Province expecting influx of refugee children under the age of 12

The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development cannot confirmhow many Syrian refugee children will be enrolled in New Brunswick's schools, but Tammy Strong, the department's diversity and respect co-ordinator, says about 40 per cent of those expected to arrive in the province will be under the age of 12.

"Currently, we have fewer than a dozen who will be registering at anglophone schools this week," she said.

However, Strong said the department expects many more in the coming months and most of them will be attending anglophone schools.

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A University of New Brunswick education professor has saidthere arequestionsto be answered about how the educational needs of thosechildren will be met.

"I'd like to know how many children will be entering the system, that would be nice to know, I'd love to know if they are going to be hiring EAL teachers in the schoolsand if there is money allotted for that,"PaulaKristmanson said.

EAL stands for English as an additional languageand training people to teach EAL isKristmanson'sspecialty.

She tookpart indiscussions with the provincial governmentabout what was needed to prepare for theinflux of refugee children into New Brunswick's school system.

She says in addition to having suffered trauma, refugee children may come with particular challenges for educators.

"Some of these children have had interrupted schooling, have had gaps in their educational journey, so they've been out of a structured school system for a while,"saidKristmanson.

"The trauma that some of the children have experienced, this might also be a challenge for schools and teachers."

Kristmansonsays school districts, primarily in the south of the province, have created their own systems for dealing with newcomers more than2,000 in the past threeyears.

'Ensure student success'

Strong says the factthe province has a history of welcoming children from other countries means there are already systems in place to help these children adjust.

"One of the principles that guide the work we do is called universal design for learning. So the idea is that what's absolutely essential to some children is good for allchildren," Strong said.

She saysthis system will helpchildren suffering from the trauma of war and displacement as it creates"safe, orderly, predictable learning environments."

Strong says she expects the newcomers to have solidskills, as literacy rates in Syria are traditionally high and there is a high rate of school participation in that country. However, she saidthere will be gaps in education, as many of the Syrian familieshave been on the run, or in refugee camps, until now.

In terms ofadditional English as an additional languagestaff, Strong says it's too early to tell what will be needed, but she does anticipate a positive experience for everyone involved.

'Our mandate has been, without question, that we are are goingto dowhatever we can to ensure student success."