EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
As the Syria crisis enters into its sixth year in March 2016, a total of 5.4 million Syrian children and youth inside Syria (of whom 2.1 million are out of school) and 1.4 million Syrian refugee children and youth in the five host countries (50 per cent of whom are out of school) are in need of educational assistance.
The conflict has taken a tremendous toll on children’s access to educational services and protection.
Children in Syria suffer protracted and multiple displacement, continuous exposure to violence, family separation, chronic psychosocial distress, recruitment into armed groups and economic exploitation. Grave child-rights violations continue to be widely documented, including the killing and maiming of children and attacks on education. In most host countries, refugee parents’ lack of access to legal, safe and decent employment impacts their ability to meet the children’s needs, with negative coping mechanisms such as child labour and early marriage on the rise.
While the exact effect of the influx of refugees in the five host countries is unclear, the rate of out-of-school host-community children of primary and lower-secondary school age has increased. National education systems and the quality of education have come under severe pressure in the face of the magnitude of the number of children and youth requiring access to education.
Remarkable in the context of the Syria crisis response is the coordination of efforts in service provision and resource mobilization through the government-led (in coordination with humanitarian and development partners) Syria Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) and Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP). The education funding received in absolute terms has slowly but steadily increased since the first appeals of the Syria crisis. The No Lost Generation (NLG) Initiative, launched in 2013 as an integral component of these processes, has galvanized specific and significant international support around education. The NLG Initiative is premised on supporting national leadership of ministries of education in the region and partnerships around their national plans in scaling up education access and improving learning as well as building capacities and strengthening the policy environment.
Education, however, remains extremely underfunded in percentage terms. By the end of 2015, the HRP education envelope was funded by only 23 per cent and the 3RP education ask by 46 per cent. There are still only a few donors providing the long-term developmental financing required for the recurrent costs of expanded education service delivery. Increased, long-term, predictable and flexible financing is necessary to sustain the needed ambitious goals and interventions to ensure that the right to education is fulfilled.
Governments need three to five-year financing commitments for national education plans in order to take bold policy measures to increase access to quality education for all children. Funding must be available by spring 2016 to meet the demands of the 2016/17 school year.
The London Conference aims to create a long-term commitment on education for Syria and the region to avoid a lost generation of children and youth through a total ask of US$1.4 billion. Around 4 million Syrian and affected host-community children and youth (aged 5-17 years) need to have access to, and learn in, safe, inclusive and quality formal and non-formal certified learning opportunities. In particular, the objective is to reach 1.7 million Syrian refugee and affected host-community children and youth in the five host countries with a total cost of US$0.9 billion, and 2.1 million out-of-school children inside Syria with a total cost of US$0.5 billion. Specific attention will be given to post-basic education opportunities that increase life skills for employability and social cohesion.
While maintaining the humanitarian dimension of the education response, strategic shifts also need to occur towards longer-term approaches. This requires the strengthening of national education systems and promotion of national policy frameworks as well as scaling up access and adopting a strong focus on quality education. In addition, education interventions need to be more systematically linked to child protection systems and livelihood opportunities for youth. Country specific plans and rigorous costing and efficiency measures need to be undertaken to ensure a sustainable multi-year approach to education.
A whole generation of children and youth is at risk of losing hope. Education is key for their survival and preparation to rebuild a peaceful Syria. Failing to provide adequate funding would have an immensely negative impact on their future, that of the region and beyond.