Inclusive education: Dynamics of inclusion and exclusion of refugees from the host education system. An Investigation on the Education for Refugees in Meheba Settlement Camp in Zambia

Abstract: Aim: The purpose of this study is to examine how inclusive education for refugees in organized settlement camp is by exploring the dynamics of inclusion and exclusion of refugees from the classroom and school organization as the subsystems of the education system and the influence of external-factors (societal system) on the inclusion and exclusion of refugees from the host education system. Refugees in the selected camp live with nationals and have access to the same schools in the settlement camp. Thus, the goal of the current study is to map the education system’s way of working by identifying different types of mechanisms that influence inclusion and exclusion of refugees from the host education system. Theory: The systems Theory by Niklas Luhmann serves as the primary theoretical framework guiding the current study. Systems Theory helped the researcher to focus on the societal system (external factor) as well as classroom and school organization as subsystems of the education system to explore mechanisms that perpetuates inclusion and exclusion of refugees from the host education system. Method: The qualitative research approach was adopted in order to examine how inclusive education for refugees is in the settlement camp. Specifically, the data was collected through two Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), with the first one comprising 5 refugee students drawn from the primary school and the second one comprising 5 refugee students drawn from the secondary school within the refugee settlement camp. Data was also obtained through interviews with policy informers (head teacher; class teacher; education coordinator and refugee officer). The current study further considered secondary sources of data through document review of the ‘Zambia Refuge Act No.1 of 2017’ and Zambia Immigration and Deportation Act of 2017’. Results: The new understanding that emerged from the results of the findings which may be cardinal to consider when examining inclusive education for refugees in the settlement camp was the ‘self-exclusion mechanism’ where refugees in the settlement camp consciously decide to self-exclude themselves from engaging in the host education system for various reasons. Further, the results of the findings depicts that the refugee education in Zambia takes a pyramidal structure. Implying that at the base, the highest number of refugees is enrolled in primary education due to favorable policies supporting inclusion of refugees in the education system (such as free-education policy). However, as refugees progress to secondary education and then higher education the number tend to decrease due to different types of mechanisms (such as exclusion as well as including exclusion). Finally, the findings of the study also revealed that legal caveats pertaining study permit requirement and restricted freedom of movement of refugees acts as the major exclusion mechanism inhibiting refugees from accessing higher education