Ten years of conflict, poverty and displacement in Syria made education progressively inaccessible for children, and the pandemic has exacerbated this drastic situation. Even before COVID-19, at the end of 2019, an estimated 2.45 million children (one in three) were out of school in Northern Syria. The pandemic has pushed an additional 50% out of school and two-thirds of children are currently out of school in Syria.
According to a survey carried out by Save the Children, poverty is the main cause of dropping out. The high cost of education, combined with the low income of poor families, leads to child labour, keeping children out of school. 60% of teachers participating in Save the Children’s survey said that the pandemic has had a negative impact on education’s continuity in classrooms. Many children lack access to the technology needed for online learning and, as a consequence, they were not able to switch from classrooms to remote learning.
On 10 December, Save the Children released the report “Reversing Gains”, expressing deep concern about the lack of education which is risking to jeopardize Syrian children’s – as well as the whole country’s – future development. The Non-Governmental Organization has also asked donors to fund programs aimed at reducing Syrian families’ poverty, in order to address the root causes of the problem.
To read more, please visit:
https://www.unicef.org/stories/syria-another-year-crisis
Author: Margherita Curti; Editor: Matteo Consiglio
