23/07/2013
Syrians Students Seek Normalcy Admit War.....!
According to a United Nations report, there are at least 530,000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon, more than half of them under the age of 18. To support the high numbers of refugees that are streaming into Lebanon from Syria, the Lebanese non-governmental organization (NGO) Amel is working to provide education for its displaced Syrian students. Amel has been running accelerated learning programs (ALP) for these refugees at Laylaki Public School in Beirut since April. The program’s objective is to help students integrate into the Lebanese system by September.
Some of the academic obstacles which need to be resolved are: academic standards, obtaining teacher recommendations, current test scores, certificate qualifying exams, reconciling previous education history with current proficiency qualifications in addition to establishing a curriculum in the immediate future.
There are logistical problems as well as administrative hurdles to overcome. In the Laylaki Public School, more than 100 Syrian students are split between 6 classrooms. There are more than double the number of students attending classes as there are on waiting lists. Additionally, the ongoing war in Syria has displaced many Syrians, causing children to miss months, or even years of school. As a consequence, students are behind and left “playing catch up.” Also, language barriers present difficulties as many students lack the basics of the commonly used English language education tools. It becomes confusing as students frequently speak Arabic and Kurdish in their homes. Syrian academics and activists formed the Syrian Education Commission in Lebanon to address these issues.
Even more challenging, children are struggling to adjust to the plight of their homeland and family, the alienation often felt as refugees in a foreign country, the traumatic circumstances forcing them to flee for their lives and depending on the benevolence of others for their survival. Please pray for syrians childrens.