Half of the world’s refugee children are out of secondary school and immediate action is needed to stop the catastrophic effects of the coronavirus pandemic on education, the UN refugee agency has warned.
Covid-19 could cause a ‘pandemic of poverty’ that reverses decades of work on child refugee education, said Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, in a new report.
“A grave threat now looms over those advances,” wrote Mr Grandi.
“The coronavirus could destroy the dreams and ambitions of these young refugees. It threatens to cause a ‘pandemic of poverty’ in the world’s most vulnerable communities, and the steady and hard-won increases in school, university, technical and vocational education enrolment could be reversed – in some cases permanently.”
The steady and hard-won increases in school, university, technical and vocational education enrolment could be reversed – in some cases permanently
Before the pandemic, almost one in four children were not enrolled in primary school and two in three were not enrolled in secondary school. Just three per cent of young refugees were in higher education in 2019.
As another school year begins, these numbers could drop further.
Many children will be unable to resume studies because of difficulties affording tuition, uniforms and textbooks, as well as limited access to mobile devices or data.
Additionally, the financial strain of the pandemic has increased the risk of child labour and child marriage.
“Half of the world’s refugee children were already out of school,” said Mr Grandi. “After everything they have endured, we cannot rob them of their futures by denying them an education today. Despite the enormous challenges posed by the pandemic, with greater international support to refugees and their host communities, we can expand innovative ways to protect the critical gains made in refugee education over the past years.”
The report, Coming Together For Refugee Education, is based on enrolment figures from the 2019 to 2020 academic year, drawn from 12 countries hosting more than half of the world's 20.4 million refugees.
Enrolment had increased in 2019 compared with previous years.
However, these gains could be lost without rapid support, the report cautioned.
Girls are particularly vulnerable.
The Malala Fund estimated half of all refugee girls in school will not return to classrooms this September.
“Another specific challenge that is closely tied to the repercussions of Covid-19 on the economy is the issue of child marriages, which is more pronounced in vulnerable refugee communities,” said Muna Abbas, the country director for Plan-International Jordan, which works with refugee education and child protection.
“Just as parents are abandoning their children’s education for work prospects, parents are marrying their girls off to ease their financial burdens.”
Additionally, girls are more likely to have education disrupted while learning from home because they do more household work and have less access to smartphones than boys.
Jordan has managed to navigate the pandemic well, with just 1,966 cases and 15 deaths in a population of more than 9.9 million. But it is not immune to the pandemic’s economic toll, which is expected to raise global poverty levels for the first time since 1998.
“Obviously, an increase in child labour is a concern,” said Lilly Carlisle, the UNHCR spokesperson in Jordan. “About 60 per cent of refugees have said they’ve had to borrow money in the past month.”
From Jordan to Greece, educators are preparing families to resume distance learning in the event of a future lockdown by teaching tech literacy.
During the pandemic's first wave, volunteers went door-to-door to distribute learning packages to families, who struggle with online learning due to a lack of devices, limited internet connectivity and data and a lack of understanding of how devices can be used to teach.
This will be an ongoing challenge despite school re-openings. In many countries, returning pupils returning can expect less classroom time as class sizes are cut to prevent potential outbreaks. With cohorts split into smaller groups, lessons will be shortened to accommodate a greater number of classes.
“Before Covid-19, we could have 40 or 50 students in one class but now we can have no more than 20,” said Maen Rayyan, the acting country director at the Jordanian NGO Questscope.
“So we don’t have classes, we don’t have time and a lot of kids will be out of school more.”
At refugee camps in Greece, informal classrooms were converted to quarantine spaces on and off during the first wave of the pandemic. Intermittent interruptions like these, while necessary, were an added challenge for pupils.
“That low level of disruption has a massive level of disruption in terms of educational services because it creates confusion,” said Martha Glover-Short, an education coordinator at the NGO Danish Refugee Council. “At least with formal education starting, the routine will be established.”
Schools reopen on September 14 in Greece. The Danish Refugee Council, which operates at nine sites in mainland Greece, observed adults and children shared a renewed interest in learning since the outbreak and the renewal of informal classes.
“People would come asking for [study] materials and asking when they could come back to class,” said Ms Glover-Short. “In some cases, classes have been reduced from five to three days a week and just a few hours a week. That’s quite tough for students because they have so much motivation to learn.”
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The Matrix Resurrections
Director: Lana Wachowski
Stars: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jessica Henwick
Rating:****
Company%20profile
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UAE SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Ali Khaseif, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Mohammed Al Shamsi, Adel Al Hosani
Defenders: Bandar Al Ahbabi, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Walid Abbas, Mahmoud Khamis, Mohammed Barghash, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Hassan Al Mahrami, Yousef Jaber, Salem Rashid, Mohammed Al Attas, Alhassan Saleh
Midfielders: Ali Salmeen, Abdullah Ramadan, Abdullah Al Naqbi, Majed Hassan, Yahya Nader, Ahmed Barman, Abdullah Hamad, Khalfan Mubarak, Khalil Al Hammadi, Tahnoun Al Zaabi, Harib Abdallah, Mohammed Jumah, Yahya Al Ghassani
Forwards: Fabio De Lima, Caio Canedo, Ali Saleh, Ali Mabkhout, Sebastian Tagliabue, Zayed Al Ameri
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Play-off fixtures
Two-legged ties to be played November 9-11 and November 12-14
- Northern Ireland v Switzerland
- Croatia v Greece
- Denmark v Ireland
- Sweden v Italy
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 275Nm from 2,000-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: from Dh155,000
On sale: now
Titan Sports Academy:
Programmes: Judo, wrestling, kick-boxing, muay thai, taekwondo and various summer camps
Location: Inside Abu Dhabi City Golf Club, Al Mushrif, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Telephone: 971 50 220 0326
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company profile
Company name: Suraasa
Started: 2018
Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker
Based: India, UAE and the UK
Industry: EdTech
Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Other ways to buy used products in the UAE
UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.
Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.
Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.
For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.
Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.
At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.
if you go
The flights
Emirates flies to Delhi with fares starting from around Dh760 return, while Etihad fares cost about Dh783 return. From Delhi, there are connecting flights to Lucknow.
Where to stay
It is advisable to stay in Lucknow and make a day trip to Kannauj. A stay at the Lebua Lucknow hotel, a traditional Lucknowi mansion, is recommended. Prices start from Dh300 per night (excluding taxes).
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
Dubai Rugby Sevens
November 30-December 2, at The Sevens, Dubai
Gulf Under 19
Pool A – Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Jumeirah College Tigers, Dubai English Speaking School 1, Gems World Academy
Pool B – British School Al Khubairat, Bahrain Colts, Jumeirah College Lions, Dubai English Speaking School 2
Pool C - Dubai College A, Dubai Sharks, Jumeirah English Speaking School, Al Yasmina
Pool D – Dubai Exiles, Dubai Hurricanes, Al Ain Amblers, Deira International School
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
OPENING FIXTURES
Saturday September 12
Crystal Palace v Southampton
Fulham v Arsenal
Liverpool v Leeds United
Tottenham v Everton
West Brom v Leicester
West Ham v Newcastle
Monday September 14
Brighton v Chelsea
Sheffield United v Wolves
To be rescheduled
Burnley v Manchester United
Manchester City v Aston Villa
Asia Cup 2018 final
Who: India v Bangladesh
When: Friday, 3.30pm, Dubai International Stadium
Watch: Live on OSN Cricket HD
Slow loris biog
From: Lonely Loris is a Sunda slow loris, one of nine species of the animal native to Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore
Status: Critically endangered, and listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list due to growing demand in the global exotic pet trade. It is one of the most popular primate species found at Indonesian pet markets
Likes: Sleeping, which they do for up to 18 hours a day. When they are awake, they like to eat fruit, insects, small birds and reptiles and some types of vegetation
Dislikes: Sunlight. Being a nocturnal animal, the slow loris wakes around sunset and is active throughout the night
Superpowers: His dangerous elbows. The slow loris’s doe eyes may make it look cute, but it is also deadly. The only known venomous primate, it hisses and clasps its paws and can produce a venom from its elbow that can cause anaphylactic shock and even death in humans
