{"id":9199,"date":"2024-10-24T13:36:16","date_gmt":"2024-10-24T13:36:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/blogs\/?p=9199"},"modified":"2024-10-24T13:36:18","modified_gmt":"2024-10-24T13:36:18","slug":"measuring-foundational-learning-in-forced-displacement-field-insights-and-lessons-from-mexico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/blogs\/measuring-foundational-learning-in-forced-displacement-field-insights-and-lessons-from-mexico\/","title":{"rendered":"Measuring foundational learning in forced displacement: field insights and lessons\u00a0from Mexico"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Emiko Naka<\/a> and Cirenia Ch\u00e1vez<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In September 2024, UNHCR and Save the Children were in Tapachula (pictured above) and Tijuana for the administration of Save the Children\u2019s foundational learning measurement tool, HALDO on the Move<\/a>, which has been adapted for Latin America’s forced displacement context. \u00a9 UNHCR\/M.Echand<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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It was a hot, sweltering day in the musty heat of Tapachula City in Chiapas, Mexico, where the temperature soared above 30 degrees Celsius, and the humidity made it hard to focus. Children surrounded us, their little bursts of energy engaging in both play and structured learning at a multi-purpose center run by the local government. We were there to oversee Save the Children\u2019s administration of their Holistic Assessment of Learning and Development Outcomes (HALDO) on the Move<\/a>, a tool that measures foundational learning among forcibly displaced children in Latin America.1<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This mission, part of a Porticus<\/a>-funded project on the \u201cLearning Assessment of Refugee Children,” took us to Mexico\u2019s northern and southern borders. Our goal was to address gaps in learning acquisition for forcibly displaced children and assess how best to support their educational needs. The initiative provided valuable feedback and lessons for refining the tool\u2019s use across contexts of forced displacement and ensuring accurate data collection on the quality of learning for these children.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adapting HALDO for Latin America<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

HALDO on the Move has been recently adapted for the Latin American context, with slight modifications from the traditional HALDO tool, used in our assessment in Mauritania<\/a>. While the traditional HALDO is designed for children aged 4 to 12,2<\/sup><\/a> HALDO on the Move covers a wider age range of 5 to 18.3<\/sup><\/a> In the adapted version, the first literacy task requires children to identify 20 letters from the alphabet correctly to move forward in the literacy assessment. In contrast, the traditional HALDO starts with the identification of the 5 most commonly used letters, making it simpler.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Field insights from Tapachula and Tijuana<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our visits to Tapachula and Tijuana, two border cities with high numbers of refugees and asylum seekers, highlighted the complexity of measuring learning outcomes for children affected by forced displacement. Despite Mexico\u2019s inclusive legal framework for refugees, which facilitates access to public services, including education, significant practical challenges remain for displaced families. We heard from families who reported administrative hurdles or reticent school directors, preventing their children\u2019s enrolment. Upper secondary school enrolment can become especially difficult \u2013 we met a 17-year-old from El Salvador who hadn\u2019t been able to attend school for over a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lack of information is also a significant barrier. Some parents, unaware of their rights, mistakenly believed public schools were only for Mexican children. School-related costs also pose a major hurdle. Even though education is free on paper, parents are often expected to contribute to school management committees, and school supplies and uniforms are also prohibitively expensive for some families. To address these barriers, UNHCR is implementing Cash-Based Interventions (CBI) to help families cover these expenses and with Save the Children, raising awareness among parents about their right to enroll and how to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The HALDO on the Move assessment targets approximately 400 refugee and asylum seeker children who have been out of school for more than 6 months, are behind in their learning, or have only recently enrolled. The assessment was conducted in various settings, including home visits, refugee registration centers, daycare centers, and shelters. The children were identified through Save the Children\u2019s programme network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key recommendations for assessment<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Based on our observations of the administration of HALDO on the Move assessments in Tapachula and Tijuana, we identified several recommendations that would help ensure more effective and sensitive assessment practices and content:<\/p>\n\n\n\n