NO CLASS! ONE MILLION REFUGEE CHILDREN LOSE OUT ON ANY EDUCATION BECAUSE OF A BROKEN $1BILLION PROMISE
*GORDON BROWN REVEALS SCANDAL OF REFUGEE AND DISPLACED GIRLS AND BOYS, MANY OF WHOM WILL NEVER ENTER A SCHOOL CLASSROOM
*PLEDGES MADE YEAR AGO AT SYRIA CONFERENCE IN LONDON HAVE NOT BEEN HONOURED AND MUST NOW BE MET, FORMER PRIME MINISTER TELLS INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE INQUIRY
*HE CALLS FOR NEW MULTILATERAL FACILITY TO PROVIDE FUNDING AND END BETRAYAL OF HALF OF OUR YOUTH GENERATION –800MILLION CHILDREN – WHO GO WITHOUT DECENT EDUCATION
*FAILURE TO ACT LEAVES GIRLS AND BOYS ‘OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND, OUT OF SCHOOL AND OUT OF HOPE’, HE SAYS
Gordon Brown warns broken promises and chronic underfunding are denying millions of refugee and displaced children an education.
At 12.15 today in a statement to the International Development Committee Inquiry into DFID’s Work In Education, the former Prime Minister and United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education will say:
“A year after the Supporting Syria And The Region conference – hosted by the UK government in London – promised education for every refugee child, nearly one million are still being denied. Money paid out is one billion dollars short of what was pledged.
“Half of all Syrian refugee children are not in a classroom – many may never enter one – and donors have contributed only $402 million of the $1.4 billion needed to achieve the London Syria conference pledge.
“We have to ask what kind of world it is when we do least for those children who are most vulnerable and most in need…the girls and boys out of sight, out of mind, out of school and out of hope.
“Moreover, there is little cash for the 2.1 million children displaced within Syria and not in school, despite the need for education. The need is particularly acute after the emigration of half of Syria’s graduate population.
“A recent study by the Overseas Development Institute showed us that lack of education is one of the main forces driving refugee migration to Germany and other parts of Europe.
“It would be far more cost-effective to educate refugees in the vicinity of their home countries – in Lebanon the cost is $600 dollars – than in Europe where annual costs are six to 10 times as high.
“The refugee crisis reflects a wider, even more shameful scandal: because of under-provision of education and lack of investment, today half of all young people – more than 800million – will leave school unqualified for a job. Even in 2030, on current trends, the figure will still be 800million.
“The consequences for migration, exposure to extremism, population growth and low economic development could provoke “Arab Springs” everywhere.
“The facts are that education’s share of aid has fallen from 13 to 10 per cent – and the share of humanitarian aid devoted to the education of refugee children is less than two per cent. For conflict and emergencies alone $8.5billion is needed each year.
“Politicians must be reminded in the “You Promised” campaign launched recently of the pledges made that have yet to be delivered.
“Refugee education cannot be financed forever simply by sending begging bowls around the world. It is time for a new multilateral facility for education, bringing together world bank, regional development banks and individual donors to provide finance for basic education for the 800 million denied decent education today and in the future.”
Note for media
Syrian Refugees in Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan
As of the end of last year, 2,308,897 of registered Syrian refugees were children, of which 1.6 million were of school age.
|
Country |
In School |
Out of School |
Total |
|
Turkey (ages 6- 18) |
491,896 |
380,000 |
871,896 |
|
Lebanon (ages 3- 17) |
200,000 |
277,034 |
477,034 |
|
Jordan |
170,000 |
91,000 |
261,000 |
|
861,896 |
748,034 |
1,609,930 |
Based on these latest numbers, 53% of Syrian refugee children in these three countries are enrolled in school.
The London Syria Conference pledge was to get all refugee children into school by the end of the 2016/17 school year.
In particular, the objective is to reach 1.7 million Syrian refugee and affected host-community children and youth in the five host countries with a total cost of US$0.9 billion, and 2.1 million out-of- school children inside Syria with a total cost of US$0.5 billion. The five host countries include Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt.
Of the total cost of $1.4 billion needed to reach these targets, 31% of the total – $402 million – has been distributed to education this year, leaving a $1 billion shortfall.
The United Kingdom pledged to double its contribution to £240 million pounds over 4 years for Syrian refugee education.
The International Commission on Financing Global Education Opportunity recommended the establishment of a multilateral development bank financing mechanism for education.