“Millions of Syrian children should not pay the price for diplomatic failure, for political failure”
Education in emergencies
鶹APP
Tom Fletcher with Sarah Fleihan and Mona Hassan Pictures: A World at School/Tabitha Ross
By Sarah Fleihan and Mona Hassan, a World at School Global Youth Ambassadors from Lebanon
Five years have passed since the beginning of the Syrian crisis and the responsibilities of neighbouring countries for Syrian refugees have increased year on year across the region.
The international community is presented with many significant challenges in securing refugees鶹APP basic needs, while the war continues to cause ongoing displacement.
Tom chats with one of the students at Al Mtein public school
The education crisis must be regarded as one of the priorities, as education or the lack of it will affect the future quality of life of millions of refugee children.
Former British ambassador to Lebanon Tom Fletcher鶹APPs first return to the country after the end of his term of duty last year came within the framework of the campaign for the right to education in the region and to secure additional school places for Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
Mr Fletcher came to see progress in the Lebanese Ministry of Education鶹APPs implementation of the double-shift system, as well as other education projects implemented by NGOs and businesses.
Time for some fun as Tom arm-wrestles with a student
The well-known former ambassador and writer of the Naked Diplomat blog started his tour on May 6 by visiting Al Mtein public school.
There the international children鶹APPs charity is working with the ministry aimed at supporting Lebanese and Syrian children鶹APPs school attendance and achievement through provision of milk and a daily healthy school snack, and through integrating technology into the classroom.
He showed his admiration, commenting: 鶹APPThe key here is that 鶹APP is testing new ideas to see if they work and if they do they can be scaled up nationally and even globally. And what you can see in Mtein is that these concepts are working.鶹APP
Children draw what they think a safe school should look like
After sharing a snack with a group of students, observing a lesson in the tech room and visiting a first-year art class, he expressed his admiration for the way the school and its entire staff have worked to successfully integrate Lebanese and Syrian students.
He emphasised his support for the double-shift system and his belief in its effectiveness in the reduction of the numbers of Syrian children out of school.
Mr Fletcher now works as Strategy Director for the (GBC-Education), which seeks to mobilise organisations, business institutions and business people globally to support education.
Global Youth Ambassador Sarah Fleihan at Al Mtein School
In relation to his new role, his next visit was to the SABIS school in Mtein, the charity wing of the normally fee-paying chain of international SABIS schools 鶹APP the Mtein establishment does not charge fees yet remains a private school.
Mr Fletcher is interested in learning lessons from this model and commented that 鶹APPthe education is of a very high quality, in a way it鶹APPs higher than the education that I had or most of us received鶹APP.
He also inferred that it is really important to be aware of the vast gap between the support received by private schools compared with those in the public sector.
GYA Mona Hassan checks out a student鶹APPs work
He said: 鶹APPGovernments alone cannot crack the problem 鶹APP we need businesses as well, and not only to provide education. We need to think about buildings, about transport.鶹APP
Of course, we asked the former diplomat about his passion for this cause, and he replied: 鶹APPFor me, particularly here in the Middle East, the education effort is unfinished business.
鶹APPI was ambassador here for four years and was part of the failed diplomacy to stop the war in Syria. I feel passionately that millions of Syrian children should not pay the price for diplomatic failure, for political failure. Teaching is also in my DNA 鶹APP my family were all teachers.鶹APP
Back to school for Tom as he listens to the lesson
He admitted that before joining the Foreign Office he started his career as a teacher. 鶹APPI was not very good at that so I became a diplomat鶹APP, he quipped.
Mr Fletcher is busy meanwhile on many levels of his life. He returned to complete his studies in addition of being a professor in University of New York and in The Democratic Academy.
He has also written a book entitled Naked Diplomacy. But the most important project that he鶹APPs involved in, according to him, is working with 鶹APP and GBC-Education on getting one million Syrian refugee children back into school.
Tom Fletcher is presented with drawings by the children of safe schools. about what A World at School is doing with these drawings.
As for his visit to Lebanon, he talked about how special the country is to him, how at home he felt here and how he cried all the way from Beirut to Paris when he left.
And what鶹APPs the first thing he wanted to do upon his return? Eat hummus with meat and drink a glass of Lebanese wine.
Tom Fletcher is keenly aware that education is a key right for all children in the world and a key factor affecting their lives and futures.
A student drinks the free milk provided as part of the 鶹APP meals programme to keep children in school
He came back to this country that has been so special for him for the first time and perhaps will return again soon, in order to make an impact on this cause through his status and position.
What we actually hope is that more influential figures will use their positions to support this important cause of education.
More news
