Highlights
· 106,735 refugee children enrolled in formal public education, of which 44,507 in the first shift and 62,228 in the second shift. The total number of Palestinian children returning from Syria (PRS) registered in UNRWA schools is 6.527 and the number of Palestinian children residing in Lebanon (PRL) is 31,646.
· 12,865 children participated in the roll-out of the placement test for the Accelerated Learning Programme (ALP) pilot. The ALP, developed by MEHE through CERD, provides subjects required by the official Lebanese curriculum, in addition to life skills and psycho-social support modules. The ALP allows boys and girls aged 9 to 17 who have been out of school for more 2 years, to catch up with the Lebanese educational system. ALP children will get within core subject equivalent to one formal grade within 4 months ALP. Therefore a full school year can allow children to acquire the competencies corresponding to a compressed 3 years formal education. Outreach to out-of-school children was facilitated by NGO’s, with the guidance of MEHE. Once they complete the ALP programme which is expected to start early July in more than 40 schools, the students will be able to enrol in public schools
· Education partners continued to provide other non-formal education (NFE) programs for children that are not yet attending school to prepare them to enter formal education. By the end of May 2015, a total of 27,326 children were enrolled in non-formal education programmes.
· The RACE Program Management Unit (PMU) is up and running. The Education Sector Coordinator established linkages with the PMU and a revised education coordination structure (to replace the old Education Sector Working Group) is being proposed under the leadership of MEHE and with support of the UN.
· A draft advocacy strategy was formulated by the education sector that will enable the sector to advocate on specific education priorities with different partners.
· The education sector, with IM and data analysis support of the UNICEF and UNHCR, started a mapping of out-of-school children based on available data. This mapping will lead to a clearer understanding of the profiles of out-of-school children and the development of different pathways into formal education for these children (through non-formal education programmes)
· As in previous years, the Council of Ministers approved a waiver for refugee children without ID documents to sit for exams. Documentation on learning attainments from previous year remains however needed to receive the final certificate in case of success. Exams for this school year are in process, meaning first shift is over. However, second shift schools are still going on and is expected to close not before August 10 after their end of school-year test.
· During the Education Conference in Washington mid-April 2015, the Education Minister agreed for the upcoming 2015/2016 school year to provide a total of 200,000 spaces in public schools for the first and second shift for refugee children. This is almost doubling this year academic results and in line with the original RACE plans. Also, the Minister suggested establishing a regulatory framework so that NGO’s can complement the Ministry’s work and provide education to children not eligible for formal education. This will include early childhood and accelerated learning programs for refugee children who missed several years of education, so as to allow them to sit in the correct grade for their age.