250 Syrian refugees to attend secondary school newly rehabilitated by UNESCO in Kawergosk Camp

2 February 2015, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – On 1 February 2015, in partnership with the Ministry of Education in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, UNESCO held a ceremony, to inaugurate the newly rehabilitated Jger Khwen Secondary School for Syrian Refugees in Kawergosk Camp.

The school rehabilitation was carried out with financial support from UNHCR, with supplementary resources from the Government of Japan within the framework of the project ‘Expanding secondary education for Syrian refugees in Iraq’.

‘When I look at this school, I see hope. The new building has already allowed girls and boys to attend school together. It is our aspiration that, with the improved environment, students will be encouraged to come to school regularly’, said Ms Eszter Szucs, UNESCO Project Manager.

The ceremony was held at the presence of government and educational officials from Kurdistan Regional Government, including Mr Jamal Montaq, Mayor of Kawergosk, teachers, parents and local and international implementing partners.

With six new classrooms, the Jger Khwen Secondary School will host up to 250 girls and boys. The inauguration event also included a school tour, a musical performance by a student and an award giving ceremony to recognize the highest achieving students in Kawergosk Camp.

The Kurdistan Region of Iraq currently hosts up to 97% of Syrian refugees residing in Iraq. Of those, approximately 30% are school aged children. As educational services and systems in Iraq become increasingly strained to accommodate the large numbers of Syrian students, UNESCO and the Kurdistan Regional Government are working with the generous contribution from the Japanese Government to rehabilitate existing schools and establish new schools, so that increased learning opportunities can be provided to Syrian refugees.