More than half of children in Syria are out of school

More than half of children in Syria are out of school

More than half of children in war-struck Syria are out of schools and deprived of education, the UN children s agency UNICEF said Sunday, with millions of schools in ruins or seized by fighters.

There is a significant uptick from previous evaluations when UNICEF said every third of Syrian children were not going to school.

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"After almost ten years of war in Syria, more than half of children continue to be deprived of education," UNICEF said in a statement, approximating there are over 2.4 million children out of school inside the country.

According to UN, the number has likely increased in 2020 amid the Covid-19 pandemic, which worsened the commotion to education in Syria.

"The education system in Syria is overstretched, underfunded, fragmented and unable to provide safe, equitable and sustained services to millions of children," stated UN officials.

Ten years since the war in Syria started, children continue to be killed, injured, displaced and deprived of basic necessities including education, according to UN.

“Barely three weeks into the new year, have at least 15 children now been killed in incidents involving explosive weapons and unexploded ordnance. Another 15 children have been injured,” stated UN.

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“Children and families in Syria have suffered so much over the past decade, with still no end in sight. At least 4.7 million children are in need of humanitarian assistance. Rising poverty, fuel shortages and mounting food prices are forcing children to leave school for work. With each week, the fast-spreading COVID-19 pandemic is making it harder for families to survive and provide even basic education and protection for their children,” said the UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore.

He added that UNICEF and the wider humanitarian community continue to work tirelessly to provide support, but we cannot do it alone. We need funding. We need better access. And most importantly we need everyone to protect children and keep them out of harm’s way. The violence in Syria must end.