AN EXERCISE IN WORLDMAKING 2009 - ISS

22 ANDREA NICOLE DYKSHOORN
kinson, 2002), schools often see it as the best option for students. An
example of this is seen in a report submitted to the Manitoba government
by Sisler High School in Winnipeg:
[The integration programme] considers itself effective but is concerned
about unrealistic goals being placed on ESL learners, particularly in cases
where it is not going to be possible to see students graduate from the regular
programme by the time they are 18 years of age. In such cases, it may
be preferable to gear instruction towards employment. (Manitoba Education,
Citizenship, and Youth, 2005:65).
For Sisler High School, accommodating refugee students meant providing
a streamed education-for-work track. No mention is made of offering
a modified version of the regular programme so that refugee students
are not streamed out of general or university-directed programmes.
This sets a dangerous precedent for school policy, making “lower-level”
streaming an easy, convenient alternative to deeper structural changes
that could empower students rather than pushing them into low-paying
jobs. According to Yau (1995), the percentage of refugee students in
non-academic educational streams was higher than one-third, as compared
to one-quarter of immigrant and Canadian-born students. However,
what she finds most concerning is the fact that 19 percent of refugee
students in these non-academic streams aspired to attend university,
compared to 4 percent of other students (Yau, 1995: v). This discrepancy
between the aspirations of students and the reality of their placement
reflects a serious lack of agency on the part of refugee students.
The streaming of students suggests that the education system is failing
to find ways of enabling and encouraging refugee students to access the
programmes available to the general student population. Li (2003) argues
that integration must “take into account how Canadian institutions perform
toward newcomers” (330). The streaming of refugee students can
be seen as a symptom of a greater problem—the inflexibility of the education
system in accommodating a population with distinct needs.
5. Hidden curriculum—the lived experience of refugee students in
schools
The cognitive outcomes of schooling receive much attention, and the
success or failure of students is almost always assessed through these
outcomes (Wilkinson, 2002). Both the placement and streaming of refugee
students have implications for the acquisition of knowledge, and are