UNHCR Warns Nearly Half of Refugee Children Remain Out of School Amid Funding Cuts
The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, has reported that nearly six million refugee children were out of school last year, representing close to half of all displaced children. The agency warns that funding cuts to UN agencies and mounting economic pressures threaten to reverse years of progress in refugee education. UNHCR's latest annual report on education highlights that while access to primary schooling has improved, the transition to secondary education remains a critical bottleneck, with enrollment rates plummeting as children age. Factors contributing to this include language barriers, pressure to enter the workforce, and a severe shortage of qualified teachers and infrastructure in host communities. Last month, UNHCR announced a 16 percent budget cut and a reduction of 3,500 staff members. The agency oversees 35.5 million refugees and others in need of international protection, along with nine million asylum seekers and approximately 69 million internally displaced persons.
