Steering Syrian students away from extremism

Educational programmes offered to school-age Syrian refugees in Lebanon take into account the need to foster a culture of peace, officials tell Al-Shorfa.

Syrian students, who moved to Lebanon under difficult circumstances and closely follow the news in their home country, need to be steered away from the current of violence so they do not succumb to extremist ideology, they said.

"All educational programmes for Syrian students promote the culture of peace," said Lisa Abou Khaled, assistant communications and public information officer at the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Lebanon.

Syrian students are studying the official Lebanese curricula, which promote the culture of peace in various ways, she told Al-Shorfa.

"The programmes and accompanying educational activities, which are presented in an entertaining form, steer the students away from the prevailing atmosphere of violence and the experiences they lived through in Syria," she said.

More Syrian students enroll in schools

The number of Syrian students enrolled in Lebanese schools has risen this year, Abou Khaled said, noting that this "is the best solution to keep them in the learning environment away from the violence they experienced or hear about".

This year, 158,000 Syrian students registered for first through ninth grade in Lebanese public schools, she said, compared to 106,000 last year.

"At the same time, we organise educational activities at social centres inside the camps geared towards students who are not enrolled in school," she added. "Our activities include focused language classes and programmes to keep them in an age-appropriate environment and prepare them to attend school next year."

An intensive school preparation programme is being offered to help students who had not attended school in some time get ready to return, she said.

"We are working with our partners on programmes and musical, artistic and sports activities in which both Lebanese and Syrian students are participating to establish good communication and relations between them," Abou Khaled said.

Steering children away from violence

Educational programmes focus on "teaching students to stay clear of the extremism and violence prevailing in the region, and our country Syria in particular", said Alphabet Alternative Education director Yahya Fares.

Alphabet, a nonprofit, nongovernmental organisation, was founded in a tent in 2013 and now operates 11 educational camps serving refugees in the Bekaa Valley.

"We are well aware that some of our 1,200 students, who range in age between 5 and 15, have lived in atmospheres of violence and extremism and were displaced because of the rampant terrorism," he said.

"We also realise there are children born in the camps who grew up on news of extremism and growing terrorism in Syria," he said. "So, we provide them with purposeful educational programmes and recreational activities to develop talents they may have that help keep them away from violent behaviour that could at some point lead them to extremism."

In order to create a healthy environment conducive to developing the potential of Syrian students, Alphabet holds periodic meetings with the teachers, he said.

These focus on the need to promote a culture of moderation and peace and address the crises students experience due to their displacement, Fares said.

"We offer [students] psychological support and work hard to educate them on the need to keep away from terrorism and extremism," he explained. "What we do is cumulative work that yielded awareness by the students of the danger of extremism, violence and terrorism."

"We focus in our educational and recreational programmes and psychological support on building the student that we want to build Syria when he returns."

Envisioning a brighter future for Syria

Schools in the Bekaa Valley focus mainly on building the culture of peace among students who follow the news of Syria and the growing phenomenon of terrorism in it, said Ghada Abu Mesto, an official in charge of schools affiliated with Damma, a civil society group founded by Syrian women.

"All of our students are under the age of 8 and live in camps in an environment that does not meet the requirements of their childhood," she said.

"We realise they are affected both positively and negatively by what they hear and see, so we are present among them and monitor them," she said. "We provide them with psychological support and hold painting and handicraft sessions, and this way they get to express on paper what is bothering them."

Some paint bombings or draw pictures of destroyed homes, she said.

"We assure them that all this is temporary and direct them to paint new homes and parks, and we rebuild Syria with blocks," she added.

These activities are part of the Ana Akoun (I am) programme, that aims to encourage children to think positively about their future.