New school provides Syrian children a chance to learn again
Sitting outside her family’s makeshift tent in Lebanon’s Mari Rajab, 5-year-old Malak never thought she would get the opportunity to attend school.
Malak’s family fled Homs, Syria in 2012. When they first arrived, her dad, Khaled, rented a house in Marj which cost USD 100 per month. Two years later, they were forced to leave because they were no longer able to afford the rent. They’ve been living in this informal tented settlement ever since.
“The rent is much cheaper now, only USD 500 per year,” explains Khaled. “It’s been two years but we’re still not used to living here. It’s been a difficult transition, particularly for the kids. There are lots of insects and bacteria around.”
Looking around the settlement, children are walking barefoot in the mud with rubbish everywhere. Babies are wrapped in dirty blankets while flies buzz over them. Malak leans on her father. “I used to cry because there was nothing to do. I wanted to go to school. I wanted to learn,” says Malak.
When the family was told that a school was opening in the settlement specifically targeting children between 3 and 6 years old, they were pleased that the kids would finally have the chance to learn. “Before the news of this new school, I was concerned that the kids would never get to go to school and grow up without an education,” says Malak’s mother, Rima.
A concern echoed Khaled. “I felt much safer knowing that the school is nearby because we didn’t need to cross the road or get into a car.”
When asked what the family would do if the school had been located in another settlement or if it cost money. Without hesitation, “if we had to pay, then we would need to remove our kids from school. There are greater basic needs. I do feel sad, but I just can’t afford it,” he adds.
When Malak found out a school was about to be opened in her settlement, a mere 100 meters away from her tent, she was very excited. “When my mom told me I was going to school; I was so happy! I stayed awake for the whole night before the first day of school. I couldn’t wait to go. I wanted to learn the alphabet. I loved to play with friends,” she says.
It’s been three months since the children have started going to school. There are 17 kids in her class and 107 kids in the school. As Malak continues to rave about how great school is, it’s clear that she’s enjoying it. Reading the alphabet out loud, she proudly says, “I find school easy. My favourite subject is English - and my favourite phrase is ‘what is your name?’ When I grow up, I want to be a doctor - a children’s doctor - so that I can cure children.”
We went inside the school and spoke to Malak’s teacher, Mahmoud. He is also from Syria and has been living in Lebanon for the past two years. He said the biggest advantage of the school being nearby is that it’s encouraged more parents to send their children age between the ages of 3 and 6 to school, which will better equip them when transitioning to the Lebanese public school. “As a Syrian myself, I see the benefit of enrolling the children before 6 years old,” says Mahmoud. “In Lebanon, children are enrolled in school at the age of 3 whereas, in Syria, children aren’t in school until the age of 6. Imagine, when a 6-year-old Syrian child is enrolled in a Lebanese school for the first time - although physically, he may fit the criteria mentally, he or she [starts off] behind in school.”
He continues, “For example, personally, I didn’t learn the alphabets until age 6 or7. Many Lebanese children, that’s something they have learned at the age of 3. The school which Malak is attending will teach children like her all the basics before they advance to the public schools.”
Thanks to the World Vision Early Childhood Education programme funded by the Swedish Pentecostal Churches (PMU) via RadioAid, it’s provided 1333 children like Malak a glimpse of hope for the future as the Syria war continues.