Refugee children in Lebanon keeping up at school
Syrian refugee children avoid dropping out of school with The Norwegian Refugee Council’s (NRC) learning support classes. Kavlifondet’s contribution has made the project possible.

Text: Caroline Graasten Holt

The two brothers Myassar (8) and Ahmad (7) joined the NRC’s learning support project in Bourj al-Shemali in Tyre. The boys were discovered by NRC’s education team while playing in their neighbourhood. They had seen the other children at the learning centre, and were curious about joining. NRC contacted the neighbourhood school, which confirmed that the boys were already registered there. The school principal gave them access to the boys’ results in order for NRC to map their knowledge level. 

The boys were offered transport to the learning support course and to their school, to ensure they would get there safely and in time. During the first weeks, Ahmad and Myassar would stand outside the centre’s gates, waiting for it to open. A post-test and feedback from the school principal at the end of the school year have shown that Ahmad and Myassar have improved academically.
Avoid dropping out 

In December 2015, a learning support project was established to help refugee children returning to the public school. The main goal was to help refugee children who are struggling to keep up in class, enable them to reach their full potential in school, and give them the opportunity to benefit from their right to free education and avoid dropping out of school. 

“The learning support courses contribute to make a difference for refugee children who are meeting more challenges in the Lebanese school system. They need additional support, especially in English, since the children are not used to studying a foreign language,” said Education Specialist in NRC, Marta Schena.

563 children receive support

At the beginning of the project, the children were followed up in the public schools by NRC’s education team. To decide who among the children had the greatest needs for learning support, NRC organised mapping tests based on the Lebanese curriculum. A total of 563 children between 6 and 14 years of age were registered in the project and spread to seven chosen projects areas in the cities Tyre, Saida and Nabatiyeh. 

NRC recruited 22 teachers and 10 activity leaders who were all trained by NRC’s education team. These made sure the children good, quality knowledge in Arabic, English, and mathematics. All the children were offered transport to the learning centre, and given school material such as pencils and writing books. Parent groups were established in all project areas to inform and involve the parents about the children’s progress.

Will begin in fourth grade

Lilas (9) has benefitted greatly from being in the NRC programme. The girl is now in thir grade in a public school in Sheeba. When she first started school, it went well, but after a few weeks her mother received a message from the school principal that her daughter had a hard time keeping up with the rest of her class. She risked not being able to complete third grade. Lilas’ family was in a difficult situation economically, and her mother decided to register her in the NRC learning support programme. 

Shortly after, Lilas is now doing well and progressing in all three subjects. She is happy to have completed third grade and looks forward to starting in fourth, which she has been confirmed she will do this autumn. 

“The children are enthusiastic and obviously excited when they arrive at the NRC learning centre. They feel at home here, that they are accepted,” says Marta Schena.

The learning support classes are running three hours a day, two days a week for three months in all of the seven chosen areas. In March 2016, NRC conducted post tests of all children participating in the programme. Since the first post test conducted in February, 70 percent of the children had done progress in all subjects. This makes it possible for children affected by conflict and the refugee crisis to participate in the Lebanese school system on the same level as other children.

Photo: NRC
Syriske flyktningbarn unngår å droppe ut av det libanesiske skolesystemet med Flyktninghjelpens opplegg for læringsstøtte. Kavlifondets bidrag har gjort prosjektet mulig. Foto: Flyktninghjelpen

Flyktningbarn i Libanon holder tritt på skolen

Caroline Graasten Holt|Publisert 10. aug. 2016
Syriske flyktningbarn unngår å droppe ut av det libanesiske skolesystemet med Flyktninghjelpens opplegg for læringsstøtte. Kavlifondets bidrag har gjort prosjektet mulig.

Myassar (8) og Ahmad (7) er to brødre som startet opp i Flyktninghjelpens prosjekt for læringsstøtte i Bourj al-Shemali i Tyre. Guttene ble oppdaget av Flyktninghjelpens utdanningsteam mens de lekte i gatene der de bodde. De hadde sett de andre barna på læringssenteret og var nysgjerrig på om ikke de også kunne delta. Flyktninghjelpen tok kontakt med skolen i nærområdet og fikk bekreftet at brødrene allerede var registrert. Gjennom skolens rektor fikk de tilgang på resultater som gjorde at de kunne kartlegge kunnskapsbehovene deres.

Guttene ble tilbudt transport både til det læringsfremmende kurset, og til skolen sin, for å sørge for trygt og jevnlig oppmøte. De første ukene ventet Myassar og Ahmad i spenning på at portene skulle åpne. Både midtveisvurderinger og tilbakemelding fra rektor viser at brødrene har hatt stor nytte av kurset og at de begge har forbedret seg betydelig.

Unngår å droppe ut

I desember 2015 ble det opprettet et læringsstøtteprosjekt for flyktningbarn som begynte i den offentlige skolen igjen. Hovedmålet med prosjektet er å hjelpe flyktningbarn som sliter med å holde tritt i klassen, slik at de kan utnytte sitt fulle potensial på skolen, dra nytte av retten til gratis skolegang og unngå å droppe ut fra skolen.

– Kursene for læringsstøtte er med på å gjøre en forskjell for flyktningbarn som møter flere utfordringer i det offentlige libanesiske skolesystemet. De har et behov for ekstra støtte, spesielt i engelsk da barna ikke er vant med å studere på et fremmedspråk, sier utdanningsspesialist for Flyktninghjelpen, Marta Schena.

Refugee children in Lebanon keeping up at school
Syrian refugee children avoid dropping out of school with The Norwegian Refugee Council’s (NRC) learning support classes. Kavlifondet’s contribution has made the project possible.

Text: Caroline Graasten Holt

The two brothers Myassar (8) and Ahmad (7) joined the NRC’s learning support project in Bourj al-Shemali in Tyre. The boys were discovered by NRC’s education team while playing in their neighbourhood. They had seen the other children at the learning centre, and were curious about joining. NRC contacted the neighbourhood school, which confirmed that the boys were already registered there. The school principal gave them access to the boys’ results in order for NRC to map their knowledge level. 

The boys were offered transport to the learning support course and to their school, to ensure they would get there safely and in time. During the first weeks, Ahmad and Myassar would stand outside the centre’s gates, waiting for it to open. A post-test and feedback from the school principal at the end of the school year have shown that Ahmad and Myassar have improved academically.
Avoid dropping out 

In December 2015, a learning support project was established to help refugee children returning to the public school. The main goal was to help refugee children who are struggling to keep up in class, enable them to reach their full potential in school, and give them the opportunity to benefit from their right to free education and avoid dropping out of school. 

“The learning support courses contribute to make a difference for refugee children who are meeting more challenges in the Lebanese school system. They need additional support, especially in English, since the children are not used to studying a foreign language,” said Education Specialist in NRC, Marta Schena.

563 children receive support

At the beginning of the project, the children were followed up in the public schools by NRC’s education team. To decide who among the children had the greatest needs for learning support, NRC organised mapping tests based on the Lebanese curriculum. A total of 563 children between 6 and 14 years of age were registered in the project and spread to seven chosen projects areas in the cities Tyre, Saida and Nabatiyeh. 

NRC recruited 22 teachers and 10 activity leaders who were all trained by NRC’s education team. These made sure the children good, quality knowledge in Arabic, English, and mathematics. All the children were offered transport to the learning centre, and given school material such as pencils and writing books. Parent groups were established in all project areas to inform and involve the parents about the children’s progress.

Will begin in fourth grade

Lilas (9) has benefitted greatly from being in the NRC programme. The girl is now in thir grade in a public school in Sheeba. When she first started school, it went well, but after a few weeks her mother received a message from the school principal that her daughter had a hard time keeping up with the rest of her class. She risked not being able to complete third grade. Lilas’ family was in a difficult situation economically, and her mother decided to register her in the NRC learning support programme. 

Shortly after, Lilas is now doing well and progressing in all three subjects. She is happy to have completed third grade and looks forward to starting in fourth, which she has been confirmed she will do this autumn. 

“The children are enthusiastic and obviously excited when they arrive at the NRC learning centre. They feel at home here, that they are accepted,” says Marta Schena.

The learning support classes are running three hours a day, two days a week for three months in all of the seven chosen areas. In March 2016, NRC conducted post tests of all children participating in the programme. Since the first post test conducted in February, 70 percent of the children had done progress in all subjects. This makes it possible for children affected by conflict and the refugee crisis to participate in the Lebanese school system on the same level as other children.

Photo: NRC
Myassar (i grønt) har hatt stor fremgang med Flyktninghjelpens prosjekt for læringsstøtte. Foto: Flyktninghjelpen

563 barn får hjelp

Barna ble i oppstarten av prosjektet fulgt opp på de offentlige skolene av Flyktninghjelpens eget utdanningsteam. For å avgjøre hvilke barn som hadde størst behov for læringstøtte, ble det arrangert kartleggingsprøver basert på libanesisk skolepensum. Hele 563 barn mellom 6 og 14 år ble registrert i prosjektet og fordelt på sju utvalgte prosjektområder i byene Tyre, Saida og Nabatiyeh.

Det ble rekruttert 22 lærere og 10 aktivitetsledere som alle ble lært opp av Flyktninghjelpens utdanningsteam. Disse sørger for å gi barna konsekvent og kvalitetssikret kunnskap i fagene arabisk, engelsk og matematikk. Prosjektet vektlegger også forhold som forhindrer barna i å delta i vanlig undervisning. Alle ble derfor tilbudt transport til læringssenteret, og utstyrt med nødvendig skolemateriell. Det ble også opprettet foreldregrupper i hvert område for å informere og involvere foreldrene i barnas læring.

Barna er entusiastiske og tydelig engasjerte når de kommer til Flyktninghjelpens senter. De føler seg hjemme og akseptert her.
Marta Schena, utdanningsspesialist i Flyktninghjelpen

Får begynne i fjerde klasse

Ni år gamle Lilas deltar også i Flyktninghjelpens program og har hatt stort utbytte av det. Jenta går i tredje klasse på en offentlig skole i området Shebaa. Da hun først startet på skolen, gikk det fint, men etter noen uker fikk moren beskjed fra skolens rektor om at Lilas slet med å holde tritt med de andre i klassen og stod i fare for ikke å fullføre tredje klasse. På grunn av en ustabil situasjon, både i familien og økonomisk, valgte moren å melde datteren på Flyktninghjelpens prosjekt for læringsstøtte.

Etter kort tid gjør Lilas det bra og viser framgang i alle de tre fagene. Nå gleder hun seg over å ha fullført tredje klasse og ser frem til fjerde klasse, som hun har fått bekreftet at hun kan begynne i til høsten.

– Barna er entusiastiske og tydelig engasjerte når de kommer til Flyktninghjelpens senter. De føler seg hjemme og akseptert her, forteller Marta Schena.

Kurset foregår i hvert av de sju utvalgte områdene og går over tre måneder med undervisning tre timer om dagen to dager i uka. I mars 2016 ble det gjort en midtveisvurdering av alle barna som deltok i prosjektet. Den avdekket at hele 70 prosent av barna hadde forbedret resultatene sine i alle fag, siden første kartleggingsprøve i februar. En slik progresjon gjør det mulig for barn preget av konflikt og flyktningkrisen å delta i det libanesiske skolesystemet, og nyte sin rett til skolegang på lik linje med de andre barna.