The Education Ministry, in collaboration with the Ministry of National Security, held a ceremony to deliver Student Permit Exemption Certificates to migrant students from the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela on Monday 19th August, 2024 at Education Towers.
Minister Dr. Nyan Gadsby-Dolly emphasised the triumph of including these children in the education system.
Approximately 23 migrant children will be able to start school in September— many of them for the first time.
The Ministry noted that the move is in compliance with the Immigration (Amendment) (No.2) Regulations 2024 and applies to Venezuelan nationals under the age of 18, whose parents registered with the Ministry of National Security (MNS) in 2019 and continue to register annually under the Migrant Registration Framework (MRF).
Responding to a reporter’s question during a press conference that followed—regarding the need for additional resources to the schools that the children will be attending— Minister Gadsby Dolly assured that measures will be implemented should they be required.
She explained that in the meantime, schools may only need to facilitate a few additional children, therefore the Ministry would first have to observe the impact.
The minister said: “Every school may have one or two, maximum three students, so we need to first understand what is the impact of them in the school (and) if it is something that cannot be handled by the current staff at the school. And if those are the learnings that we are seeing, then it will inform what we do in response to that.”
“But at this time, the question of resources- that doesn’t arise as yet,” she added.
Gadsby-Dolly said in addition that teachers have been trained and efforts are being made to extend additional support to them.
“So that will continue to happen, and if we have an issue we will take action to support the school even more,” the minister assured.