From 27 October to 1 November, St. Peter’s Square welcomes the Jubilee of the educational world. An opportunity to return to shining the spotlight on those countries of the world in which the fundamental, inalienable right to education is still denied or limited to boys and girls due to hunger and poverty, wars, conditions of instability, insecurity and violence.
In Syria, 14 years of conflict have created a huge humanitarian crisis, with a very heavy impact on children exposed to trauma and violence, they have devastated the economy, reducing 90% of Syrians to poverty, and have left over 7 thousand schools damaged or destroyed. But today, in the country, over 15 thousand children have been able to return to school thanks to the work of Global partnership for education (Gpe) which promoted the “Back-to-learning” campaign. Together with Unicef and Save the children, Gpe – the largest global fund dedicated to the development and promotion of education in the poorest or conflict-prone countries – has implemented a project to combat school dropout through non-formal education paths. By providing accelerated learning programmes, remedial courses and early childhood education, this project helps children acquire fundamental and life skills and eases their transition to formal schooling.
To support this transition, the program provided over 3,800 students with a tailored learning kit, appropriate to their age and grade level, giving them the tools they needed to successfully reintegrate into formal schooling. Additionally, efforts to rebuild school facilities have helped ensure that students can learn in safe educational environments. Here is the program in numbers: more than 178 thousand children were involved in non-formal education courses; approximately 65 thousand children with disabilities were supported in their educational journey; almost 20 thousand teachers received training in pedagogy, psychosocial support and child protection.
Focusing on school development means giving hope and a future to boys and girls, protecting them from the risks of labor and sexual exploitation, abuse, forced and early marriages. Since 2020, Global Partnership Education has provided $46 million in aid to Syria’s education system, working with local partners to improve infrastructure and strengthen community engagement. In recent days, Syria has joined Global partnership education. “After years of conflict and hardship, this partnership provides us with the tools and support needed to rebuild our education system, restore hope to our children and lay the foundation for a brighter future,” he said Mohammad Abdul Rahman Turko, Syrian Minister of Education. “With GPE’s help we can overcome the barriers created by displacement, poverty and trauma, ensuring every child in Syria has access to quality education and the opportunity to contribute to our country’s recovery.” Information: www.globalpartnership.org
(In the photo from Global partnership for education: a Syrian student at school)
