Syria: Digital learning provides learning opportunities for children in Al Hol

December 26, 2023 by Rasha Alsabbagh, UNICEF in Syria |

2 minutes read

In Syria, a “self-learning” program - funded by GPE and partners, and implemented by UNICEF - is helping out-of-school children and children at risk of dropping out to continue their education through digital learning.

This blog was originally published on UNICEF's website.

Al Hol camp, northeast Syria - Seventeen-year-old Yaqeen had to drop out of school in grade 6 after she was forced to marry at an early age and flee home for a safer refuge in northeast Syria.

Displaced more than once, Yaqeen ended up with her mother and her four-year-old son in the Al Hol camp with limited access to basic services. She was eager to return to learning, so after hearing from some friends in the camp about a UNICEF-supported learning center, she enrolled there.

Yaqeen benefits from the ‘self-learning’ program, supported by UNICEF, to help out-of-school children and children at risk of dropping out to continue their education. She is in grade 7 and through the digital learning modality - using a laptop, tablet or a mobile phone - she is able to access interactive lessons and learning materials.

Yaqeen, 17, participates in a self-learning class at a UNICEF-supported center in Al Hol camp, northeast Syria. Credit: UNICEF Syria/2023/Mohanad Aldaher — Yaqeen, 17, participates in a self-learning class at a UNICEF-supported center in Al Hol camp, northeast Syria.

Credit:
UNICEF Syria/2023/Mohanad Aldaher

“In digital learning, children play a vital role in the learning process. For example, the platform offers a virtual laboratory where children can test, select, or make experiments. It makes learning more interesting, and children can see their results and achievements immediately.”

Rafi Youssef

Education Officer, UNICEF Syria

Yaqeen, 17, and her son Saifeddin, 4, in Al Hol camp, northeast Syria, on the 9th of July 2023. Credit: UNICEF Syria/2023/Mohanad Aldaher — Yaqeen, 17, and her son Saifeddin, 4, in Al Hol camp, northeast Syria, on the 9th of July 2023.

Credit:
UNICEF Syria/2023/Mohanad Aldaher

While Yaqeen attends digital learning classes, her son, little Saifeddin, benefits from UNICEF-supported early childhood education classes at the same center. Together with other pre-school-aged children, he learns basic skills that will prepare him for starting school.

“I enjoy using a laptop and the ‘International Computer Driving License’ lessons,” said Yaqeen. “I look forward to attending my classes in the digital classroom, and I hope to be able to continue my education to become a nurse in the future,” she added.

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Since 2022, UNICEF has reached some 20,000 students in Al-Hasakeh governorate, northeast Syria, with the self-learning program, including through the digital learning modality. The activities were funded by Education Cannot Wait; EU Humanitarian Aid (ECHO); German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through the KFW Development Bank; Global Partnership for Education (GPE); and Governments of Australia; Canada and Italy.

Focus areas: Education in crisis situations, ICT, Learning

Regions and countries: Middle East and North Africa: Syrian Arab Republic

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