Syrian Official Criticizes Turkey, Lebanon Over Refugee Children Education

Syria's Assistant Education Minister Farah Mutlaq on Thursday criticized Turkey and Lebanon for failing to provide education to millions of Syrian refugee children, in a comment to Sputnik

DAMASCUS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th July, 2019) Syria's Assistant Education Minister Farah Mutlaq on Thursday criticized Turkey and Lebanon for failing to provide education to millions of Syrian refugee children, in a comment to Sputnik.

"Many international [aid] organizations mention children in Turkey but has it ever been mentioned that our neighbor Turkey closes schools where they teach in Arabic and forces Syrians to attend Turkish-language schools?" he said.

Mutlaq added Lebanon was not schooling enough Syrians despite receiving financial support from Western donors.

He said children who missed years of education needed intensive learning, something that was not offered in Lebanon.

He praised Egypt and Jordan for treating Syrian children as their own, including providing them with adequate education opportunities.

There are 3.6 million Syrian refugees registered in Turkey, almost a million in Lebanon, some 662,000 in Jordan and 131,000 in Egypt, according to the UN refugee agency's July figures.