Refugee children’s education program in Reykjavik divides opinions among parents and educators

A programme for refugee children seeking international protection will be operational at Breiðagerðisskóli in Reykjavik from autumn. Parents of students in the school have expressed concerns about the impact of the programme on the school’s operations.

Plans are in place to divide a group of children seeking international protection so that grades one to five will be at Breiðagerðisskóli and grades six to ten will continue at Seljaskóli.

The reception program for children seeking international protection has been operational at Seljaskóli in Reykjavik for the past two years. Now, the group is planned to be divided so that grades one to five will be at Breiðagerðisskóli and grades six to ten will continue at Seljaskóli. The city’s plan has received mixed reviews.

Tómas Hilmar Ragnarsson, a school board member at Breiðagerðisskóli representing the school’s parents, calls the plans ill-considered. “We just have concerns about the turmoil around this and that there is not enough funding to do this decently. We want this to be separate, not to mix with the children who are already in school. This is not good for them, knowing that this is a temporary solution and that the children will start to get connected and this will always be difficult for the children who are coming to the school temporarily and for the children who are there all year round.”

At Seljaskóli, where the program has been operational for two years, school principal Guðbjartur Ólason says the cohabitation has gone better than expected. Aðalheiður Hannesdóttir, a parent representative on the Seljaskóli school board, says she has not noticed any dissatisfaction with the project.

Hulda Ingibjörg Rafnarsdóttir, who has been the project manager of the program at Seljaskóli, says the project has been very successful. She understands people’s concerns but emphasizes the importance of dialogue. “I would just emphasize that people learn a little about what is going on, what it means to get children of foreign origin into school. These are just small children like their children and all they want is to learn and to be just like regular children. I would not want this separated. Not at all.”