A powerful statement from a peer, Kayri Shanahan;

‘Ultimately, I think we need to consider what education we are hoping to deliver. Is it just literacy and numeracy skills? Is it life and survival skills? Is it psychosocial skills, perhaps in the forms of art-therapy or involvement in sport? Is it encouraging creativity and imagination in an environment where there are limited freedoms?’

Before creating a future learning space for refugee students in Za’atari, it is important to consider what I hope to achieve from this environment. Having specific goals and desired outcomes for the space will help to keep it’s creation and implementation focused and on track.

So what education would I hope to deliver within a future learning space for Za’atari children? Ideally, a Holistic education. An education that meets ALL the needs of the children who have been through the ordeal that they have. An education that supports students in finding identity, meaning, and purpose in life through connections to the community, to the natural world, and to humanitarian values such as compassion and peace.

Psychological skills: 

First and foremost, the psychological damage inflicted on these students through witnessing things like conflict and war, and through experiences of loss and displacement need to be responded to. Many children at Za’atari bear psychological scars from the trauma they have experienced, and in order for them to re gain their faith in humanity and their feelings of self worth, it is of great importance that this need for students is met. Teachers need to practise empathy, support and guidance towards these children and their feelings/emotions so that they can go back to being exactly that – children.

Cognitive development (basic numeracy and literacy):

These children wont remain in a refugee camp forever. They will eventually be able to return to the ‘real world’ where they will be expected to continue their education in regular schools or become active members of their community through participation in the workforce. Either way, it is vital that at least basic literacy and numeracy education be continued so that transition back to ‘normal’ life is as smooth and uninterrupted as possible.

But what else?

These children need life skills to help them survive in the liminal space and the world outside the camp, and they need to be given hope for a brighter future in a place where all hope has been diminished. It is also important to remember that they are still children, and should be participating in education that is engaging, fun and exciting.

“Faced with overcrowded makeshift classrooms, limited supplies, and traumatised students, teachers at the Zaatari Refugee Camp say the task of educating thousands of displaced Syrian children is proving a challenge”. (The Jordan Times, 2012)

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There are multiple organisations working within Za’atari refugee camp that are providing educational services to the many school aged refugee children. This list includes, but is not limited to; UNICEF, Save the Children (STC), UNFPA etc. Whist it is good to see that education has not fully ceased, there are many major issues with the attendance levels and the education that is being provided. Let me explain…

Education in the Fragile Context that is Za’atari.

I feel that I am safe in stating that any education being delivered in Za’atari is being done so within a fragile context. It was for this reason that the infographic below, taken from then Global Partner for Education website, caught my attention. I feel that the information and ideas presented here are insightful and highly relevant to the Za’atari Refugee Camp and have influenced my thought process towards creating a future learning space (FLS).

Some of the text from this infographic that really stood out to me include:

• We need food and shelter, but education is what will give us the skills to rebuild communities when we can.
• Dispersed populations need creative solutions. (depicted by the ‘school on a bus’ – what a great idea!)
• There are huge displaced populations who need portable education. (Again, a possible link to the ‘school on a bus’)
• Break the cycle of poverty and conflict through increasing education.
• Need a single vision that can work flexibly as a crises arises or lessens.

Implications for Za’atari Teachers

Something that I hadn’t previously considered about the education within Za’atari is the role of the curriculum – one of the issues the teachers are facing. This implication was brought to my attention by the article ‘Education in the second largest refugee camp‘. Because the camp is located in Jordan, the Jordanian curriculum is implemented and must therefore be taught by Jordanian teachers. Syrian teachers are only given assistant teacher roles, even if they are more qualified or experienced than the Jordanian teachers. This idea of the curriculum becoming a barrier for education in Za’atari is something that I feel can and should be changed. The soil in which the camp is located should not dictate what is taught and by whom. The education provided to these children should be dictated by their needs (because their needs will differ greatly to non refugee students) and should be taught to them by whoever is most competent to do so.

Education Barriers

The article mentioned above, along side the joint education needs assessment report titled ‘Access to Education for Syrian Refugee Children in Zaatari Camp Jordan‘  have concluded the following factors as some of the major education barriers, negatively impacting student attendance and increasing number of drop outs in Za’atari schools:

• Violence and harassment on the way to and from school
• Insecurity about leaving their families
• Having to help at home or work to earn money
• The distance to school
• Quality of the education is perceived as poor

These are some key factors that need to be considered in order to make positive changes to education within Za’atari.

The Education Facilities:

To put it bluntly, the education facilities of the schools in Za’atari are poor. But that is to be expected. These children are not as fortunate as myself to be gaining an education in a developed, first world country. The education available to them is being provided within a developing country, which struggles to provide quality education to its own people. It is therefore to be expected that the facilities are not going to be what we would consider as fantastic. The schools and teachers within the camp have to use the limited resources they have to the best of their ability – which is difficult due to their lack of experience. They have no internet access, and as we all know, effective education of the 21st century is both collaborative and connected – it almost makes this ‘education improving’ task impossible! Basic resources are limited and the class sizes are huge, making one on one time, individual feedback and follow up an extraordinarily difficult, if not impossible, task for teachers.

For me, all of these education issues and barriers within Za’atari consolidate the need for the design and implementation of future learning space, tailored specifically for the needs of refugee children.