$44 million funding
for quality education

EU support targets vulnerable children

The European Union (EU) has committed €40 million ($43.8 million) to help vulnerable children receive quality education, said the EU delegation to Lebanon.

“This new support, which will be implemented by UNICEF, will help the most marginalized boys and girls aged 3-18 years in accessing education, by reducing enrolment barriers,” the EU said in a statement.

UNICEF has rehabilitated 26 public schools this year and is expected to complete the rehabilitation of 80 schools in 2024. The aim is to foster an environment conducive for learning across the country, said Minister of Education and Higher Education Abbas Halabi.

The new EU funding will support the reform and modernization of the education sector and will contribute in particular to the Ministry of Education and Higher Education’s Five-Year Plan for General Education 2021-2025 and its Transition Resilience Education Fund.

The EU said it will fund the rehabilitation of 52 public schools next year, including equipping them with drinkable water and solar energy. It said its support of education for all in Lebanon has been its priority since 2017. More than 400,000 children have access every year to formal education and over 4,500 children with disabilities benefit from adapted school facilities and inclusive education in 110 public schools.