On 1 June 2022, a conference on gender-responsive inclusion of migrant children in the educational process was organized in Vransko by the Gender Equality Research Institute (IPES) with the support of the Council of Europe. 

The conference opened with a round table of experts who reflected on the challenges encountered by educators and migrant children in the process of schooling in Slovenia. Iva Perhavec, the Head of IOM Slovenia Office outlined key migration trends and elaborated on interlinkages of gender and migration. She stressed the importance of a gender analysis to inform the development of programs and activities to adequately respond to the needs of pupils and students in increasingly diverse classrooms. She outlined examples of how expanding the opportunities for the active participation of women in local communities and support with their integration enhances gender equality in the long run and has important consequences for the children’s educational and professional success in the new environments, with considerable results for migrant girls especially. 

The panellists agreed that promoting a tolerant and inclusive school environment, diversifying curriculums, strengthening the intercultural competencies of educators and providing the possibility of intercultural mediation are important steps in facilitating the success of migrant children’s educational and integration process.