain from the Latin American countries, which means that these newcomers generally know the language quiet well and do not face serious problems connected with it. However, the language is still one of the major problems in establishing the dialogue between the cultures within an intercultural society and, therefore, should be approached with appropriate seriousness. Generalizing the information received from various sources, all the entities that work with the immigrants and have the objective of teaching them Spanish along with the country’s culture and traditions, tend to use the similar methods.