EDUCATION FOR REFUGEE AND ASYLUM SEEKING CHILDREN IN OECD COUNTRIES
made efforts to strive for a proper training for mother tongue teachers. In fact, Lärarförbundet was the first union in Sweden that recruited mother tongue teachers. The interviewed union members expressed their concern about a lack of proper training with regard to mother tongue tuition, as well as a lack of a sound in-service training; they would like more and better support regarding teaching in a multicultural setting, and more adequate prepared Swedish as a second language teachers. A union representative stated: “Some of the teachers have an adequate professional background to perform their job properly in a multicultural environment, but most of them do not. Teachers receive far from enough support. They often lack knowledge about how to teach Swedish as a second language, multilingualism and an intercultural approach.” The union’s goal to provide quality of education for all children, and their belief in a fair society based on equity and equal opportunities for everybody in combination with their member’s concerns, resulted in a number of actions.
Actions Lärarförbundet is active in raising awareness amongst their members regarding issues related to teaching within a multicultural environment and teaching migrant children. Among others, the union has produced booklets for teachers about racism and xenophobia; it is active in lobbying with the Ministry of Education for improving teacher training for mother tongue teachers and Swedish as a second language teachers and it has triggered debates in the media to draw attention to challenges the educational arena is facing with respect to teaching children from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Additionally, the union has created a Committee Multilingualism, consisting among others of representatives from universities, mother tongue teachers and Swedish as a second language teachers, with as its main task to inform the executive Board of Lärarförbundet. A member of staff: “We feel it is important to establish networks with teachers, researchers and universities to learn more about all issues that concern our members within the field of multiculturalism, Swedish as a second language and bilingualism. The Committee Multilingualism gives us the opportunity to acquire the deepest knowledge possible.”
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