Iraq News

Fewer than half of world's refugee children in school: UN

Fewer than half of the world's approximately six million refugee children are in school, making them five times less likely to get an education than the global average, the UN warned Thursday (September 15th).

In a new report, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said a full 3.7 million school-aged refugee children have no school to go to, AFP reported.

Thursday's report, which compares UNHCR data on refugee education with data from UNESCO on global school enrollment, showed that only 50% of the world's refugee children have access to primary education, compared with a global average of more than 90%.

Efforts by UNHCR and others to enrol more refugee children in school were being overshadowed by soaring numbers of newly displaced people, the report said.

The situation in Syria meanwhile shows how a conflict can quickly reverse positive education trends, the report said.

Before the conflict began five and a half years ago, 94% of Syrian children attended primary and lower secondary school.

By June of this year, only 60% were in school, leaving 2.1 million children and teens without access to education, according to UN figures.

At the same time, nearly five million Syrians have fled to overstretched neighbouring countries where access to education is difficult.

The UN estimates nearly 900,000 Syrian refugee children are not in school.

Do you like this article?

0 Comment(s)
Comment Policy * Denotes Required Field 1500 / 1500