Don't ignore Syrian refugee children's education needs

Syrian refugee children

If we don't invest in the education of refugee children now, we are wasting a massive human resource for the future, said Prof Mohammed Thneibat, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education of Jordan.
Identifying innovative strategies that draw in the power of information technology, a focus on corporate social responsibility (CSR) results to engage the private sector, and accelerated funding for middle income nations that bear the brunt of the refugee crisis are some of the top priorities and solutions that address the challenge of educating refugee children.
The fourth Global Education and Skills Forum (GESF) hosted a panel discussion on 'Addressing the Challenge of Refugee Children'.
The session was moderated by Marie Staunton, interim CEO of Plan International, Canada. She presented the enormity of the refugee crisis that the world faces today. She said that while a child spent an average nine years in a refugee camp in 1993, today the duration is at least 17 years.

Stauton pointed out that there are now two million children in Syria, and nearly 700,000 out of school. She said that the existing system makes it difficult to deal with the crisis faced by children, adding that UN funds do not reach middle-income countries that host refugees. "Of any humanitarian aid received, less than two per cent goes towards the education needs of the refugees," said Stauton.
Speaking at the panel, Prof Mohammed Thneibat described the unique approach of Jordan towards hosting refugees, whereby no child, irrespective of nationality or faith, is denied access to education in the country. "More than 85 nationalities attend our public schools - both from Arab and non-Arab nations. However, we have several challenges that we need to deal with today. In Jordan, every class today has over 70 to 80 students; and schools are working double-shift to accommodate the Syrian children," he said.
Prof Thneibat said that the country is opening another 100 double shift schools to ensure education for all children, including Syrian, but Jordan is currently facing challenges in funding this endeavour. He said that the international community should support the country's initiatives. "The funds we have received to support education is not more than 36 per cent of the total cost that the Jordan government bears for supporting Syrian children in our schools," said Thneibat.

George Papandreou, former Prime Minister of Greece and a former refugee himself, said that he'd spent his early years in a refugee camp. He provided a compelling argument on why providing education for refugee children needs a pragmatic approach, drawing from his own life experience.
He stated: "It calls for a visionary approach, where we recognise the scale of the problem. Greece had witnessed problems similar to that of Jordan; we needed more schools and teachers to meet the influx of refugees from Albania, Ukraine and Central Eastern Europe. We opened our schools for the children, and today, they contribute to our society."
Tom Fletcher, director of Global Strategy, Global Business Coalition for Education in the UAE, highlighted the role that the private sector can play in supporting the education of refugees. He said that underlining 'corporate social results' has been proved to be more motivating in engaging the private sector. Fletcher said the old model of government raising money and pledging funds doesn't work and today, a different model, led by a coalition of the government, private sector, individuals and civil society is needed.
Representing Aqeela Asifi, a Top 10 finalist short-listed for the Global Teacher Prize, Duniya Aslam Khan, Communication/ Public Information Officer, UNHCR, Pakistan, described the heart-warming story of how Asifi works to promote education of female children in the Kota Chandana refugee camp for Afghans in Pakistan.
She said that Asifi transformed the region that has traditionally resisted education for girls without confronting the elders but by taking small but significant measures that made the community aware of the need for educating girls. From one tent that educated eight girls, Asifi today has set up nine schools in the Kot Chandana camp with over 1,500 students including 900 girls.
dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com

Dhanusha Gokulan

• dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com