Four million refugee children across the world — half a million more than last year — are not attending school, according to a new report from the United Nations’ refugee agency.

Turn the Tide: Refugee Education in Crisis shows that this negative trend continues as refugee numbers peak in spite of efforts by the UNHCR and world governments.

As at 31 December 2017, more than half of the 19.9 million refugees under the care of the UNHCR were children, of which 7.4 million were of school age.

The report also warns that the education gap grows more as refugee children get older, with about two-thirds of those who attend primary school unable to progress to second level. The figure is even worse at tertiary level, with just one per cent of refugees getting the opportunity to achieve a post-secondary education.

“Education is a way to help children heal, but it is also key to rebuilding their countries,” said Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees. “Without education, the future of these children and their communities will be irrevocably damaged.”

Indeed, the future is bleak for most refugee children around the world who are unable to attend primary school. This has serious implication for humanity irrespective of where these refugees end up living their lives.

Here in Ireland, Metro Éireann believes that progress is gradually being made to help refugees acquire quality education at third level, and we welcome the recent granting of various scholarships to asylum seekers and refugees by a number of Irish universities.

news@metroeireann.com