- Title: JORDAN-SYRIAN REFUGEES/SCHOOL Jordan camp for Syrian refugees gets school
- Date: 20th August 2015
- Summary: AMMAN, JORDAN (AUGUST 19, 2015) (REUTERS) UNITED STATES AMBASSADOR TO JORDAN, ALICE WELLS, ARRIVING AT THE EDUCATION CENTRE SIGN (Arabic and English) READING: "THIS BUILDING WAS CONSTRUCTED BY THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT AS AN EXPRESSION OF THE STRONG PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE JORDANIAN AND AMERICAN PEOPLE" WELLS CUTTING THE RIBBON WELLS VISITING A CLASSROOM STUDENTS AT THE
- Embargoed: 4th September 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Jordan
- Country: Jordan
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA3Q4UGIEP87L765D4CPQHZDPOH
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Jordan's Azraq refugee camp, to the east of capital Amman, got a new school on Wednesday (August 19) for hundreds of Syrian children.
With more than 21,000 people living in the camp, Azraq is the second-largest refugee camp for Syrians in Jordan.
Nearly 1,300 Syrian children will be able to catch up on missed schooling.
The school has been constructed by the U.S. government and is run by UNICEF's partner Relief International.
It will also provide extra classes for students preparing for Jordan's general secondary examination.
U.S ambassador to Jordan Alice Wells opened the school.
"The problem has been that there are many Syrian children who have been so many years out of school, that they're not able to go right back into the classroom," she said.
"So this centre is going to bring them up to speed, give them the skills they need in Arabic, in Math and reading, and ultimately they'll be able to rejoin the classroom, but more importantly, to be able to live dignified lives as professionals when they graduate and hopefully return to Syria," she added.
Syrian refugee Rahaf, who fled from Deraa, said she is looking forward to going back to the classroom.
"Education is greatly important. It's a weapon, a weapon for all those who have it. A person who is uneducated and doesn't use his time wisely will not succeed," she said.
Nearly 35 teachers and case managers will volunteer at the remedial centre.
The camp also got a new borehole. Water is currently trucked from 45 km outside the camp. The facility will cut transportation costs.
"The borehole facility provides water which, of course, is essential to the camp's operations, we're going to save 50 percent of what it costs to truck in money and this is a sustainable long-term supply of water for the camp," Wells said.
More than 600,000 refugees are registered in Jordan, with most of them living in urban areas and around 100,000 Syrians in the camps, according to the UNHCR.
More than 3.8 million people have fled Syria since 2011, when the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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