Education International Research
to individuals with relatively low parental background – but also efficient” (Brunello & De Paola, 2017, p.46). Furthermore, educators must pay attention to how newly arrived students face isolation and exclusion in ordinary classes (Skowronski, 2013; Nilsson Folke, 2017). 4.
The roles that local community, civic society and leisure activities play in providing opportunities merits investigation. Welcoming attitudes towards refugees as well as activities that facilitate language acquisition, that lead to employment and educational opportunities, and that promote a sense of social cohesion in local communities are important for the integration and wellbeing of refugees. Cultural and sports activities can provide for fun, recreational, interactive spaces for those refugees students who have recently arrived to practice their Swedish language skills. These spaces, in turn, can also provide for the majority of the national population, both native and non-native Swedes, to learn from, and interact, cooperate, and build trust with recent refugee arrivals to their country. These new-found bonds of solidarity, recognition, and respect will serve to strenghen the solidarity among the Swedish population. This is one example of how to create more sustainable attitudes of solidarity within a multicultural nation, which should serve to replace cooperation-building directives originating from official government policies or initatives.
To conclude, it is my hope that this article has provided an insight into Swedish policy and practice, the lessons learned from successes and failures, on reception and inclusion of the newly arrived children in the educational system. Migration is a human destiny. It will never cease to exist. New migrant groups will eventually arrive with new circumstances and in need of different pedagogical practices. It means that the policy ought to be constantly revised. However, I firmly believe that the four areas proposed above – individualised approaches, regarding the newly arrived as learners, desegregation efforts, and harnessing the rich social and cultural resources present in local communities – are cornerstones of all approaches.
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