Education campaign aims to improve access to refugee children in Kurdistan Region

“The Kurdistan Regional Government’s Ministry of Education shows great leadership by welcoming refugee children to enroll in public schools.”
The Ministry of Education on Tuesday launched the Back to Learning Campaign jointly with UN organizations (Photo: UNICEF Iraq).
The Ministry of Education on Tuesday launched the Back to Learning Campaign jointly with UN organizations (Photo: UNICEF Iraq).

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – On Tuesday, the Ministry of Education of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), jointly with UNICEF, UNHCR, and Save the Children launched the “Back to Learning Campaign” to further improve access for out-of-school children and welcome refugee children to quality education in public schools. 

Under the slogan: “Education for All For a Better Future!”, the launch event was held at Bahari nwe school in Erbil, where some Syrian refugee children are now enrolled, the UN agencies and their partners said in a press statement.

“With the support of our partners, we are committed to reach out to the most vulnerable children and help them realize their dreams of a better future,” said KRG Minister of Education Alan Hama Saeed Salih. 

The campaign reaffirms the commitment of UN agencies and partners to support the implementation of the Refugee Education Integration Policy (REIP) that was adopted by the KRG in late 2021.

Starting this academic year, all refugee children aged six to nine can register and study in any public school in Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

Children will receive instruction in officially recognized curriculum languages (Sorani, Badini, Assyrian, Turkmen, English and Arabic) in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

“UNICEF wants all children in schools and learning. This also applies to refugees and hence, the implementation of the Refugee Education Integration Policy will give a brighter future to the refugee children. UNICEF will continue to support the Ministry of Education of the KRI to implement this policy, committing to reach all children with quality education,” said Teija Vallandingham, Chief of Education of UNICEF in Iraq.

Moreover, Jean-Nicolas Beuze, UNHCR Representative in Iraq said it is “our collective responsibility to exert every effort to pave the way for a better future for displaced children.”

“The Kurdistan Regional Government’s Ministry of Education shows great leadership by welcoming refugee children to enroll in public schools and qualified refugee teachers to participate in these education efforts. The KRI shows the region and beyond what it means to welcome refugees,” he concluded.

He added that many of the refugee students in KRI were born here after their parents fled their homes in North East Syria in particular ten years ago.

“Learning alongside their Iraqi Kurdish friends will give them further opportunities to create bonds that will keep communities together,” he added.

Read More: Syrian refugees in Kurdistan Region camps facing ‘alarming levels of food insecurity’: UN agencies

The Kurdistan Region continues to host the largest number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees in Iraq, including over 240,000 refugees from Syria.

Around 33,000 out-of-school children and adolescents are targeted to be reached this year during the campaign.