Seventeen children of asylum seekers in Iceland have not obtained admission to grade school, RÚV reports. Margrét María Sigurðardóttir, Ombudsman for Children, says the inability of the Directorate of Immigration to fulfill its role because of the number of asylum seekers is a serious matter. This is especially serious in the case of children, she notes, since going to school is a basic right.
“We were notified of children in our country, who had not been admitted to school and decided to inquire about it,” she says. “Yesterday afternoon, we received a response saying there are 17 children for whom solutions are being sought, and we’ll meet with them early October.”
Fréttablaðið reported this morning that the children of Albanian asylum seekers have not obtained admission to school despite having been here almost four months. The Directorate of Immigration didn’t apply for admission to school on the siblings’ behalf despite numerous reminders of their right to attend school.
