![Syrian children are seen in a classroom in Jordan's sprawling Zaatari refugee camp. [Photo courtesy of UNHCR]](/cnmi_am/images/2018/09/26/14554-Syrian-children-Zaatari-700_496.webp)
Jordan is calling on the international community to boost support for educational programmes serving Syrian refugees in the kingdom after the UN children's fund (UNICEF) announced it will be forced to make cutbacks.
As the result of an $8.6 million funding shortfall, UNICEF announced earlier this month, it will be able to provide financial support to only 10,000 Syrian refugee children in Jordan out of an eligible 55,000.
The cuts primarily affect the Hajati (My Needs) project, which provides financial support to Syrian refugees and low-income Jordanians to enable them to continue their education, and the Makani (My Space) programme.
Hajati allocates $28 per month per child to cover basic needs like school transportation, uniform and stationery, according to a March 4th UNICEF report.
The Makani programme reaches out to out-of-school children and youth through 194 centres in various host communities, which provide them with training in basic life skills, as well as psycho-social and learning support services.
As a result of the shortfall, over half of those centres may be forced to close.
Of the 232,500 school-aged Syrian refugee children, just 145,000 were enrolled in education in Jordan last year, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) -- just 62% of all Syrian children.
'Catastrophic cutbacks'
The UNICEF cutbacks will be "catastrophic" for Syrian children, sociology professor Hussein al-Khuzaie told Al-Mashareq.
"The future of Syrian children will be blowing in the wind," he said.
"The right to education is a fundamental right for all, and it is not the children's fault that there is no support," he said. "The international community and donor countries must increase their support and intervene quickly to rescue thousands of Syrian refugee children from this crisis."
The absence of Syrian children from school could lead to an increase in child labour and to early marriages, he said, noting that many refugees are forced to send their children to work or to marry them off to help meet their expenses.
According to the Tamkeen Centre for Legal Aid and Human Rights, there are more than 60,000 Syrian refugee children in the labour market in Jordan, working in conditions that are often dangerous and exploitative.
According to the Supreme Judge Department, "the early marriage rate among Syrian refugees this year is 35% of all Syrian marriages [registered] in Jordan last year". There is no data available on the number of unregistered marriages.
Pledges must be honoured
Jordan cannot shoulder any more burdens, as it is already under pressure as a result of hosting around 1.3 million Syrian refugees, economist Hossam Ayesh told Al-Mashareq.
According to the Ministry of Planning and International Co-operation, Jordan needs aid totaling $2.5 billion this year to enable it to provide assistance to Syrian refugees in various sectors, including education, services and energy.
But of the aid pledged, only $411 million has been received so far, he said.
The support Syrian refugees are receiving is alleviating their suffering and keeping parents from sending their children to work instead of school, Syrian refugee and father of four Khalil al-Houri told Al-Mashareq.
"Sometimes, during the summer vacation, I send my 14-year-old son, Mohammed, to work in a nearby restaurant to help me with our expenses," said al-Houri, who hails from Daraa province and lives in Amman's Tabarbour area.
"I only send my son to work during the summer vacation, and I wish I will never have to ask him to leave school to work," he said, stressing that "education is the most important thing for children".
But "economic conditions are difficult", he explained, adding that it is hard to support the family on the modest salary he makes as a clothing salesman.
