|
Rome (Fides Service) - "Inter-culture and integration in
elementary schools: from the point of view of a child immigrant"
was the theme of a survey carried out by VIS (Italian group Volunteers
for Development) and the Italian Ministry for Education, Universities
and Research on the occasion of the UN World Migrants Day on December
18.
The survey was conducted among 1,000 pupils, selected from among
15,000 children who attend 300 elementary schools in Rome and
province. According to the survey the foreign children said they
were surprised to find their Italian school-mates wanting to know
about their country of origin. For the Italian children what makes
a child foreign is that he has difficulty with the language rather
than his different skin colour. Language then is the identification
of a foreign child. The study also shows that on the whole the
foreign children are not happy when the teachers call attention
to the difference in customs and culture in their countries of
origin. They feel embarrassed and uneasy. The survey workers conclude
that school is a place of integration as well as a promise for
the future, work and social emancipation. A foreign school child
is a bridge between his family and Italian society. (Fides Service
19/12/2002)
|