Since 2011, some 1.3 million Syrians have settled in Jordan (almost 671,148 registered refugees) most live in urban areas (81.2%), the remaining reside in three refugee camps. Jordan also hosts other refugee populations: 67,425 Iraqis, and over 20,000 from Sudan, Somalia, and Yemen, in total, registered with UNHCR.

Since 2016, the Jordanian MoE has opened new public schools to enable more Syrian children to enrol. To accommodate new learners, 209 schools also opened afternoon shifts. A rapid increase in access has resulted in fewer instruction hours, longer working hours for teachers, and overcrowded classrooms, all negatively impacting the quality of education. 38% of Syrian children are not in school, due to distance, cost, lack of space and bullying; families have also reported that they prefer to marry their girls early to avoid any safety or harassment risks. Lower school enrolments and interrupted schooling mean that Syrian refugees in Jordan often lack basic literacy skills. At most, 80% of Syrian refugees aged 6-22 can read and write.

CARE’s Conditional Cash Assistance for Education in Emergencies (CCA EiE), which helps children at-risk return back to school, currently has 1,973 HHs (1,808 Syrian, 165 Iraqi) who have been on the CCA EiE waiting list since 2017, reiterating the enormous need for both education opportunities and alleviated economic conditions.

Expected Results

Increased access to quality formal education, safety and enhanced child protection, via identification, follow-up, the provision of CCA EiE, and engagement of CCEB.

Activities

• Re-assessment of CCA EiE beneficiaries to identify and select children continuing in the program.
• Home visits/follow up with parents of vulnerable refugee children receiving conditional cash and with schools attended by CCA beneficiaries.
• Provide conditional cash to families with school-age working children to replace the child’s income and return him/her to school.
• Implementation and follow-up of activities of CARE Children’s Education Board (CCEB) committees and their initiatives.