Increasing Access to Education for OOSC through the Self-Learning Programme
Taking to scale the Self-Learning Programme (SLP) piloted through its Equitable Access to Education for OOSC Affected by the Crisis in Syria project with EAC, UNICEF USA aims to enrol an additional 95,000 Syrian OOSC over the course of a three-year period. The SLP and materials were developed jointly by UNICEF, UNRWA and the Syrian Ministry of Education (MOE) as a response to the education needs of children with limited or no access to schooling as a result of the conflict. The self-learning materials align with Syria’s national curriculum and enable pupils to sit for government exams. The SLP is designed in such a fashion that the use of materials can be supervised by an adult who has not had formal training in education. Through psychosocial support, provision of learning materials, teacher training and classroom rehabilitation/construction, the project seeks to provide a comprehensive self-study course in a safe-learning environment within the context of Syria’s conflict situation. The SLP permits OOSC to continue their education at home or in Community Learning Centres (CLCs), run by NGOs, with a comprehensive self-study curriculum for children who are missing out on regular school opportunities. For students who will use the materials at home, the CLCs will act as a resource centre where they can go for assistance when needed. While all OOSC beneficiaries of the project live in Syria, the project will be administered through three hubs, namely Damascus, Syria; Amman, Jordan; and Gaziantep, Turkey. The location of hubs outside of Syria allow for more direct access to the targeted populations inside Syria.
Project sustainability rests, in large part, on the continued commitment and efforts towards maintaining education as a priority by partners in the education sector. As it stands, the proposed intervention builds on the existing programme and responds to the demands for education quality. Moreover, all project activities will be carried out in close collaboration with the leadership at central and decentralised levels (governorate, district and sub-district) and sector coordination will be emphasised at each hub to cultivate partnerships, with UNICEF USA playing a lead facilitation role.
*This project is financially supported in part through QUEST, the Qatar Upholding Education for Syrians’ Trust.
Programme
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