•
•
“
Entrance into Secondary School: In most cases children must transfer to a
new institution for high school, at which point it again becomes mandatory to
produce legal documentation to enrol. Importantly, it is at this stage that the
‘non-compulsory’ nature of secondary education becomes a determining factor
that influences whether a stateless child will continue or abandon their studies,
unless there are flexible policies or safeguards in place that ensure they can
continue their education.
profound impact on their future endeavours by effectively blocking them from
accessing tertiary education and potentially locking them into lower skilled and
wage-earning jobs.
These critical junctures have a significantly adverse impact on the educational
journey of stateless children and consequently, a negative impact on their
overall development and wellbeing. Often compounded by financial struggles,
which are a common characteristic of stateless communities, these factors
frequently converge to leave families with little choice but to deprioritise
education – further entrenching their exclusion.
Completing Secondary School: Legal identification is once again required to sit
final exams, but it is also required to record and issue accredited qualifications
from the secondary institution. Without legal identity, an accredited high school
diploma is practically impossible to obtain for stateless children. This has a
/
OBSTACLE 1
ENROLLING
IN PRIMARY SCHOOL
One of the requirements for children
to access education in Kenya is having
a birth certificate. The digital system
introduced in 2018-2019 as a part of
the National Education Management
Information System [NEMIS] mandates
that children without a birth certificate
cannot enrol in school. Applications
and school fee payments are now
processed online through the eCitizen
platform, which creates a significant
obstacle for the Nubian and other
minority groups, for whom obtaining
a birth certificate remains a major
challenge”
YASAH MUSA,
Nubian Rights Forum,
Kenya
“
/
OBSTACLE 2
COMPLETING PRIMARY
SCHOOL AND ENTERING
SECONDARY SCHOOL
In the Dominican Republic for
example, education is theoretically
accessible to everyone regardless of
identification or birth registration
documents, but secondary exams
cannot be accredited without birth
registration or a birth certificate. This
also means that tertiary education is
usually then not accessible”
BRIDGET WOODING,
OBMICA,
Dominican Republic
“
/
OBSTACLE 3
PROGRESSING BEYOND
SECONDARY EDUCATION
If I cannot wear a white coat and
treat people’s illness, I can wear a
black coat and treat the illness of
society we live in”
NEHA GURUNG,
Lawyer and equal
citizenship rights advocate,
Nepal
“
/
OBSTACLE 4
PARTICIPATING IN
EXTRACURRICULAR
I love volleyball and this year I made the
‘under 19’ provincial volleyball squad. It’s a
direct opportunity to qualify for the ‘under
19’ national team [of South Africa]. Everyone
who was going to the tournament needed a
South African ID and passport to participate.
When my mom first told me about this, I
felt so angry that my opportunity [to play]
was being taken away. The thought of it
made me feel helpless, which in turn made
me bitter, scared and angry. All I could ask
my mom was “why me”? I naively thought
that that chapter of my life was closed, but
this made everything flood back, my future
and dreams were still being affected. Even
after I was granted my RSA citizenship in
2014, home affairs still wouldn’t give me the
proper paperwork I needed.”
DANIELA LIMA RODRIGUEZ,
Statelessness activist,
South Africa
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