Access to education for Syrian refugee children and youth in Jordan host communities
Jordan Education Sector Working Group
Highlights
In 2015, Syrian refugees continued to flee their homes and seek safety in neighbouring countries. UNHCR Jordan had registered 605,719 Syrian refugees in Jordan at the time of data collection for this report (2015), with approximately 80% of the population residing in host communities according to estimations from the sixth Syria Regional Response Plan (RRP6). While pre-conflict figures once put Syrian child enrolment in formal school at over 95%, strong evidence suggest that this proportion was reduced drastically due to the conflict.
While the Jordanian government has taken considerable measures to accommodate the Syrian refugee influx, it has become clear to key stakeholders that Syrian refugee children are experiencing many barriers in accessing education, which are not fully understood. To address this gap in information, the Education Sector Working Group (ESWG) initiated a joint education needs assessment (JENA), with funding from UNICEF and technical support from REACH — the first to be undertaken in the Jordanian host community since the beginning of the Syrian crisis. The Education Sector Working Group (ESWG) in Jordan is a coordination forum in which all relevant stakeholders collaborate to support the public education system in current and future emergencies. The main priority of the group is to plan and implement a response strategy which ensures continued access to quality public education, in a safe and protective environment, for all vulnerable children.
