ICT ENABLED EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH IN CRISIS ENVIRONMENTS

Education in crisis situations is a critical need. It fosters social cohesion, provides access to life-saving information, address psycho-social needs, and offer a stable and safe environment. It also helps people to
rebuild their communities and pursue productive, meaningful lives.

In 2015, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that there were 16.6 million refugees worldwide. The number of refugees and internally displaced people has considerably increased as a result of the crisis in Syria, which has caused the internal displacement of almost 7 million people and displacement of approximately 3.8 million Syrian people in neighbouring countries. Over half of the world’s refugees are children under 18 years of age. Access to education for this marginalised group is limited: only 1 in 2 refugee children has access to education; 1 in 4 refugee adolescents has access to secondary education; and 1% of youth has access to higher education.

Even in countries where refugee children have access to national education services, a significant proportion remain out of school, or have low attendance and completion rates. It is expected that large movements of people will continue and possibly increase as a result of conflicts, poverty, climate change and environmental degradation. ICT can facilitate the delivery of education in places and in contexts where children and youth are more difficult to reach, enhance collaboration and the development of teaching and learning resources among teachers through online platforms.