GETTING TEACHER MIGRATION & MOBILITY RIGHT
refugee teachers divided four large-sized tents into grades one to 12, with two daily shifts to accommodate all the children whose parents allow them to study. There are handcraft classes for women and Turkish language classes twice a week.128 ECUADOR Ecuador’s economy grew throughout the 1970s thanks to its oil reserves, but as oil prices fell in the early 1980s, Ecuador experienced a debt crisis, increase in inflation, and dramatic decrease in wages. In the late 1990s floods, political instability, and financial mismanagement caused a simultaneous banking, currency, and fiscal crisis.129 According to the Migration Policy Institute, Ecuadorian entrance and exit data suggest that nearly a million Ecuadorians left the country since 1999, with the majority going to Spain, and others are emigrating to the United States, Italy, Venezuela, and other Latin American countries.130 Table 5.1 Number of Ecuadorians overseas Number of Ecuadorians Overseas Destination
Official figure
Estimated number
United States
436,409 (2005)
550,000 - 600,000
Spain
487,239 (2005)
550,000
Italy
61,953
(2005)
120,000
Venezuela
28,625
(2000)
Unknown
Chile
9,762
(2002)
Unknown
Colombia
Not Available
Unknown
Peru
Not Available
Unknown
Sources (official figures only): United States : American Community Survey, US Census bureau Spain : Instituto Nazionale di Statistica Venezuela : 2000 Census Chile: Instituto Nacional de Estadisticas
Many Ecuadorians, including teachers, were attracted to Spain due to its relatively open immigration policy which grants citizens of Latin American countries legal residency for two years. Teachers did not anticipate the obstacles they encountered gaining
128 129 130
Fanack, “Syrian refugees in Turkey”, 2013 Jácome, “The Late 1990s Financial Crisis in Ecuador”, 2004. Jokisch, “Ecuador: Diversity in Migration”, 2007.
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