Education is as important as shelter and food

The deepening refugee crisis in Syria continues and has caused a massive break in children’s education. The country that was once near universal education, is now under a crisis that has put millions of children out of school. An alarming number of children are receiving inadequate or no education. This decline in education has been highest in the history of the region. Their childhood is denied and that is something that can never be forgotten.

For these children, what is at stake is their future. They are using various means to escape, have witnessed violence, been displaced from their families, friends, schools, and communities. The schools have either been destroyed or turned into shelters for displaced people and other purposes. Many children have been killed, wounded and become orphans. Instead of playing with toys, they are getting the chance to play with the remnants of war.

Living in camps, most parents want their daughters to get married and their sons are sent to find jobs to support the family. It is also a grave concern that their youths are experiencing frustration, anger, uncertainty and they are at a risk of becoming a lost generation. Their hopes of attaining a good job and building a beautiful life in their own country is lost, which cannot be ignored. It is sad to see that, they are missing years of good education and life’s milestones.

Think of 10 years from now, if these children are left unchecked, they remain uneducated, unskilled and cannot read or write properly. Without proper education, it will be harder for the youths to avoid being dragged into a cycle of conflicts, which will either fuel violence, exploitation or abuse.

It is necessary to safeguard the future of a generation of children affected by the refugee crisis,. Education is the bridge that will help them to move forward as it will solve their problems, protect them and help them attain their goals. The world needs to see education, after food and water as important as any other support in times of emergency.

It is crucial to create opportunities to prevent children from being drawn into violence and conflicts, which in turn, can make a positive difference in the Arab world.

— The reader is an Indian teacher based in Dubai.