March 2011-Present
9 Years of Civil War |
Total Casualties
570,000 |
Externally Displaced
6.5 million |
Internally Displaced
5.6 million |
Children without Education
33% (3 million) |
In the beginning of 2011, the primary-school enrolment rate in Syria was 91%. Then, the war started. 4 years later, it was 37%. (Syria News Agency)
In Syria, children lose access to education due to displacement, and as entire cities along with their schools have been destroyed.
In Syria, school infrastructure has been destroyed on an unprecedented scale. 40% of schools are unusable due to damage from severe fighting; being used to house displaced people; and as shelters for armed groups. In fact, over a 1000 schools in Syria have been used as military bases. Along with the destruction of infrastructure, around 150,000 teachers have either fled the country or have been killed. (Save the Children)
It is estimated that of the 5.6 million Syrians internally displaced and the 6.5 million externally displaced, half are children. (worldvision.org) These children, away from the protective environment of schools, are led down a path of criminality and destitution. A study done by the Migration Policy Center of the EU says that “[displaced children], given the poverty of their families, either start begging, or look for all sorts of small jobs. All too often they are driven to minor acts of delinquency and then criminality.” |
Children's Perspective
Save the Children interview with Kareem*, a boy who was attacked in school by missiles in Northern Syria.
“I love animals, and especially turtles because they have a very strong shield on their back to protect themselves from everything, even the missiles, and when they hear an airplane they can just hide in their shield and they will be safe. I wish we could have a shield like them because then no one would die and we could go to school every day even if there was an airplane in the sky.” |
Government's Perspective
Syrian Minister for Education Hazwan Al-Wazz says that says it is important to prepare and maintain as many schools as possible, adding that “Syrian children are the future.” (Syrian News Agency)
The government has distributed school books, bags, and stationery to as many children as possible. They now assert that they are in the victory phase of the war and that schools will soon be rebuilt and will reopen. |
*Name has been changed for safety