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The numbers are simple. About 75 million children had their education disrupted during 2015 by humanitarian emergencies, including conflicts and disasters. Of those, 37 million were left out of school completely.

More than 80% of refugee crises last for more than 10 years �鶹APP� and without education displaced children are at risk of child labour, child marriage, trafficking, exploitation and extremism.

But the response has been underwhelming. Of all the money that goes to humanitarian aid, less than 2% of it is spent on educating children in safe schools.

The European Union showed the way forward yesterday when it announced it would increase the education share of its aid funding in 2017 from 4% to 6% �鶹APP� six times higher than in 2014.

The move was revealed at the Education in Emergencies Forum in Belgium, hosted by the European Commission. Christos Stylianides, EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, called on other international donors to step up their efforts, saying: �鶹APP�Education is not a privilege, education is a right. 

�鶹APP�Our aim is to enable access to quality education in a safe learning environment for vulnerable children caught in situations of emergency. By funding education, we can make a real investment in children�鶹APP�s futures and their hope for a better life.�鶹APP�

The increased share of funding will support access to formal and non-formal education, including life skills, vocational training, recreational activities, school materials, new education facilities and training for teachers and parents.

The announcement came during a session on partnerships to deliver education in emergencies hosted by �鶹APP President Sarah Brown. 

She said: �鶹APP�EU Commissioner Stylianides has championed education for children caught up in the most dramatic and desperate humanitarian circumstances right from the start, raising education spending from 2% to 4% and now 6% this year.

�鶹APP�He has promised to prioritise education in emergencies and I truly welcome the delivery of this promise to children.�鶹APP�

More than $97 million in EU humanitarian aid has so far been allocated for education in emergencies projects �鶹APP� benefitting over 3.8 million children in 47 countries.

Also taking part in the forum session in Brussels were Omer Celik, Turkish Minister for EU Affairs; Lebanon�鶹APP�s Education Minister Elias Bou Saab; Linda McAvan, Chair of the European Parliament�鶹APP�s Committee on Development; and Google�鶹APP�s Vice President of Public Policy Nicklas Lundblad.

Celik said he was �鶹APP�proud�鶹APP� that Turkey is hosting three million refugees �鶹APP� 800,000 of them children.

McAvan said: �鶹APP�As MEPs (Member of the European Parliament) we are fully committed to increasing funding dedicated to education in emergencies and have found a strong ally in Commissioner Stylianides, who quickly delivered on our call to raise the percentage of humanitarian funding given to education to 4%.

�鶹APP�His new pledge to raise funding to 6% is really good news �鶹APP� but now we need other international donors to match the pledge and deliver the money.  We can�鶹APP�t carry on leaving humanitarian aid programmes like those for Syria half-funded.�鶹APP�

Meanwhile, the United Kingdom�鶹APP�s Department for International Development (DFID) has confirmed its commitment for 11 million children to gain a decent education and help 6.5 million more girls go to school.

In its , it said: �鶹APP�Britain is leading global efforts to improve the lives of girls and women in the world�鶹APP�s poorest countries. During the past five years we have helped more than five million girls get an education.�鶹APP� 

DFID also said the �鶹APP� established to deliver education in emergencies �鶹APP� �鶹APP�will help more than 4.5 million children and young people receive a better education, helping ensure they are safe from exploitation.