CLUSTER REPORTING IRAQ | FORTNIGHTLY PROGRESS REPORT Cluster EDUCATION Cluster lead and co-lead: SAVE THE CHIDLREN and UNICEF Reporting focal point contact details: SC National Cluster Coordinator, Katy Noble ([email protected]) Report date: 03 08 2016 Time period covered: 16 – 31st August 2016 Please note: Sections below should be in bulleted form and no more than 200 words each Overview Describe critical issues, emerging needs and key cluster concerns during reporting period. [Please keep information in this section focused on people’s needs. Needs such as staffing, capacity or need for better information should be described in the constraints section.] Erbil: Necessity to address and design interventions aimed at out-of-school students, especially in the urban settings, with an additional need for a wider education needs assessment at Erbil Governorate level. Ongoing lack of space for education. Kirkuk: Large numbers of IDPs are expected to arrive into Kirkuk from Hawija and other nearby areas. The Kirkuk Department of Education recently announced its financial inability to provide education for IDPs, which highlights the need for resource mobilization for education in Kirkuk. However, IDP students from last year will continue to have access to education in Kirkuk schools. IDP camp schools need more teachers to be transferred from the central or urban schools to IDP camp schools, and teacher transportation should be provided to these rural and distant school locations. Education partners should aim to pay monthly incentives to the informal IDP teachers in the camps. Dahuk: Improved cooperation is needed between Dohuk and Ninewa DoEs. DoE Ninewa to give the Cluster and Dahuk partners an updated plan of their Mosul education planning process. Educational needs are still unmet in the remote urban areas, in particular in Amedi and Zakho district, both for IDPs and refugees. Need for accurate and reliable service mapping covering all Dahuk Governorate and Northern Ninewa. Sulaymaniah: Students are dropping out of school because of a lack of transportation and because of teacher behaviour towards students. Organisations need to be careful with assessments and indications of support if they know they are unable to follow up with activities. Camps are lacking teachers, and teachers are not receiving regular salaries. Achievements Please describe humanitarian response activities in the cluster, including activities by partners during the reporting period. Please fill in the estimated total people reached with assistance in the cluster (first bullet point). [Please keep information in this section focused on people reached with assistance. Activities such as meetings, plans and strategies should be included in the coordination section.] Erbil: An education assessment conducted in Erbil District with over 2000 households assessed. IDP, refugee and host community students are accessing catch-up classes, recreational activities and psychosocial support. 6 schools are under rehabilitation, in addition to the construction of 2 new IDP schools (1 Debaga and 1 in Turaq). Kirkuk: Cluster report | 2 The construction of 9 unfinished school buildings is almost finished and their opening is planned for IDPs on 1st October. 10 non-formal education centres are functioning for over 5000 IDP student, in addition to the rehabilitation of 10 schools buildings. Sulaymaniah: Back to School campaigns are ongoing to register refugees children in Ranya, Said Sadiq and Sulaymaniyah. Construction of prefab schools have been finished in rural villages in Khanaqin and handed over to DoE Diyala in Khanaqin. Rehabilitations ongoing in 8 Refugee school buildings, adapting them to support for children with disabilities. Summer school courses and sessions are ongoing throughout Sulaymaniah. A youth-friendly spaces opened in Arbat Refugee Camp, and a Kindergarten is being run also. Dahuk: Back to School Campaigns are to be conducted throughout Dahuk, to target out-of-school children and new enrolment. Summer activities are ongoing, including recreational sessions and catch up classes. Community meetings and focus group discussions have taken place in Domiz camp regarding children with special needs` access to education, and in Zummar sub-district, on the educational barriers faced by the community. Youth projects are ongoing, including IT and English classes. Graduation ceremonies have taken place celebrating the children’s success in IDP camps summer activities. Rehabilitation work is ongoing in schools across Zummar and Rebea. Outstanding needs Describe the outstanding needs/operational gaps for affected people. “Gaps” refer to people in need who have not yet received assistance. Erbil: Need to increase secondary education opportunities for girls, as well as provide educational opportunities for most vulnerable children and out-of-school children and youth in urban areas. Ongoing need for transportation for students and salaries for teachers. Kirkuk: Need to cover teacher incentives for informal IDP teachers in camp schools. Dahuk: Refugee and IDP children in the urban remote areas (such as Amedi district in Dahok Governorate) did not receive enough support from education partners because of their small numbers within the host-communities. An assessment is needed to locate such untargeted schools. Schools located in Zakho, Batifa and Darkar lack electricity and equipment (such as air coolers and water dispensers). Constraints Describe constraints faced by cluster partners. [Please keep information in this section focused on obstacles to operational programmes such as insufficient funding, impeded access, no available information, high turn-over etc.] Erbil: Partners face difficulties in following and clearly understanding procedures for work authorization (ERC, Khanmakhan, Mayor, Asayesh) Kirkuk: IDP teachers in Kirkuk centre do not go to teach in camp schools, which creates a gap in the educational staff in camp schools, and the DoE does not have a strong mechanism to push deploying teachers. Cluster is working with the Education Committee in Kirkuk Governorate Building (KGB) to obtain a letter from the Governor directing teachers on this, however funds for teacher transportation will be required here. Coordination Cluster report | 3 Please indicate any important developments in cluster coordination, such as the launch of a new strategy, plans for needs assessments, etc. If no significant developments have occurred, please leave this section blank. Kirkuk: Education partners are encouraged to be more engaged with the Sub-National Education Cluster in Kirkuk to coordinate and respond to the needs. Kirkuk partners received a one-day training on how to use and upload their project reporting in ActivityInfo. Dahuk: Coordination improvements needed for partners working in Akre. 2 new Focal Points for the Dahuk Sub-National Cluster have been assigned and are coordinating Education planning for Quadrant 1a and Quadrant 2 for Mosul preparedness. .