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Schoolchildren in Aleppo, Syria Credit: Unicef
Schoolchildren in Aleppo, Syria Credit: Unicef

Nearly 5 million Syrians in school 'against all odds,' UNICEF says

Latest update : 2018/04/26
By ANSA Latest update : 2018/04/26

Nearly 5 million Syrian children continue to have access to education in Syria or neighbouring countries despite more than seven long years of war, violence and displacement, but many challenges remain, according to the UN children's agency, UNICEF. Nearly 90 percent of children who have access to education are in public schools, both in Syria and in neighboring countries such as Lebanon and Jordan where they have been able to join their local peers.

"Massive funding from donors, unprecedented generosity from host governments and communities; relentless work from heroic teachers and the determination of Syrian children and their families have helped millions of Syrian children get an education," said Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa. "The Syria crisis has created an opportunity for neighbouring countries to improve public education infrastructure, create new employment possibilities for education staff and build tolerance between host communities and Syrian refugees," he added. However, in a statement the UN agency points out that "huge challenges remain." "The seven-year long conflict has caused 2.8 million children to miss out on their education. Some of these children have never been to school, while others have missed out on up to seven years of learning, making it extremely difficult for them to catch up," UNICEF explains.


 Going to school a 'matter of life and death'

 In parts of Syria, going to school can be "a matter of life and death". Since the conflict began in 2011, 309 education facilities came under attack and one in three schools can no longer be used because they were destroyed, damaged, used for military purposes or for hosting displaced families. Nearly 40 per cent of children who are out of school are between 15 and 17 years-old, making them prey to exploitation including early marriage, recruitment into the fighting and child labour. "These problems are becoming more prevalent as families increasingly resort to extreme survival measures," UNICEF says. In additon, for those children who are in school, the risk of dropping out looms due to trauma.In neighbouring countries, host governments are overwhelmed by nearly 2 million additional school children to absorb in local education systems amid an unstable economic situation. "As world leaders meet in Brussels this week for the Conference on Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region, we appeal to them not to give up on children and youth that have already been through so much," Cappelaere said.