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Exclusive - Displaced Syrian Students Keep up with Lebanese Counterparts

Syrian refugee students sit in their classroom at a Lebanese public school. (AP)
Syrian refugee students sit in their classroom at a Lebanese public school. (AP)
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Exclusive - Displaced Syrian Students Keep up with Lebanese Counterparts

Syrian refugee students sit in their classroom at a Lebanese public school. (AP)
Syrian refugee students sit in their classroom at a Lebanese public school. (AP)

The number of Syrian students enrolled in formal education in Lebanon is 213,358, of whom 59,149 study in the normal morning hours, and 154,209 attend school in the afternoon. This record - not found in any other country - reflects the size of Syrian refugees compared to to the population of Lebanon.

“Lebanese public schools receive the highest proportion of refugee students in the world compared to the population,” said Fadi Yaraq, director general of the Ministry of Education.

The enrollment of Syrian pupils in public schools is supported by international donors, especially the European Union, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Department for International Development of the United Kingdom and many United Nations agencies, through the ministry’s launch of the Education for All Children in Lebanon in 2014.

“The education of Syrian students in Lebanon is funded by the European Union, Germany, Britain, Norway, France and the United States. The transfers are carried out through the Ministry of Education from UNICEF, the UNHCR and World Bank,” Yaraq noted.

"In the afternoon hours, around 14,328 employees work for the Syrian refugees, of whom 2,076 hold administrative posts, 9,124 are teachers, 1,051 are psychologists and counselors, 364 are directors and 1,712 are supervisors,” he added.

He noted that Syrian students have registered remarkable successes in official examinations.

“Their results were slightly lower compared to those recorded by Lebanese students.”

“The first observation is that there is a disparity between the ages of Syrians within the same class,” said Fadia Wehbe, a specialist in psychology and a primary school teacher.

She told Asharq Al-Awsat that some students did not attend school for one or two years, which necessitated subjecting them to courses for literacy and rehabilitation of the subjects in general. Those students were later evaluated and distributed according to their academic and scientific level.

“Despite the differences in age, a large percentage of students caught up on what they missed,” she added.

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Desperate for Cash, Gazans Sell Clothes Plucked from Rubble

Desperate for Cash, Gazans Sell Clothes Plucked from Rubble
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Desperate for Cash, Gazans Sell Clothes Plucked from Rubble

Desperate for Cash, Gazans Sell Clothes Plucked from Rubble

Moein Abu Odeh clambered up a pile of rubble in southern Gaza, searching for clothes, shoes, anything he could sell to raise cash more than a year since Israel started its relentless bombardments.

The father-of-four delved under blocks and brushed away piles of concrete dust at the site of one airstrike in the wrecked city of Khan Younis. His plan was to sell what he found to buy flour.

"If food and drink were available, believe me, I would give (these clothes) to charity," he said. "But the struggles we are going through (mean we) have to sell our clothes to eat and drink."

Widespread shortages and months of grinding war have generated a trade in old clothing, much of it salvaged from the homes of people who have died in the conflict.

At one makeshift market, shoes, shirts, sweaters and sneakers were laid out on dusty blankets, Reuters reported.

A girl tried on a single worn-out boot, which could come in handy this winter if she can afford it in Gaza's ruined economy.

A trader got an edge on his competitors by shouting out that his wares were European.

One man laughed as he got a young boy to try on a green jacket.

"We get clothing from a man whose house was destroyed. He was digging in the concrete to get some (clothing) and we buy them like this and sell them at a good price," displaced Palestinian Louay Abdel-Rahman said.

He and his family arrived in the city from another part of Gaza with only the clothes they were wearing. So he also keeps some back for them. "The seasons have changed from summer to winter and we need clothing," he said.

In April, the UN estimated it would take 14 years to dispose of the wreckage in Gaza. The UN official overseeing the problem said the clean-up would cost at least $1.2 billion.

More than 128,000 buildings have been destroyed or severely or moderately damaged in Gaza as a result of the conflict, the UN says. Underneath all of that are seams of mangled clothes.

"All our children only have short-sleeve clothing and nobody is helping them," Saeed Doula, a father-of-seven, said. "The war is all-encompassing."