Webcast: Access to Education for Refugees in Lebanon

This ECCN webcast explored best practices in promoting equity in education among urban refugees in Beirut, Lebanon. Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) has been operating in Lebanon since 2012 and currently focuses on early childhood education, formal basic education, and learning support programs. The webcast addressed current challenges in access to education for forcibly displaced populations and how JRS is addressing gaps in access to quality education for children by enhancing school enrollment and performance in Lebanese institutions or offering quality formal education in areas where access to public schools is hindered by limited capacities or distance.

Presenters also discussed the importance of rebuilding international political will for investments in education for refugees in Lebanon, programming that facilitates more student interaction between the Lebanese and Syrians, and collaboration, as well as increased access to secondary education, including vocational training opportunities.

Webcast Summary

In Lebanon, 1 in 6 people is a refugee. The panelists highlighted their experiences from the field while focusing on community-based and accelerated learning programs. A major takeaway was that the need for psychosocial support continues to be a priority, because it can reduce disruptions caused by behavioral issues in students. To address this issue, JRS provides regular training for teachers, social workers and school administrators as part of a long-term strategy. In 2013, the Lebanese government launched the Reaching All Children with Education (RACE) initiative, to improve both access to and the quality of education. Despite the 350 second-shift schools and over 221,000 refugee children registered in Lebanese schools due to RACE, 59% of school-aged refugees remain out of school. Furthermore, enrollment rates in secondary schools and vocational training programs continue to be low. This April, in Brussels, a conference of donors highlighted the gaps in ensuring access to education for Syrian refugees. Donors were held accountable for their previous commitments.

Supporting Syria and the Region: An Update

On April 24 and 25, 2018, the Supporting Syria and the Region Conference took place in Brussels. Donors and civil society representatives gathered to mobilize financial support and political will to address the humanitarian needs of Syrians displaced by conflict and work toward a peaceful solution.

Speakers at both a conference plenary session and a side event hosted by the European Union’s Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations office emphasized education. During the side event, the No Lost Generation campaign released its latest update, which noted that one in three Syrian children—both those internally displaced and refugees who have fled the country—are out of school.

As the conference concluded, donors pledged $4.4 billion in 2018, for both Syria and the region, and made multi-year pledges of $3.4 billion for the years 2019 and 2020. The amounts were less than hoped for. The Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) released a statement that expressed support for the pledges made while also encouraging greater clarity regarding how much of this support will be directed toward education.

To learn more about the conference in Brussels, read this update by Giulia McPherson, ECCN Steering Group member, who attended the conference on behalf of JRS.

To learn more about education in Syria, watch the ECCN and RTI webcast Education in Syria and read the blog post The State of Education in Syria.