Clashes on Lebanon’s southern border against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war have exacerbated an education crisis in country that has been in the throes of a major economic meltdown for the past four years, UNICEF said Wednesday.
A survey of Lebanese as well as Syrian and Palestinian refugee households living in Lebanon conducted by the UN agency in November found that 26% of households had school-aged children who were not attending school, up from 18% in April.
Syrians reported the highest prevalence of children out of school, at 52% of households, followed by Lebanese at 13% and Palestinians at 7%.
While the “cost of education materials” was the most-cited reason, UNICEF said, thousands of children were also out of education due to disruptions related to ongoing fighting on the border between Hezbollah and Israeli forces.
The clashes have killed about 130 people in Lebanon, including 17 civilians, according to a tally by The Associated Press, and have displaced nearly 59,000, according to the International Organization for Migration.
