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Introduction to UNRWA
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) provides assistance and protection for 5 million Palestine refugees in Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the West Bank.
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UNRWA Education Programme lessons learned from almost 70 years of - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
UNRWA Education Programme lessons learned from almost 70 years of - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
UNRWA Education Programme lessons learned from almost 70 years of educating Palestine refugees Dr Caroline Pontefract (UNESCO-UNRWA) ATEE Conference 15 February 2018 Introduction to UNRWA The United Nations Relief and Works Agency
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SLIDE 3
UNRWA education: history
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For almost 70 years UNRWA has worked in partnership with UNESCO to ensure that Palestine refugee children have access to quality education
SLIDE 4
UNRWA education: today
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- Over half a million Palestine refugee children
and 22,000 education staff
- 711 schools
- 8 Vocational Training Centres for youth
- 2
educational science faculties (teacher training institutes)
SLIDE 5
UNRWA education overview
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- UNESCO/UNRWA
partnership since 1950 with UNESCO commitment to provide high-level technical education
- UNRWA approach: basic education system for refugees
(secondary education in Lebanon), from school to HQ
- Host country curriculum, study plans and academic calendar
to enable Palestine refugee children to transition to secondary and higher education, and receive accredited education
- Focus on teacher training - Institute of Education established
- Technical and Vocational Education, Education Science
Faculties, scholarships for higher education
- Education always important to the Palestine despite the
context of repeated conflict and regional instability UNRWA and UNESCO, partners for the education of Palestine refugees: https://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/videos/unrwa- and-unesco-partners-education-palestine-refugees
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UNRWA education quality: articulating the vision
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To provide quality education for Palestine refugees to achieve their full potential, individually and as a member
- f
their local and global community, towards active and productive participation in social, political, economic, technical and cultural life. School aged children complete quality, equitable and inclusive education….!
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Inclusive Education (IE) Research & EMIS Curriculum and SA Teacher development Strategic P & M Partnerships, Communication & ICT TVET & Youth Governance
unrwa education reform
- IE#Policy
- IE#Strategy
- School#Health#Strategy
- IE#Advocacy#Training#Manual
- Identification#of#Diverse#Needs#
Toolkit#
- Teacher#Policy
- HR#Directives
- School Based#Teacher#
Development#(SBTD)#– Grade#1G6
- Leading#for#the#Future#
(L4F)
legislative level
- rganisational level
individual capacity development
- ICT#in#Education#Strategy
- Media#production
- SMS#programme#info#system
- ICT#partnerships#(CISCO,#ICDL,#
Microsoft)
- TVET#Strategy
- Placement#and#Career#
Guidance#
- (Capacity#Development#–
TVET#staff)
- (Blended#Learning#– TVET#
Programme#Development)
- MTS#&#FIPs
- Common#Monitoring#indicators
- Reform#Indicators#M&E#
Strategy
- Perceptional Indicators#&#
Survey
- HRCRT#Policy
- Curriculum#Framework#(CF)
- MLA
- HRCRT#Teacher#Toolkit#&#
TOT
- CF#training#package#&#TOT
- Research#Strategy
- (EMIS)
- Classroom#Observation#&#DropG
- ut#studies
- Research#Briefs
- (UNRWA#Accountability#
Framework)
- (Education#Gov.#Framework)
- Education#Technical#Instructions
- Scholarship#Programme#
SLIDE 8
2014 World Bank report – Learning in the Face of Adversity
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“UNRWA schools continually and consistently
- utperform
public schools by a margin equivalent to more than one additional year of learning”
Full report:
https://unispal.un.org/DPA/DPR/unispal.nsf/0/48 e2ea199ae1317e85257d8f005759a6?OpenDocu ment&Click=852560D3006F9C53.37acdaa24c74 643a85257582006d7a35/$Body/0.9D8A !
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Education in crisis
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- Humanitarian assistance needs – 95%
- Internal displacement -254,000
- Displacement to Jordan/Lebanon
- School damage – pre-crisis 118, now
104 (42 UNRWA schools)
- Hard to reach areas – 56,500
Syria
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Operational challenges: Syria crisis
Jordan
- 1,396 refugees from Syria in UNRWA
schools in Jordan - 974 PRS and 422 Syrian refugees
- 5,482 Palestine refugee children from
Syria (PRS) students in UNRWA schools in Lebanon
Lebanon
SLIDE 11
- Repeated hostilities/escalations in
violence (2008, 2012, 2014)
- 3662 deaths 2008-16
- Delay to school year (2014)
- Psychosocial impact (51% PTSD)
Gaza
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Operational challenges: Gaza and the West Bank
West Bank
- Occupation - checkpoints, mobility
restrictions, military incursions
- Psychosocial impact
SLIDE 12
The challenge of refugee education!
- Children may have missed months or years of education and may need
support (psychological and educational) to reintegrate back into formal education.
- Children may have experienced trauma and loss and need psychosocial
support.
- Social integration can be a challenge – there can be friction between
refugees and Host communities, and other refugees.
- Children may struggle with a different curriculum or language.
- Children’s home environment may not be conducive to learning.
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Responding to the challenge: UNRWA EiE - same goal, different ways of achieving it
! Different ways of doing things Access to education – alternative ways
- f delivery
- Safe Learning Spaces
- Self Learning Programme (Syria Self-
Learning Materials, Interactive Learning Programme, UNRWA TV) ! Doing more of some things
- Psychosocial support
- Recreational activities
- Teacher development and support
- Community engagement
- Learning support/catch up classes
! Doing new things
- Safety and security
- My Voice My School
So what to do? ! Continued focus on quality education through systemic education reform ! Do things differently, do more of some things, do new things.. ! And always measure impact…
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SLIDE 14
Responding to the challenge: missed education
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Summer learning/catch up classes:
- Learning
support for children who have missed education due to the security situation, dropped out or are falling behind
- Helps children catch up, adjust to a
new curriculum, and provides language support
“Taking lessons in mathematics, Arabic, English and science, I can prepare for next year’s exams, which lowers the anxiety” Mohammad-Raddi (14, displaced from besieged Yarmouk camp, Syria)
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Responding to the challenge: missed education
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UNRWA Self- Learning Programme!
Link: http://wos- education.org/slm- without-logo-#wo- arabic Syria Self-Learning Materials (SLM) Grades 1-9 Arabic, English, Maths, Science ! YouTube: https://www.youtube.com /user/unrwatv UNRWA TV Grades 4-9 Arabic, English, Maths, Science ! Link: http://ilp.unrwa.org/ Interactive Learning Programme (ILP) Grades 1-9 Arabic and Maths!
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- Strengthening the policy system
for PSS before, during and after emergencies (MHPSS Agency- wide Framework, Education Conceptual Framework for PSS in UNRWA schools)
- Integration of PSS throughout
the system (capacity development)
- Additional School Counsellors
- “Safe” spaces
- Recreational activities -
Recreational Guide, capacity building, recreational kits, recreational spaces
- Trauma support – external
expertise
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Responding to the challenge: psychosocial support (PSS)
UNRWA Recreational Guide: https://www.unrwa.org/ sites/default/files/conte nt/resources/recreation al_activities_resource_g uide.pdf
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Case study of Gaza after 2014 hostilities: phased approach to return to school
Responding to the challenge: supporting children to return to school (phased transition)
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- 83 schools damaged
- 270,000 Gazans sought shelter in UNRWA schools
- Attacks on schools serving as shelters
- 3000 children injured, 1000 permanently disabled
- Devastating psychosocial impact on children
- Disruption of education - start of school year delayed by 3 weeks
SLIDE 18
Case study of Gaza after 2014 hostilities: phased approach to return to school Structured psychosocial support and recreational activities at the start of the school year (one/two week period) Transition phase – focus on active learning, and the key skills and concepts
- f the core school subjects to enable children to adjust to formal learning
(one/two month period). Psychosocial support and recreational activities continued. Return to normal schooling with standard curriculum schedule. Focus on quality education in addition to long-term PSS support, targeting all students and specialized targeted interventions for students with additional PSS needs.
Responding to the challenge: supporting children to return to school (phased transition)
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Phase1: Phase 2: Phase 3:!
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Responding to the challenge: promoting social cohesion
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- Integration of Palestine refugees from Syria in Jordan and Lebanon
into regular UNRWA classes
- Including
all children, regardless
- f
- rigin,
in activities e.g. recreational and psychosocial support activities
- Community engagement and events (HR day, Games etc)
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Responding to the challenge: home environments
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- Parent and community engagement in supporting children’s learning in
school and at home e.g. in the use of the Self Learning Programme.
- Safe Learning Spaces in Syria and Learning Resource Centres (in Jordan
and Lebanon) – learning support, PSS, recreational activities .
- In Syria, Safe Learning Spaces also provide a space for internally
displaced students to study before or after school, with support from qualified teachers.
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Responding to the challenge: more support for teachers
Professional support and training to teachers on inclusive education practices, psychosocial support In situ learning – starts where the teacher is, teacher brings their context, the material itself supports Supported – School principal, Advisory staff, communities of practice; peer to peer support and the wider community. Specific training on use of alternative learning modalities
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Evidence and measurement of impact
- UNRWA Common Monitoring Framework
– unified indicators
- Studies
! Perceptional Survey ! Classroom Observation Study ! Dropout Study
- Learning assessment
! Monitoring Learning Achievement 2016
- Syria
students recorded strongest performance
- n
higher-
- rder thinking and highest academic
attainment across UNRWA’s five Fields ! Social and emotional learning research
- Partnerships
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Global best practices in EiE and refugee education!
UNESCO: Protecting the Right to Education for Refugees (2017)
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0025/002 510/251076E.pdf 4 As framework - availability, accessibility, acceptability and adaptability:
! Refugees should be included in national education systems, educational institutions and programmes and these should be available in sufficient quantity.
!
! Educational institutions and programmes should be accessible to everyone, ensuring non-discrimination and physical and economic accessibility e.g. no discrimination based on lack of documentation or academic transcripts. ! The form and substance (including curricula) of education should be acceptable to the students (relevant, culturally appropriate and of good quality). Cultural diversity, intercultural understanding and multicultural education play an important role in this
- context. Language of instruction can present a significant barrier for refugees – UNESCO
supports mother tongue instruction but priority is Host country language (intensive language training). ! Education must be flexible to adapt to the needs of changing societies e.g. accelerated and flexible education options.
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Global best practices in EiE and refugee education!
Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE)
- INEE
Minimum Standards for Education: Preparedness, Response, Recovery
- articulate
minimum level
- f
educational quality / access in emergencies through to recovery
- Toolkits:
Pocket Guide to Gender, Conflict Sensitive Education Pack, etc. http://toolkit.ineesite.org/
- Peer network: 13,000 members, 130 partner organisations,
Working Groups, Thematic Task Teams, language communities UNHCR Missing Out: Refugee Education in Crisis (2016)
- Host countries to include refugees in national education
systems and multi-year education sector plans
- Refugees to follow national curricula rather than parallel
courses of study
- Include Host communities – fair and inclusive classrooms
http://uis.unesco.org/sites/default/files/documents/missing-out- refugee-education-in-crisis_unhcr_2016-en.pdf
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Global best practices in EiE and refugee education!
UNICEF Education Uprooted
- Integrate all uprooted children into the education system where they live
regardless of legal status
- Invest in high-quality learning opportunities suited to the different needs of children
– including psychosocial counselling, language instruction and integration support.
- Strengthen education systems overall so they can provide high-quality learning
- pportunities for children in host communities.
- Engage with partners, including the private sector.
- Co-create
– with partners and children – solutions to specific challenges uprooted children face e.g. alternative learning methods, curricula, methods / materials that help children
- vercome
language and cultural barriers in new countries.
- Seek ways to achieve internationally portable
systems of certification and record keeping that protect students’ identities when they are uprooted. https://www.unicef.org/publications/files/UNICEF_ Education_Uprooted.pdf
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Recent initiative: Promising Practices in Refugee Education!
The Promising Practices in Refugee Education (PPIRE) initiative (Save the Children, Pearson, UNHCR) sets out to identify, document and promote innovative ways to effectively provide quality education to refugee children and young people. Recommendations: ! Approaching the immediate crisis with a long-term perspective – national systems, multi-year funding, partnerships ! Understanding different contexts and meeting distinct needs- user-centred design, diverse pathways, creative use of space/infrastructure ! Improving outcomes for all – teachers, learning and wellbeing, technology, evidence
!
UNRWA case study: https://www.promisingpractices.online/s/7_PromisingPractices_UNRWA_WEB- 8jjx.PDF
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2014 World Bank report – Learning in the Face of Adversity
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Conclusions for refugee education
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! Systemic approach ! Quality education – inclusive, building resilience, and supporting wellbeing ! Diverse learning pathways ! Social cohesion / student, parent and community engagement ! Teacher support / professional development ! Phased approach ! Space / time ! Partnership Throughout: ! Evidence ! Gender / disability ! Technology
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Responding to a new financial challenge – launch
- f UNRWA global campaign #Dignity is Priceless
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Today, UNRWA is confronting the most severe economic crisis in its history, putting the education
- f
- ver
half a million children and youth in the region at risk.
- In the third week of January, the US government announced a contribution of
$60 M, in support of our efforts to keep our schools open, health clinics running, and emergency food and cash distribution systems functioning for some of the world’s most vulnerable refugees. While important, this funding is dramatically below past levels. The total US contribution in 2017 was above $350 M.
- The funding challenge which the agency now faces will impact on the education
system, with an increased reliance on daily paid teachers and a lack of school/PSS counselors, and other Education support staff putting the quality
- f the education delivered in jeopardy.
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Responding to a new financial challenge – launch
- f UNRWA global campaign #Dignity is Priceless
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