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From VOA Learning English, |
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this is the Education Report. |
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The United Nations Children's Fund(UNICEF) |
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is appealing to international donors |
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to help provide education money |
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for Syrian school children. |
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Safe places to learn, |
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teachers and supplies are all lacking, |
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and almost two million young Syrian students |
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have dropped out of school. |
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UNICEF says about 40 percent of students |
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in grades one to nine across the nation |
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no longer attend for more classes. |
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UNICEF spokeswoman Marixie Mercado says |
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about half those are now refugees |
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in Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Turkey. |
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"Thirty months into the conflict, |
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children are becoming increasingly afraid, |
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angry and frustrated. |
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The risk of a lost generation becomes more acute |
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with each day that they are out of school." |
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In the northern city of Aleppo, for example, |
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only 6 percent of children of school-age are in classrooms, |
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but the school year there and in other locations |
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begin as planned on September 15. |
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Talk of military strike by the United States |
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has caused uncertainty about starting classes, |
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but schools opened after a strike appeared less likely. |
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Still many children who once walked to school |
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are now taken there by their parents, |
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and other families have simply left the country. |
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Lebanon now is trying to help about 550,000 |
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school-age Syrian refugee children. |
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UNICEF says the Lebanese public education system |
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can take care of 300,000 Lebanese children. |
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UNICEF is establishing schools for refugee children in buses. |
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In Jordan, UNICEF says about two-thirds of 150,000 |
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Syrian school-age children are not in school. |
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One main refugee camp has 30,000 Syrian children, |
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fewer than half are in school. |
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In Iraq, UNICEF says nine out of 10 |
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Syrian refugee children are out of school. |
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Inside Syria, Miss Mercado says |
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the educational system has been torn apart. |
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But UNICEF and Syrian government say |
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about 3,000 schools have been damaged or destroyed. |
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In addition, more than 900 schools that are still standing |
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are being used as shelter for displaced families. |
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"The fact that there are still children going to school |
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in this context is quite incredible." |
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Miss Mercado says the agency is operating programs |
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for children to learn at home. |
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The UNICEF spokeswoman praises what she believes |
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is the huge importance that Syrian parents place on eduction. |
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UNICEF has asked for $161 million |
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from international donors for education. |
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But the agency says it has received only $51 million. |
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And that's the Education Report from VOA Learning English. |
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I'm Avi Arditti. |
