Refugee Agency: Classroom Space and Funding Gaps

refugee agency: There are at least 1.6 million Syrian children refugees in the region, according to Metro News. In Lebanon, classes for Syrian refugee children are packed, and students attend school in half-day shifts in order to free up classroom space for enrolment . Even so, more than half the school-age Syrians in the country are not attending school, according to Lisa Abou Khaled, a communications officer for the U.N. refugee agency. More than half a million school-age Syrian refugees in the three countries were out of school last year, in part because of severe funding gaps, the report by the New York-based group said. The challenges include pulling impoverished children away from work, finding money to pay for their transportation and supplies, and helping students feel safe and comfortable in schools. The U.S. government aid agency USAID, for example, reported it had given 248 million in school aid to Jordan last year, but Jordan's government only reported receiving 13 million. Human Rights Watch says late or missing aid has compounded those problems. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.