The UNRWA Approach to Education
Recognizing that education is fundamental to helping each and every child achieve their full potential, UNRWA has worked for nearly 70 years to ensure that Palestine refugee children have access to quality education. Since its operations began, UNRWA has educated three generations of refugees, or more than 2 million refugee children. Currently, UNRWA provides free basic education to over 500,000 Palestine refugee children and youth in 702 schools, 8 vocational training centres and 2 educational science faculties across the Agency’s five fields of operations. UNRWA has made a substantial and unique contribution to the human development of Palestine refugees and has earned a reputation for its delivery and commitment to quality education.
The Education Reform
Despite its achievements, UNRWA recognized the need to transform its education programme to better respond to the demands of the twenty-first century. Therefore, in 2011, it embarked upon a major reform to further strengthen its education system and develop the capabilities of refugee students so that they can contribute positively as local, regional and global citizens. The education reform has resulted in improvements in the quality of teaching and learning, increased efficiency (i.e. more students graduating on time), and a reduction of ‘wastage’ (i.e. student drop- outs). The policy and accountability framework that is now in place, built around a clear vision of quality, equitable and inclusive education for Palestine refugees, serves to further strengthen students’ resilience and to actively contribute to their development.
Education in Emergencies
With the onset of the Syria crisis, there was a need for a sustained and innovative approach to ensure that the most vulnerable children and youth were not left behind, but rather they are given the support they need to continue their education even during times of emergencies. The reform of the UNRWA education system has enabled it to be better prepared, and more able to respond to, and ultimately recover from, conflict and crisis. The Agency’s Education in Emergencies (EiE) approach seeks to combine the strengths of the education system, and the work on the Agency- wide reform, with innovative new ways of delivering and supporting education.
Read the full document here.