Perceptions of young refugees on educational opportunities in Greece. The case of Thebe’s camp (September 2017 – June 2018)
During 2015, a great amount of people emigrated from countries in the Middle East and North Africa to European countries, including Greece. After a long history as a “sending country” to the USA or Australia, Greece turned into a host country. The massive number of refugees and migrants migrating to Greece created a series of issues around integration, food, accommodation, heath care, profession and education. Among those people seeking for a better future, there was a great number of children. One issue of great importance was that these children should be granted access to education. In 2016, the Ministry of Education of Greece introduced and partly implemented, where possible, the Refugee Education Program, creating the afternoon preparatory classes called DYEP. These classes were destined for the children who reside in refugee camps or in hotels provided by the UNHCR. This study examines the narratives and notions of refugee students who attend this form of afternoon school, based in a refugee camp near Athens. Using qualitative methods, this research attempts to navigate through the perceptions of the students on the education forms to which they can have access in Greece, their beliefs about the education provided by NGOs and the formal educational policies Greece introduced for them. Additionally, this study navigates through their experience of learning the Greek language, as well as their contact with the English language. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in English with eight (8) children—four (4) girls and four (4) boys. According to the results of the study, learning the Greek language is highly associated with the subjects’ stay in Greece, while the English language is clearly portrayed through its global reach and superiority. Finally, the constant fluctuation of the number and the uncertainty of the subjects and their families about their stay in Greece was confirmed by the results of the study.