Egypt Refugee Appeal For Refugees from Africa, Iraq and Yemen 2018 | Page 31

Egypt Response Plan 2018
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EDUCATION
SECTOR RESPONSE
Partners working in the education sector with UNHCR are United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Catholic
Relief Services (CRS), Save the Children International (SCI), the World Food Programme (WFP), the Ministry of
Education (MoE), the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE), the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MoYS), school boards
and universities. The Education working group is co-chaired by UNHCR and UNICEF.
CURRENT SITUATION
Egypt hosts a predominantly young refugee population
in need of adequate education services at all levels.
The majority of refugees in Egypt have experienced
considerable disruptions to their education in
their country of origin and during their subsequent
displacement to Egypt. Many African, Iraqi and Yemeni
refugee children and young people are not enrolled in
schools in Egypt due to multiple factors. Some dropped
out of school before coming to Egypt, while others have
fallen behind in their studies following long periods
of absence due to insecurity, closure of their schools,
or displacement in their country of origin. In addition,
many have poor educational support capacities within
their homes and few opportunities to receive remedial
education.
In Egypt, economic constraints are among the factors
contributing to the discontinued education of refugee
and asylum-seeker students. They are often compelled
to enter the labour force to support themselves and
contribute to covering their families’ basic needs. Despite
the general poverty that refugees are experiencing,
many families are trying to find an education opportunity
for their school-age children.
Syrian and Sudanese refugees have access to public
education granted to them by the Ministry of Education.
However, other nationalities such as Iraqi, Yemenis and
sub-Saharan African refugees are still unable to register
their children in public schools due to legal barriers,
related to the legal framework in relation to Egypt’s
reservation on the 1951 Geneva Refugee Convention
regarding refugees’ access to public education. UNHCR
is working very closely with the Minister of Education
to facilitate access to public schools for all refugee
students. The Egyptian Government is a partner of the
2030 Sustainable Development Goals Agenda, and
education partners aim to contribute in particular to
Sustainable Development Goal 4 concerning inclusive
education for all.
Meanwhile, refugees registered in public schools face
the same difficulties as Egyptian children, such as
overcrowded classrooms, lack of educational materials,
the quality of education and reliance on private lessons to
make up for gaps in the education system. Many refugee
children also have difficulties in adapting to the Egyptian
dialect and curriculum. In addition, many live far from the
schools they attend; they have to leave very early in the
morning and take more than one form of public transport
to reach the nearest school. This creates additional
financial burdens, increases protection risks and affects
school attendance.
For those enrolled in Egyptian public schools, the
Ministry of Education provides a final examination, but
the registration process is challenging for refugees
as it requires a residency permit, the submission
of documentation and various other identification
documents. As a result, many Sudanese children and
other sub-Saharan African refugees cannot advance
beyond primary level education, blocking their road to
higher education.
A total of 70 Sudanese refugee community schools
were operating during the 2017/2018 academic year and
providing education to approximately 13,000 refugee
boys and girls. Twenty-six of these schools were hosting
approximately 80 per cent of all students of school-going
age with refugee or asylum-seeker status. UNHCR has
supported these schools for approximately 15 years,
including printing curricula books, providing education
grants to children, capacity building interventions to
education and management staff, as well as annual
financial assistance to a selected number of schools to
help them pay rent and cover associated expenses.
Refugee community schools established by faith groups
follow the Sudanese national curriculum and some
conduct lessons in the English language. These schools,
however, face similar problems to public schools in
terms of overcrowding. Sudanese children attending the
community schools are, in most cases, unable to obtain
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