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Securing Education for Syrian Refugees in Jordan

Nyhet_Rettigheter og sikkerhet | 28 May 2015

Det er mange hindre for at syriske flyktningebarn skal få utdanning i Jordan. Det dreier seg blant annet om økonomi - både i skolesystemet og i husholdningene. I en ny rapport fra International Peace Institute, gir Fafo-forsker Mona Christophersen en oppdatert status for situasjonen. Hun foreslår blant annet at foreldrene gis større mulighet til å ta arbeid i Jordan, for å bedre famlieøkonomien.

In this new report published at International Peace Institute, Fafo-researcher Mona Christophersen assesses the state of education for Syrian refugees in Jordan. She finds that despite generous efforts by the Jordanian government, the UN, and nongovernmental organizations to provide quality education for Syrian refugees, there are many obstacles remaining.

Christophersen have identified five main barriers:

•    economic barriers in the education system and in Syrian refugee households,
•    legal and regulatory obstacles to school enrollment,
•    educational divides between Syrian and Jordanian students,
•    social tensions in schools, and
•    competing priorities for refugee households.  


The author suggests a number of entry points for overcoming these obstacles. For example, improving employment opportunities for refugee parents would create the conditions at home that enable children to be sent to school. This could include granting Syrian refugees limited permits to work in certain jobs where they would not compete with the Jordanian labor force. In addition, easing refugees’ registration requirements or issuing an international document that grants access to basic services could facilitate more regular enrollment in education.

Improved education for Syrian refugees is not just an end in itself, the author argues. While endowing refugees with knowledge that they can bring home when their country is ready to rebuild, better education for Syrian refugees will also contribute to stability and development in Jordan at a time when the host country seeks to remain a source of peace in a volatile region.

Publisert: 28 May 2015