DESPITE escaping hardships in war-torn Somalia to seek refuge in South Africa, Somalis are still faced with the challenge of finding proper education for their children.

Self-employed Mohamed Abdul, a father of two boys and two girls, is one of the refugees forced to send the children to private schools even though they cannot afford the fees.

Although Abdul only makes about R8000 a month from his restaurant, catering for Somalis mostly, he is forced to pay high private school fees.

“I tried to get them into a public school where fees are cheaper but there is a language problem and Somalis are not really welcomed in the township. I have to borrow money from the brothers (Muslims),” said Abdul.

He said he had to take his oldest son, Hussen Mohamed, 16, who is in Grade 8, and younger brother, Ahmed Mohamed, 13, who is in Grade 5, to St Paul’s College in Southernwood.

Abdul said it seemed more affordable compared with other private schools, but he still could not manage to pay the fees from his income.

He spent about R2500 a term on each child and about R16 000 or more a year, which he struggled to pay off because at times his business did not do well.

“Even this past term they could not get their school reports because I have not paid the outstanding balance. There is not enough money in the business, because we are serving a handful of people (from Somali community).

“There is rent to pay, water and electricity which can amount to R6000 a month,” Abdul said.

He has enrolled his two daughters, Ayman Mohamed, 9, who is in Grade 4, and Ekraan Mohamed, 7, who is in Grade 3 , at a Muslim school near the East London Mosque, and pays R500 for each child.

Abdul left Somalia when war erupted in 1992 and took his family to a refugee camp in Kenya.

South African Human Rights Commission deputy chairperson Dr Zonke Majodina, who has researched refugees’ children, said a large number of families were struggling to get education for their children.

She said in their findings from interviewing 119 Somali refugees in Gauteng “the most disturbing finding” was that 71.8 percent of school-going age children were not attending school.

Majodina said the primary reason for non-attendance was that parents could not afford school fees, while other reasons included a lack of fluency in English and previous schooling.

“Many children are ineligible for assistance with fees through the UNHCR because they have been in South Africa for more than two years.”

Fees for those in school were paid by parents, relatives, SASA and the Jesuit Refugee Service, Majodina said.

She said education was a constitutional right which should be granted to refugees and there should be interventions to assist Somali children. - By THANDUXOLO JIKA.

Source: Daily Dispatch.