27 MILLION CHILDREN NOW OUT OF SCHOOL IN CONFLICT ZONES – UNICEF

NEW YORK, United States – Not less than 27 million children are currently out of school in conflict zones, UNICEF has said in a report.

Focusing on the importance of education for children who have been forced from their homes by conflict and disasters, the report noted that failure to provide learning opportunities for uprooted children has profound consequences for individuals and nations.

According to the report, a child uprooted from home – whether a refugee, a migrant or internally displaced – is a child first and foremost and that every child has the right to an education.

“In 2015, nearly 50 million children were uprooted. More than 28 million of them were forced from their homes because of violence and insecurity. Twenty-seven (27) million children of primary and lower secondary school age are out of school in 24 conflict-affected countries”, the report said and that children and youth on the move with low levels of education are at increased risk of exploitation.

It noted that in a recent survey of children moving across the Central Mediterranean route to Europe, 90% of adolescents without education reported exploitation compared with 77% of children with primary education and 75% with secondary education.

“On the Eastern Mediterranean route, 23% of adolescents without education reported exploitation compared with 20% with primary education and 14% secondary education”, the UNICEF said and that refugees are five times more likely to be out of school than other children.

It added that only 50% of refugee children are enrolled in primary school and that less than 25% of refugee youth are enrolled in secondary school.

“Adolescent girls on the move face unique risks. Girls are more likely to become victims of sexual and gender-based violence. In countries affected by conflict, girls are 2.5 times more likely to be out of school than boys. Children who have arrived in countries where their families plan to stay can face barriers to entering public school systems.

“For some, information is unavailable or language and cultural barriers make it difficult to gain access. The upheaval of the journey and the instability of living arrangements and routines in a new environment can make it difficult for a child to learn”, the report said.

“Xenophobia, exclusion and stigmatization can create inhospitable – or even dangerous – environments for children seeking to join a new school system. School qualification certificates do not always transfer well across borders and school systems”, the report said, adding that in Turkey, for example, temporary education centres that are not registered or do not meet the Ministry of National Education’s regulatory standards are not accredited.

“So students there do not receive certificates when they complete their studies, making it difficult to provide proof of their learning achievements.In some countries, legal barriers exist. For example, only 10 European Union Member States recognize the right of undocumented migrant children to enter the school system and five explicitly exclude them”, the report said.