EDUCATION > LEBANON
A school for children of war n Young Syrian students attend class
at El Jarrahiyeh public school
www.enpi-info.eu Syrian children have suffered “the fastest and clearest educational decline” ever seen in the Middle East, announced the UN and several NGOs in a report published recently. Refugee children are faced with several difficulties related to lack of space, insecurity, poverty, community tensions and different dialects. In Lebanon, the ‘Back to learning’ UNICEF rogramme, which is funded by the EU, is trying to overcome these difficulties. A journalist from the European Neighbourhood Centre visited some schools and sent us this report. Written by: Antoine Ajoury Pictures by: AFP ©EU/Neighbourhood Info Centre
BEKAA - It’s 3pm. Pupils from the public school of Jarrahiyeh, in Marj, in the region of Bekaa in Lebanon, are patiently waiting for the beginning of their afternoon classes. This particular one is part of a special course for Syrian children as part of the ‘Back to learning’ programme financed by the European Union (EU). “In the region of Bekaa alone, there are estimated to be over 65,000 Syrian children old enough to go to school, aged from four to 14,” explains César Al Fakih, who is UNICEF’s official in charge of education in Bekaa. “About 25,000 are not interested in school activities. Some are already working. So that leaves 40,000 young Syrians who have expressed the wish to sign up for public schools. But only ten schools have the capacity for more pupils and they can only take 18,000 individuals,” he adds. This publication does not represent the official view of the EC or the EU institutions. The EC accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to its content.
School in the camps So one of the solutions has been to set up classes in the afternoon to relieve the pressure on the normal morning classes. Broadly speaking, there are children who attend the normal school programme in the morning and who have been integrated with Lebanese pupils; there are those who attend a special afternoon programme in the schools, those who benefit from the ALP programme (Accelerated Learning Programme) in the schools too; and those who live in camps and who do not go to school but who are targeted by specific UNICEF actions. The aim of the ALP programme is to enable children who have left school in Syria to get back on track and catch up where they have
EU Neighbourhood Info Centre Feature no. 121 This is a series of features on projects funded by the EU, prepared by journalists and photographers on the ground or the EU Neighbourhood Info Centre. © 2014 EU/Neighbourhood Info Centre
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n Students show their artwork
“In addition to the purely educational aspect, there is also a psychologicalsocial aspect that is aimed at parents and which is of the utmost importance”
fallen behind. It also consists of teaching them some basic English or French with a view to their being put into the Lebanese schools. In addition, a two-week session has been given to Syrian teachers to prepare the ALP programme with them in around 30 or so camps of Syrian refugees in the Bekaa. The ‘Back to learning’ programme, of which ALP is a part, takes care of the schooling of children, books and school materials and in some cases a light snack. “In addition to the purely educational aspect, there is also a psychological-social aspect that is aimed at parents and which is of the utmost importance as the change of environment, poverty, violence and abuse of all sorts have created lots of problems at these levels. Whole families are living in a single room or under a single tent,” explains Amina Kleit, Director of the programme at the Iqra association, tasked by UNICEF with the application of the programme. This aspect covers everything which is connected to health, nutrition and hygiene. “A lot of progress has been achieved in this area, providing pedagogical support, a prevention campaign and even offering shampoo, medicine and other necessary provisions for Syrian families,” she adds.
n Lebanese instructor Nisrine el Karout reads to pupils
n Lebanese instructor Gretta Fahel works with young Syrians
n IQRA program director Amina Kleit
An overcoat is forgotten as a way to stay in school Gretta teaches at the public school of Jarrahiyeh. There are 27 young pupils in her class. She gathers them in a circle around her. Each of them has to say their name, write it on a piece of paper (each letter with a different colour) and say how many syllables it is made of. “With this simple game, pupils learn to read, count and get to know the colours,” explains Gretta. Then the real educational fun begins. Instead of the ‘truth or dare’ game, young Syrians have to say what they like, what disturbs them, what they want etc. With a mischievous smile, Majd recites a love poem to Gretta. Ahmad tells of how he likes to fold the laundry at home. Aya for example loves coming to school but still hopes to return home to Syria to carry on with her studies. Gretta says she is extremely happy to take care of these children, who could become a lost generation if nobody looks after their education. So she tells the story of the young boy who used to leave his coat behind in class so that he would have to come back to pick it up after the end of classes. “Every time, his parents used to come up to pick him up and found him asleep in class. He preferred to stay at school rather than go home,” adds Gretta, with tears in her eyes. Weighed down by the conflict The programme also gives a lot of hope to youngsters who are a bit older. In another class, pupils are
“The change of environment, poverty, violence and abuse of all sorts have created lots of problems. Whole families are living in a single room or under a single tent”
n UNICEF Lebanon communication specialist Miriam Azar with young Syrian students
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starting to learn English. Some of them already work in the morning in order to be able to attend classes in the afternoon. The weight of the Syrian conflict is already weighing down on them. They are afraid of giving their name and they are apprehensive about the camera lens for fear that they might be recognised by men from the regime who are hunting down their parents. But, despite all the difficulties, they study diligently and with determination. Mohammad (his name has been changed) is 11 years old. In the morning, he helps his big brother in a farm in the region. Despite his fatigue and the long road to get to school, he takes n Lebanese Bedouin tents an active part in the classes and he too hopes one day to teach English in Syria. In addition, it is worth noting that this programme, “The inhabitants of the region are poor, be they natives or which initially started as an emergency measure to Bedouins who live there. The Lebanese pupils also benefit meet the needs of refugees, will be pursued with from the services and support provided by this the aim of a form of sustainable development that programme” targets the Lebanese education system as a whole. “The training granted to staff and to teachers will be beneficial for all the Lebanese pupils. And all the educational materials used will stay in the school for use beyond the current context,” confirms Miriam Azar, a specialist in emergency communications at UNICEF. “So this is a long-term investment that is not only targeted at pupils but also the parents who are invited to be partners in this project,” she adds. Talking along the same lines, Riad al Kadri, the Director of the school of Jarrahiyeh, confirms that “the inhabitants of the region are poor, be they natives or Bedouins who live there. The Lebanese pupils also benefit from the services and support provided by this programme”. To confirm this, Amina Kleit refers to the school’s cleaning lady, who is illiterate. Thanks to the educational programme, she can read and write. “Now, when I have a document to sign, I write my name whereas before I used to sign with my fingerprint,” says the lady proudly. She is the mother of four children and is encouraging them to go to school to study.
“Back to learning” http://www.unicef.org/french/infobycountry/lebanon.html The objective of the UNICEF Lebanon’s Non Formal Education programme is to provide learning opportunities tailored to the needs of out-of-school children affected by the Syrian crisis. The project aims at the identification and enrolment of up to 50,000 out of school children into regular primary schools, while up to 150,000 children and adolescents are to be enrolled into NFE programmes for a total of 200,000 out-ofschool children targeted. The interventions cover all six governorates of Lebanon. The timeframe is expected to span from September 2013 to August 2014. To find out more The EU & UNICEF website
EU and UNICEF press pack A partnership for children
EU Delegation Lebanon
EU Neighbourhood Info Centre Thematic portal: EDUCATION and TRAINING http://www.enpi-info.eu/thememed.php?subject=11
EU Neighbourhood Info Centre An ENPI project The EU Neighbourhood Info Centre is an EU-funded Regional Information and Communication project highlighting the partnership between the EU and Neighbouring countries. The project is managed by Action Global Communications.
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