Research on migrant children and young people has often focused on the global North and less on South-South migration. This article discusses language and its effect on how young migrants access Ghanaian schools. Through interviews with 68 pupils, 21 parents and 40 teachers and principals from 30 schools across Accra, we found that children and young people from francophone countries were placed in lower than age-appropriate grades due to their lower command of English. Our study highlights the complex linguistic barriers facing migrant youth in an anglocentric educational system. The article discusses the relevance of our results in other postcolonial multilingual nations in the global South.

This article focuses on deepening the understanding of the factors affecting migrant students' integration in Ghana's educational system. Research on migrant education has primarily centred on northern destination countries. Using the case of West African migrant children in a multiethnic and multilingual Ghanaian setting, the article examines the complex and interplaying factors affecting migrant students' integration into Ghanaian schools. Analysis from 40 semi-structured interviews with teachers and principals drawn from 30 schools offers insights into the challenges faced by schools in trying to help migrant students succeed. The study offers practical insights into the advantages of having teachers with a migrant background, especially the extent to which they use their intercultural competencies in helping migrant students overcome school-related challenges. While the fieldwork was carried out in Ghana, the implications are also of interest to other jurisdictions where schools are faced with migration-related diversity.

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Despite the high number of migrants involved in intra-West African migration, the work on education for marginalized groups pays little or no attention to the children of migrants. This study involving qualitative research into the factors keeping migrant children and youth out of school in Ghana is a step toward filling this gap. The research highlights the role that economic factors, the conflict between opposing value systems, the nature of migration, and the age at migration played in serving as barriers for out-of-school migrants. The findings mark an important starting point for considering educational access for migrants in Ghana and understanding the limitations that confront them.