Recognizing that education is fundamental to helping children achieve their full potential, UNRWA has worked for nearly 70 years to ensure that Palestine refugee children have access to quality education. With the onset of the Syria crisis, there was a need for a sustained and innovative approach to ensure that the most vulnerable children and youth were not left behind, but rather they are given the support they need to continue their education even during times of emergencies. The reform of the UNRWA education system (see Subject Update: About: UNRWA Education) has enabled it to be better prepared, more able to respond to, and ultimately recover from, conflict and crisis. The Agency's Education in Emergencies (EiE) approach seeks to combine the strengths of the education system, and the work on the Agency-wide reform, with innovative new ways of delivering and supporting education.

The key dimensions of the UNRWA approach to Education in Emergencies are:

• Safe and secure learning environments, which address both the physical and emotional needs of children. The capacity of education personnel and communities is also being built to respond to insecurity, provide safe learning spaces and psychosocial support to help students deal with trauma and support their recovery.
• Quality teaching and learning, including the provision of alternative learning modalities such as self-learning materials, an interactive learning programme and UNRWA TV episodes, and the professional development of teachers on these modalities and resources.
• Student, parent and community engagement and participation, which involves identifying and mobilizing available resources within the community, as well as building consensus and support for EiE programming.

UNRWA adopts a multi-stranded, integrated and innovative approach to EiE, targeting the key dimensions described. Through this EiE approach, UNRWA helps to ensure that Palestine refugee children in its five Fields of operation can continue to access quality education and learning opportunities, even in times of crisis and conflict. The EiE approach is renowned in the region, and beyond, with Host Countries, as well as other UN agencies, replicating its approaches and utilizing the specific resources developed.

For more information see: https://www.unrwa.org/what-we-...