Mark Okello Oyat 补苍诲听four听of his fellow students at the Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya are waiting for the pandemic to wind down before celebrating their new 尘补蝉迟别谤鈥檚 degrees in style, but the thrill is still present among the members of the first cohort of Dadaab students to earn 91亚色 graduate degrees, which will be awarded in June.听
鈥淚 am so happy to be able to accomplish my graduate studies,鈥 Okello Oyat said from Kenya via Zoom during a recent interview. 鈥淲e are breaking the paradigm for refugees living in an encampment. It is a unique thing that Professor Don Dippo, from the Faculty of Education, has done.鈥听
Still photo of BHER Learning Centre computer lab and tree where students often sit to do group work and have discussions
The 尘补蝉迟别谤鈥檚 degree in education is part of a continuum of postsecondary programs that Dippo and his colleagues have established at Dadaab as part of the , a series that begins with a university preparation program, followed by certificate and diploma programs, bachelor鈥檚 degree programs and now, the 尘补蝉迟别谤鈥檚 degree. The first BHER听program, university preparation, began in听Dadaab in听2013.听
The programs are an effort to offer 鈥gender equitable teacher听education听programs to working, untrained teachers who are already contributing back to the community, increasing and improving education in the camps overall.鈥 The University of British Columbia, Kenyatta University and Moi University听are听partners听in the听BHER听program.听
Until a few years ago, a bachelor鈥檚 degree was the most the students could hope to earn at Dadaab, which is actually a collection of five refugee camps听in northeast Kenya. However, they were eager for more opportunity.听
Faculty of Education Professor Don Dippo (second from right) poses for a cameo with five MEd BHER students who will be receiving their graduate degrees in June. Pictured from left are: Ochan Leomoi, Okello Oyat, Abdullahi Aden, Arte Dagane, Don Dippo and Abdikadir Abikar
鈥淭he students started lobbying for a 尘补蝉迟别谤鈥檚 degree program by the second year of their bachelor鈥檚 program,鈥 said Dippo. 鈥This was not part of the original BHER project design but there were students in Dadaab who were capable and persistent, so I discussed the matter with Dean Lyndon Martin and Graduate Program Director Qiang Zha.听 It was the willingness of my colleagues in the graduate program to open their courses to distance participation that made the MEd program in Dadaab possible.鈥澨听
The program began听with seven students听in听2018 and admitted 12 more students in 2019, a total of 19 students, seven of whom are women. Like all 91亚色 students, they have student ID cards and access to Moodle and Zoom and the 91亚色 Libraries. They study听in听the same听courses as听their Toronto 尘补蝉迟别谤鈥檚 degree in education studies peers and meet with them periodically over Zoom. 听
From September to听December听补苍诲听January听to April, the听Dadaab students听have tutorials and take online courses听meeting for tutorial sessions听on Fridays and Saturdays. They听gather at the learning centre at Dadaab at 3 p.m., while their 91亚色 professors听and teaching assistants, given the time difference, are in the听virtual听classroom at 7 a.m. Students in Toronto have an open invitation to join in for tutorials.听
鈥淲e do get Toronto students听in the Zoom tutorials on听Fridays 补苍诲听Saturdays,鈥 said Dippo. 鈥淒uring the pandemic self-isolation, more students are joining in.鈥听
During the fall and winter semesters, BHER students work as teachers in the camps and study online over the weekends. In April, August and December, the months when the students have no teaching responsibilities, their 91亚色 professors听and teaching assistants听travel to Dadaab to offer intensive, in-person courses.听
鈥淭hese on-site courses are really valuable, because the instructors actually get a chance to meet the students, making the program more personal,鈥 said HaEun Kim, 91亚色鈥檚 BHER program administrator.听
鈥淲ith this graduate degree, the students听will be eligible to apply for teaching positions听at many post-secondary institutions in听Kenya, Somalia and other parts of听Africa,鈥 Dippo said. 鈥淲e听have established a good working relationship with the Somali National University (SNU) in Mogadishu and have had many discussions with the Dean at SNU鈥檚 Faculty of Education and Social Sciences, Fouzia Warsame, about the valuable contributions our graduates will make to efforts to rebuild public education in Somalia in the aftermath of the civil war.鈥澨听听
BHER students at the first Research Symposium held in Dadaab
鈥Many BHER graduates have returned to Somalia.听听They are like their own alumni association,鈥 he said. 鈥淭his group of students has come together,听learned from each other, and has become听committed to each other and supported each other鈥檚 successes. They are interested in improving the quality of听education for refugees, internally displaced people and others whose lives have been affected by conflict and rebuilding national education programs.听
鈥淚t鈥檚 their achievement, their aspirations and their commitment to their communities and to a peaceful and prosperous future that keeps us coming back to Dadaab. Our students inspire us.鈥听听
Kim noted, 鈥淚f it weren鈥檛 for听BHER听classes,听many of our听students听may not have had the opportunity to听come together.听The camps themselves tend to be regionally divided with different communities often keeping to themselves.听This is a pan-African group of students听from听many nations, language groups,听religions听and cultures, with both men and women听studying together. This community of learners has been fostered and strengthened over time and that鈥檚 no small achievement.鈥听
The 尘补蝉迟别谤鈥檚 degree graduates are also听contributing to emerging African scholarship in the field of refugee and forced migration studies.听Dippo and his colleagues, including Professors Nombuso Dlamini,听Steve Alsop听and Kurt Thumlert from the Faculty of Education, have ensured that the cohort has experience presenting at scholarly听conferences and publishing their research. The graduating cohort made a Zoom presentation last year at听the Canadian Association for Refugee and Forced Migration Studies (CARFMS)听at听91亚色听University and听the lecture hall in Toronto was full at 7 a.m.听The graduating cohort of听尘补蝉迟别谤鈥檚 students have also co-authored articles published in two issues of Oxford University鈥檚 Forced Migration Review.听
鈥淲e want to encourage them to听continue to听research, write听and present in a field where they are really underrepresented,鈥 Dippo said.听
These students are also role models for others at the camps.听鈥淩etention rates in high schools听in Dadaab听are higher because the students know听that if they graduate,听they can continue on with their studies while听staying connected to their families and their communities听living in the camps,鈥 Dippo said. 鈥淭he women students听in BHER programs听also show others that听it is possible to听have a family and to continue your education.鈥听
Ochan Leomoi, one of the students in the cohort set to graduate, continues听giving back to the community.听
鈥Currently, I am teaching the vulnerable children in Safe Haven, a protected space, and also assisting Borderless Higher Education for Refugee course directors in teaching and mentoring the students in this project,鈥 he said.听
His classmate, Okello Oyat, is dreaming about doing a PhD next, but he also sees himself making a difference in lives in听Dadaab.听
鈥淲e will be able to change a lot of lives and situations in the Horn of Africa,鈥 he said. 鈥淭he community here has a lot of challenges, and we鈥檒l be able to use what we鈥檝e learned to drive change here. As refugees, there is a lot we need to do to improve our听quality听of life.鈥听
By Elaine Smith, special contributing writer to Innovatus