Background Paper The Learning Generation An Education for the Future The Schooling Experience of Syrian Refugee Children in Lebanon and Germany Maha Shuayb, Nada Al Maghlouth, Katharina Held, Nader Ahmad, Thaera Badran and Saba Al Qantar Centre for Lebanese Studies This paper was prepared for the International Commission on Financing Global Education Opportunity as a background paper for the report, The Learning Generation: Investing in education for a changing world. The views and opinions in this background paper are those of the author(s) and are not endorsed by the Education Commission or its members. For more information about the Commission’s report, please visit: report.educationcommission.org. AN EDUCATION FOR THE FUTURE: THE SCHOOLING EXPERIENCE OF SYRIAN REFUGEE CHILDREN IN LEBANON AND GERMANY Maha Shuayb, Nada Al Maghlouth, Katharina Held, Nader Ahmad, Thaera Badran and Saba Al Qantar Funded by Global Education Opportunity 2016 1 Copyright © 2016 Centre for Lebanese Studies All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the Centre for Lebanese Studies. Write to us in the UK at: Centre for Lebanese Studies C/o 14 Airlie Gardens London W8 7AL Lebanon: Centre for Lebanese Studies 4th Floor, Domtex Building Hamra Street, Beirut, Lebanon. PO box: 5562 Tel: +961 1741684 [email protected] 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES ............................................................................................................ 4 LIST OF ACRONYMS ........................................................................................................................... 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...................................................................................................................... 6 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................. 18 OBJECTIVES .................................................................................................................................... 20 CHAPTER ONE: THE CONTEXT .......................................................................................................... 22 A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE LEBANESE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM....................................................................... 22 A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE GERMAN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM........................................................................ 24 EDUCATION PROVISIONS FOR SYRIAN REFUGEES IN LEBANON ....................................................................... 25 EDUCATION PROVISIONS FOR REFUGEES IN GERMANY ................................................................................ 29 CHAPTER TWO: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................... 34 1. Understanding the Policy Context ...................................................................................... 34 2. Schooling Experiences ....................................................................................................... 35 3. Out of School Experiences .................................................................................................. 36 SAMPLE ......................................................................................................................................... 37 LIMITATIONS................................................................................................................................... 37 CHAPTER THREE: THE EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES OF SYRIAN REFUGEE CHILDREN IN LEBANON AND GERMANY ....................................................................................................................................... 39 Access and Enrolment Provisions For Syrian Refugees in Lebanese and German Schools ............... 39 Syrian Refugee Students’ Perceptions of School .......................................................................... 43 SOCIAL INTEGRATION OF SYRIAN REFUGEES IN EDUCATION ......................................................................... 59 CHAPTER FOUR: DROPOUT CHILDREN IN LEBANON: CAUSES AND FUTURE PROSPECTS ..................... 66 Causes for Dropping Out of School:............................................................................................ 66 Current Activities Post Dropping out of School: ........................................................................... 69 Future Prospects: ..................................................................................................................... 69 CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION: FUTURE PROSPECTS FOR SYRIAN REFUGEES IN LEBANON ................... 71 BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................................................ 74 3 LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES Figure 1: Perceptions of Syrian Students towards School in Both Lebanon & Germany ............................ 44 Figure 2 Aspects Syrian Students would Change in School in Lebanon According to Type of Shifts .......... 45 Figure 3: Percentage of Syrian Students who Struggle with Lessons in Lebanon & Germany ................... 46 Figure 4: Frequency of Pedagogy Methods Used by Teachers in Lebanon and Germany .......................... 49 Figure 5: Perceptions & Attitudes of Syrian Students towards Foreign language in Lebanon and Germany ............................................................................................................................................................. 51 Figure 6: Percentage of Syrian Students who Struggle with their Homework in Lebanon & Germany ..... 54 Figure 7: Percentage of Teachers who Correct their Students’ Homework in Lebanon and Germany ...... 54 Figure 8: Percentage of Syrian Students with Negative Experiences at Schools in Lebanon & Germany .. 60 Figure 9 Nationality of Friends in Lebanon and Germany ........................................................................... 61 Table 1. Educational Levels in Lebanon ....................................................................................................... 22 4 LIST OF ACRONYMS ALP Accelerated Learning Programme CERD The Centre for Educational Research and Development DOPS Orientation and Counselling Department MEHE The Ministry of Education and Higher Education (In Lebanon) NGO Non-Governmental Organisation PSS Psychosocial Support RACE Reaching All Children with Education in Lebanon SPSS Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (a software for statistical analysis) UNHCR The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNICEF The United Nations Children's Emergency Fund UNOCHAR United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. UNRWA United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This study compares the education provisions and schooling experiences of Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Germany and examines the future prospects of Syrian refugees who drop out of Lebanese public schools. While the latter seeks to identify opportunities for reintegration into the education system for valuable vocational and life skills, the country comparison seeks to highlight examples of best practices for reintegration of out-of-school Syrian refugees in education programmes, reduce dropout rates, and position Syrian students for success after graduation in Lebanon or around the world. The study also highlights ways for improving enrolment and retention rates in Lebanese and German schools. The study acknowledges the acute differences between the economic and political situations in Germany and Lebanon and the implications on the ability of each country to host refugees. The percentage of refugees in Lebanon to the local population is the highest in the world, as Syrian refugees make up a third of the current population now. In contrast, refugees comprise a mere 3% of the total population of Germany. In order to meet these objectives, the study relied primarily on qualitative instruments in three different stages: desk review, in-depth interviews, and comparative school case studies in Lebanon and Germany. We also administered student surveys for quantitative analysis and comparison of student schooling experiences in both countries. Before presenting the main findings of the study, it is important to highlight the limitations best summarised as a lack of time and overlap with many holidays and end-of-year exams which limited the sample size of the study, particularly in Germany. We had less than two months to plan and complete the study. This affected several decisions, including the inability to reach areas in eastern Germany or to interview policy makers in the various federal states hosting Syrian refugees. Moreover, it was not possible to find dropouts in Germany as a point of comparison either due to the recent influx and enrolment of Syrian refugees or due to the limited time of the project which undermined our ability to locate them. Finally, families were reluctant to discuss their social and political activities. This last limitation impacted our interest in the relationship between dropping out of school