Educational Inequality in Kebribeyah Refugee Camp in Ethiopia: An Autoethnography
Additional Funding Sources
The project described was supported by the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program through the U.S. Department of Education under Award No. P217A170273.
Presentation Date
7-2020
Abstract
As a response to the Somali Civil War of 1991, more than 10,000 Somali refugees resettled in Kebribeyah, a town in the Somali region of Ethiopia. For nearly three decades, the local and refugee communities shared the resources the region had to offer, adopted a new common cultural norm and advanced social cohesion. It is the education sector however that caused social conflicts and hatred between resettled Somalis and native Ethiopians. Currently the education of Somali refugee children is funded by various international organizations such as the United Nations. On the contrary the local Ethiopian children pay their way to school which leads to poor educational experiences. Using autoethnography as a methodological approach this research examines the formation of educational gaps between the local and refugee children at the Abdul-Majid Hussein Secondary School a compound that houses children from both communities. It also assesses the tensions created by the educational inequality symbolized by a soccer field. Finally this paper contributes to the discussion on inclusive education and social cohesion in a humanitarian emergency situation. Even though this paper has a regional focus the insights can be relevant in other parts of the world facing similar social economic political and humanitarian challenges.
Educational Inequality in Kebribeyah Refugee Camp in Ethiopia: An Autoethnography
As a response to the Somali Civil War of 1991, more than 10,000 Somali refugees resettled in Kebribeyah, a town in the Somali region of Ethiopia. For nearly three decades, the local and refugee communities shared the resources the region had to offer, adopted a new common cultural norm and advanced social cohesion. It is the education sector however that caused social conflicts and hatred between resettled Somalis and native Ethiopians. Currently the education of Somali refugee children is funded by various international organizations such as the United Nations. On the contrary the local Ethiopian children pay their way to school which leads to poor educational experiences. Using autoethnography as a methodological approach this research examines the formation of educational gaps between the local and refugee children at the Abdul-Majid Hussein Secondary School a compound that houses children from both communities. It also assesses the tensions created by the educational inequality symbolized by a soccer field. Finally this paper contributes to the discussion on inclusive education and social cohesion in a humanitarian emergency situation. Even though this paper has a regional focus the insights can be relevant in other parts of the world facing similar social economic political and humanitarian challenges.