Toulouse: These young exiles who integrate thanks to French
In five years, the Federal University of Toulouse has obtained intensive French courses for some 300 young refugees so that they can continue their studies and integrate into society. It is part of a support network present throughout France.
Glakho is 22 years old. Of Georgian origin, he lives under the status of political refugee in Toulouse and wants “absolutely to integrate into society”, that which gives him another chance. He has a fixed idea: “To become a doctor !” For this, their level of French must be (almost) perfect. We are not far from it.
Intensive French courses, citizenship training…
On the national territory for eighteen months, he participates in a system that has worked well since its launch in 2017: the Dilami (Migrant reception languages system) has seen some three hundred students pass through, at a rate of 60 per year. Who have followed a special program made up of intensive French courses, cultural openness modules and citizenship training allowing them to continue their studies or benefit from a professional integration adapted to their training.
400 hours of lessons per year, three levels
These students under the age of 35 and with at least the baccalaureate come mainly from Syria, Sudan, Iran, Georgia, Libya, Afghanistan, Yemen… Set up by the Federal University of Toulouse for refugees and migrants, its aim is to enable them to integrate as well as possible. The exiled student can then benefit from 400 hours of courses for a reason of at least 15 weekly hours. With the equivalent in hours of personal work requested.
This course is divided into three levels that could be summarized as follows: managing to introduce oneself; hold a conversation with friends, family; and finally the “advanced” level where one expresses oneself with nuance allows access to higher education. And it works ! 80% of students in this most advanced group were able to pass the DU Passerelle (1). These intensive courses are prerequisites for going to other qualifying courses.
This young Georgian who wants to become a doctor
“Since I have taken these intensive courses, other refugees have told me that they would like to take them as well.” Being French for him, beyond the triptych Liberty, equality, fraternity, he adds: tranquility and… poetry! Where will he be in ten years? “Doctor !”, he repeats. The argument about the so-called overflow of foreigners in France from far-right candidates? Swept: “Yes, maybe there are too many foreigners for some people…”
77% success rate!
For five years, some three hundred other students have had the same dreams. Like him, they followed this program, the last class graduated a few weeks ago, with a success rate of 77%! Out of 60 students, 46 have validated their year. At the end of their training, 24 of them went on to the next level, 15 followed by their studies in a bachelor’s or master’s degree (11) or in vocational training (4). Seven students gave up their project for personal or administrative reasons.
It all started with the exodus of Syrians in 2015
“The Dilami is based on the linguistic skills of the students organized in three levels: beginner, intermediate, advanced. Glakho is at the advanced level. If he was able to take courses, which is intensifying today, it is thanks to the mobilization, originally, of humanitarian associations which, in 2015, were alarmed by an unprecedented exodus to Europe. and France, from the Middle East, in particular Syrian nationals, trace Isabelle Gueit, Dilami project manager in Toulouse. It was in “the urgency of a request from associations supporting exiles that a network has been set up, particularly in Toulouse”, she specifies. “It was a different population from previous waves. They were rather young people alone or in couples and graduates who fled the persecutions at work in their country of origin, which varied according to their confession and their involvement in their country.
“Resume their life course”
Faced with this emergency situation, several universities in Lille (110 exiled students per year), in Burgundy (60), in Toulouse (60) and, now, in Montpellier and Perpignan, have offered French courses “a bit wild” to enable these refugees to “resume their studies in France and resume their life course”, says Isabelle Gueit. Then, in 2017, a network was formed, professionalized, the MEns network (Migrants in Higher Education).
This brings together the universities involved in supporting students in exile. This is where the Dilami course was created in Toulouse. In 2019, this will become even more professional with the creation of a national DU (university diploma), of the same level everywhere, recognized by the Ministry of National Education and which therefore has national value. This recognition also entitles you to a budget envelope.
In 2020, in France, the number of beneficiaries of international protection stands at 300,000, according to the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons.
Olivier SCHLAMA
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(1) In 2020-2021, with the approval of the Ministry of Higher Education, the teaching team set up, on an experimental basis, the DU Dilami Passerelle for the first two levels. With the objective of exceeding 70% of graduates.
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Students in this program also participate in the development of shows. It is the opportunity for each of them to engage their body and their voice on the words of writers, the images of artists, the sounds of musicians and to share moments of individual and collective effort. This year, the theme of dreams has been chosen and will result in a reading aloud, on April 13, 2022 at the Cave Poésie, and a puppet-music show, on April 22, 2022, at La Fabrique de l’Université Toulouse. Jean Jaurès.
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The Dilami is financially supported (figures for 2021-2022) by the Occitanie Region (€129,366), the Federal University of Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées (€31,730), the Agence universitaire de la francophonie (€17,000) and the Prefecture of Haute-Garonne (€10,000). More than one million euros are mobilized each year on these subjects by the Region for these projects, of which DILAMI is a part, with a tremendous work of support for the resumption of studies thanks to French lessons”, underlined Nadia Pellefigue, vice-president of the Occitanie Region.
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In September 2021, the Toulouse system embarked on a new stage: the university diploma becomes an inter-university diploma (Diu), thus concretizing the co-delivery of diplomas for the three levels of Dilami by the Federal University Toulouse Midi -Pyrénées and the respective universities.