Two million Syrian children out of school –UNICEF

Published: September 7,2013

The figure represented about 40 per cent of pupils from grades one to nine.

The UNICEF says that nearly two million Syrian children have dropped out of school, following the ongoing crisis in the country.

This is contained in an education update report made public at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on Friday.

It noted that the figure represented about 40 per cent of all pupils registered from grades one to nine.

The report quoted the UNICEF spokesperson in Geneva, Marixie Mercado, as saying that about half of the children have fled violence areas in Syria to neighbouring countries.

“Most of these children are not in school. For a country that was on the verge of achieving universal primary education before the conflict started, the numbers are staggering.

“As schools are set to re-open in Syria and neighbouring countries over the coming weeks, the task of bringing children back to some form of learning will be nothing short of monumental task,” Mercado added.

UNICEF stated that in Syria and across the region, the agency was supporting efforts to bring children back to continuous learning.

It, however, noted that it was also supporting nationwide community mobilisation campaigns, in all the countries.

“UNICEF is distributing education and teaching materials, recruiting teachers and setting up prefabricated classrooms in these countries,’’ the report said.

(NAN)