UN official: Iraq’s future depends on children’s education

Iraqi refugees in Syria were urged by Craig Johnston, deputy high commissioner of the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), to send more of their children to Syrian schools. Speaking to Iraqis July 19 at the UNHCR refugee center in Damascus, Johnston told about 200 gathered Iraqis, “It’s important for the future of Iraq and the future of your families that your children get a good education.” The remarks came days after the UNHCR launched a “Back to School” campaign aimed at getting more Iraqi children in Syria into local schools. At present, only 35,000 out of an estimated 250,000 school-aged Iraqi children are enrolled in Syrian schools despite the government's offer of free education. The UN Children's Agency (UNICEF) estimates that around half of all Iraqi refugees are children. Read the report at IRIN.