Lebanon's poorest fear their children missing out on education

Many Lebanese families fear their children might miss out on education because the country's under-funded public schools have delayed their starting date as the sector grapples with years of economic crisis. Lebanon's public institutions have been crumbling since the economy collapsed in late 2019, pushing most of the population into poverty and dealing a heavy blow to public schools. 

Atif Rafique, Chief of Education for UNICEF Lebanon said "There's an educational learning crisis in Lebanon, particularly affecting the most marginalised children, those that rely on the public sector to provide safe learning opportunities. We know from UNICEF's rapid assessment in June 2023 that 15% of households have stopped the education of their children, and that's catastrophic for those children and also for families and the future of the country. 

He added they absolutely need more children in school for longer, so that they're not dropping out and building the skills they need. The main challenges are definitely the supply of good quality education and empowered teachers that want to teach and are able to make ends meet with the salaries that they get."