Bridging the education gaps for Palestinian refugee children of Syria
The 67,000 Palestinian refugee students enrolled in UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency) schools before the crisis have not been spared.
UNRWA was established in 1949 to carry out direct relief programmes for Palestinian refugees displaced following the 1948 Arab–Israeli conflict. UNRWA estimates that over 80,000 Palestinian refugees have fled Syria for Lebanon, Jordan, and Gaza. Increasingly, the children affected by the Syrian crisis have been dropping out of school due to impoverishment and displacement.
Batoul and her surviving family members have moved seven times. Today, they live in Lebanon, to where they fled two years ago. “My father and older brother both died. I lost them, my friends, and the beautiful memories of my primary school in Sbeineh camp,” says Batoul.
Catching up on missed schooling can be daunting for students. “Moving from one shelter to another kept me from fitting in,” explains Batoul. To address the needs of conflict-affected children, UNRWA and Educate A Child entered a partnership to support over 50,000 refugee children; enrolling them into quality primary education programmes. With EAC’s contribution of US$4.9 million, the agency worked to reach out of school students like Batoul, and help them return to school.
Since 2013, UNRWA has established a total of 15 safe learning spaces to enable children to return to school in Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan, hiring and training 77 counsellors to provide psychosocial support and carry out recreational activities. The programme developed self-learning materials for out of school students and continues to provide support lessons both online and through UNRWA TV. EAC funding has also been used to purchase educational equipment to facilitate each of these interventions.
EAC’s support in Lebanon has succeeded in returning 9,000 students into 60 UNRWA schools scattered across Lebanon. Batoul is one of these students. “I have caught up and I am now first in my class. I am part of the student body, a class leader, and I participate in all the recreational activities,” she says Thanks to EAC funding and its partnership with UNRWA, students like Batoul can thrive once more. The principal at Batoul’s school, Nisreen Ayoub, says: “The refugee students from Syria are adjusting; they are calmer, happier, and are well integrated.” This is not only a source of pride for her teacher but also for Batoul’s mother:
“Despite all the hardships we have been through, she remains diligent and we have big hopes for her. If Batoul is well educated, she will take care of herself, see the world, and expand her horizons. I believe the only way to make her dreams come true is through education.”
