"It demonstrates effective teaching methods, integrated classes, and local collaborations can significantly uplift educational prospects for refugee children."
That's the takeaway from a new study published in the International Journal of Comparative Education and Development, which looked at a seven-year remedial education program for Syrian refugee and Jordanian children in Jordan.
The study's lead author, Taro Komatsu, explains in a press release that education is a "long-term need" in a world where 43.3 million child refugees are living in first asylum countries as of 2022, and more than 75% of them drop out before reaching secondary level.
But Komatsu and his team found that refugee children showed increased willingness to continue their education, with 95% expressing a strong desire to learn, and their math scores improved significantly, eventually matching Jordanian students' scores.
The study focused on core subjects like Arabic, English, and math, but also included psychosocial activities to bridge the gap between Syrian and Jordanian students.
"The program not only focused on core subjects like Arabic, English, and math but also incorporated psychosocial activities to bridge the gap between Syrian and Jordanian students," Komatsu says.
"Furthermore, the program fostered positive relationships between Syrian students and Jordanian students significantly improved their math scores, eventually matching their Jordanian peers."
(Another recent study found that
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Caroline Diehl is a serial social entrepreneur in the impact media space. She is Executive Chair and Founder of the UK’s only charitable and co-operatively owned national broadcast television channel Together TV, the leading broadcaster for social change runs a national TV channel in the UK and digital platform which helps people find inspiration to do good in their lives and communities.