The failure of international donors to produce funds pledged to help Syrian refugees is leaving nearly one million children out of school, according to a new report released on Wednesday by the international children’s charity Theirworld.
The international community pledged 1.4 (b) billion US dollars in school funding for countries hosting Syrian refugees in a London donor conference in February this year, but less than 400 (m) million US dollars of that has been fulfilled, Theirworld charity estimated.
There are 2.5 million Syrian children registered as refugees with the UN, the international body says.
Most live in neighbouring Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan as they wait for an opportunity to return home.
In Lebanon, more than half of the nearly 500,000 school-age Syrian refugee children receive no formal education, according to Human Rights Watch, despite innovations to teach double shifts at the overburdened public schools.
Othman Hamdan moved from the province of Deir-e-Zohr to the town of Bar Elias in Lebanon’s Bekaa valley, three years ago with his wife and five children.
The most his children were able to attend was a month-long programme organised by the UNHCR.
Unlike Syrian schools, lebanese public schools teach in two languages, either in Arabic and English, or in Arabic and French.
In addition, some families have no choice but to put their children to work to help meet basic expenses in a country with few social protections and tight movement restrictions.
Children who do go to school face difficulties with new curriculums, and many suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder or other psychosocial problems.
Kevin Watkins, Executive Director of the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) and author of the report says that while these children face many risks, the prospect of an education can save them from child labour, early marriage and even recruitment by extremists.
He also said the chance of an education is a big factor in why many parents are choosing to risk the journey to the west.
"That's why again that we've said in this report, the very clear message to the European Union is you should be investing less in razor wire on your borders, and more on books and classrooms in the neighbouring countries that are hosting these refugees."
The Theirworld report warns of a “lost generation” of Syrians if determined steps are not taken to ensure school access for all.
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