September 22, 2014

Widening Access to Quality Education for Syrian Refugees: The Role of Private and NGO Sectors in Lebanon

report

As the Syrian crisis enters the fourth year, there is a timely need to reflect on the wider implications on Lebanon. The influx of over a million and half Syrian refugees brought a total of 400,000 school age refugees to Lebanon. This dramatic demographic shift posed a formidable challenge to an education system suited to deliver education to a national student population of just over 900,000. To date, the Lebanese Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE) which only host 30% of the student population in Lebanon shouldered the burden of education service delivery with support from the international community and UN agencies. However, public sector limitations pointed to its inability to accommodate the total number of Syrian refugee students, and thus warranted further exploration of the role for NGOs and the private sector. While the MEHE and donors widely acknowledge – to some extent – the role of NGOs in the delivery of education, the private sector role has been overlooked to date.

Since the beginning of the Syrian crisis in 2011, more than 2 million refugees have fled to the neighbouring countries Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt. According to the last regional response plan, it is estimated that the number of Syrian refugees in need of assistance across the region may reach 3.45 million by the end of 2013.

The Centre for Lebanese Studies conducted a study of the education conditions of the Syrian refugees in Lebanon. The main objectives of the research project are to:
  1. Identify the current situation in relation to access and quality to education including certificates and accreditation.
  2. Examine types and quality of non-formal education offered to the refugees.
  3. Developing targeted intervention recommendations and advocacy strategies to significantly improve the education of refugees.

Download full report in PDF (Arabic)

Download full report in PDF (English)

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