The United Nations is warning that over half of the world's refugee children do not attend school.
In a report released this afternoon, the UN Refugee agency UNHCR said some four million refugee children do not attend school - an increase of 500,000 since last year.
The report, 'Turn the Tide: Refugee Education in Crisis,' has warned that there was more than 25.4 million refugees around the world at the end of last year.
It said 52% of these were children - including 7.4million who are of school age.
An Afghan child goes to school in Pakistan thanks to the Educate A Child (EAC) Programme
Speaking as the report was published, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi warned: "“Education is a way to help children heal, but it is also key to rebuilding their countries.”
“Without education, the future of these children and their communities will be irrevocably damaged,” he said.
According to the UN agency, only 61% of refugee children attend primary school - compared to 92% of children globally.
The attendance rate becomes even more concerning when it comes to second level - with nearly two-thirds of refugee children who go to primary school not progressing on to secondary level.
Second shift schools provide an education to Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Image: UNHCR
In total, 23% of refugee children attend secondary school, compared to 84% of children globally.
Meanwhile only 1% of refugees is able to access college education - a figure that has not changed in the past three years.
Mr Grandi noted that school is often the "first place in months or even years where refugee children find any normality."
“Based on current patterns, unless urgent investment is undertaken, hundreds of thousands more children will join these disturbing statistics,” he said.
Henriette Kiwele Kiyambi, 21, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, working on her Natural Beauty app at the App Factory in Dzeleka refugee camp in Malawi. Image: UNHCR
The report calls for action to ensure that all refugees get the quality education they deserve.
It said all host countries should work to enrol refugee children in their national school systems and ensure they are being taught a "proper curriculum, all the way through primary and secondary school."
Warning that countries in developing regions host 92% of the world's refugees, it calls for "more sustained financial support from the international community."
It said stronger partnerships between government's and the private sector, NGOs and humanitarian organisations can increase sustainable solutions for refugee education.
