New refugee school opens in Mangere

When Adel Salmanzadeh arrived in New Zealand in 1989, he says there weren’t many services for refugees.

Today he works with the Ministry of Education as a senior adviser for refugee and migrant support and he’s making the opposite is true for recent refugees coming to this country.

And given today is World Refugee Day, it’s perfect timing for the ministry to announce the opening a new school at the Mangere Refugee Resettlement Centre.

‘‘As a [former] refugee and a New Zealand citizen, I’m really proud that there haven’t been any short cuts. [There are] top quality buildings [and] top quality teachers,’’ he says.

There are 12 new classrooms and the budget for the school is $6.9 million. The new school has replaced the formerly used temporary classrooms.

‘‘To have this amazing facility built signifies the level of commitment not just from the Government, but every taxpayer. Every citizen will be proud that we don’t just bring people here and put them in cold rooms.’’

The Refugee Education Centre is managed by Auckland University of Technology (AUT) and it provides a six-week programme for refugees under the government quota scheme. Director and senior lecturer at the Refugee Education Centre, Maria Hayward says the most common request from refugees is: ’’I want to learn English and I want to learn it quickly.’’

‘‘Our programme is primarily around teaching English, but we also prepare newly arrived individuals for living in New Zealand.’’

She says they have found that ways of interacting within a learning environment that suit Maori and Pasifika kids and adults also suit individuals from refugee backgrounds. This is because those cultures all empha- sise relationships. Naima arrived in 2000.

She is now studying for a Master’s degree in Human Rights at AUT. She cites education as a driving force to progress. She came from an oral way of learning but grasped the New Zealand way which she says involves more of Ali writing.

Although she dealt with a few setbacks in high school, she’s come out stronger.

‘‘We are adaptable, we are resilient. Now we’re rich in two cultures,’’ she says.

Let us know what you think at our Facebook page.