EDUCATION FOR ALL AND THE VOICELESS: MAKING EDUCATION BENEFICIAL FOR NIGERIEN SCHOOL-AGE IMMIGRANTS IN GHANA

Access to education is regarded as a fundamental human right that is guaranteed by international treaties. Over the past two decades, Ghana has had a high influx of Nigerien immigrants fleeing the severe drought, hunger, malnutrition and poverty in their home country. These immigrants are in the country with their children, who parade the streets of the cities begging for alms. While these immigrants are not from a conflict-affected country and, therefore may not qualify for asylum and the courtesies that come with it, the children, nonetheless, have a fundamental right to primary education. This is even more relevant, given the global efforts that sought to achieve universal primary education. Through the use of interviews and observations, the paper explores the expectations of Nigerien immigrants in the choice of Ghana as their migration destination, their experiences and the exclusion of their school age children from the in-country Education for All agenda. The findings of the study make a case for a viable educational and social policy for migrant children an urgent necessity.