
After exploring the functionality of the digital course and its content, teachers started introducing it into classrooms, achieving remarkable results and motivating students to excel in learning French and English. I n 2019 many non-formal education partner organisations stepped in, supported by UNICEF Lebanon, and began testing Akelius in their centres by introducing it to classes in a blended teaching and learning environment. Students need EdTech programs like Akelius to excel and succeed in Lebanon’s trilingual educational system. French and English are strongly incorporated in Lebanese schools. The Akelius Digital Language Course aims to help children learn wherever they live and can be used on computers, phones, and tablets.įor Syrian students, the transition from the Syrian educational system to the Lebanese system was very complicated. In 2019, the EdTech solution “Akelius” expanded to Lebanon too. The project was a co-creation of a digital language course in Greece. E-LEARNING AND CHILDREN’S RIGHT TO DIGITAL LEARNINGīack in 2017, an indispensable partnership to support UNICEF Education in Emergencies (EIE) programmes emerged engaging the Akelius Foundation, UNICEF Sweden, and UNICEF Headquarters. Lebanon’s financial crisis, which started at the end of 2019, paired with the pandemic in March 2020, has led many children in the country to drop out of school and work to assist in feeding their families. I used to work 12 hours a day, standing on my feet while I should be at school studying,” said Amer, a child refugee who had to leave his schooling to financially help his family.

“I am 16 years old–at this age I should be living the best days of my childhood (…) Dropping out of school made me feel like I’m unwanted in this life. After the pandemic resulted in the closure of schools, the dropout rates surged further. More importantly, education of vulnerable children requires the cooperation, transparency, and willingness of the hosting country’s competent authorities.Īccording to UN data, 58% of children aged three - 18 were out of school for the 2018-2019 school year in Lebanon. It encompasses thorough short-term and long-term planning, expertise, and tailored educational programmes. Nonetheless, education demands more than just charity and donation from official and non-official sources. It is also the most evident human right granted to children after shelter, food, and safety in their temporary refuge. “I love learning the alphabet (…) I am happy with the remote learning.” Education in emergencies is the riskiest, multi-layered need of all needs.

Fawzia, a six-year-old, wants to study and become a dentist. LEARNING LOSSĮducation is the most powerful weapon in the hands of the children refugees. What are the dominant causes of learning loss in this case? What are the positive aspects of e-learning as well as the obstacles? And what was the result of the Lebanese authority’s disregard vis à vis the Syrian students? This article will endeavour to answer these questions.
#Non formal education in lebanon free#
This initial crisis is exacerbated by the economic free fall of Lebanon, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the learning and e-learning obstacles caused by the discriminatory laws of the Lebanese authorities. Their needs are enormous, ranging from shelter, to food, safety, and education. Children who are stateless, traumatised, and terrorised are among the most vulnerable groups of Syrian refugees. According to a report issued by the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR in January 2020, Lebanon continues to host the largest number of refugees per capita worldwide.


Since the beginning of the Syrian crisis in 2011 Lebanon has been the overwhelming destination for fleeing refugees.
