First-Ever Internationally Recognized Formal Educational Program for Refugees Launches In Syria

SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept. 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Offering formal education within volatile regions globally, World Refugees School (WRS) proudly announces the successful delivery of its first wave of student graduation certificates, quality assured by the internationally recognized organisation, City & Guilds, to more than 6,000 students across six different locations in North Syria. 

WRS, a nonprofit organization providing formal education for refugee and displaced children worldwide, has officially received Assured status for its K-12 program by City & Guilds - a global leader in skills development. This demonstrates the high quality of the program, making it the first and only formally accredited refugee education program in the world.

WRS uniquely introduces a comprehensive formal education solution that is based on national and international curriculum. The WRS Solution provides its students with internationally accredited certificates for each grade completed, verifying educational outcomes. The solution also utilizes technology to compensate for the lack of educational resources in targeted areas of the world, including digitized textbooks, an e-learning platform, and the use of mobile classrooms that foster job creation for locally qualified teachers and administrators, thereby contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) #4 on Quality Education and Goal #8 on Decent Work and Economic Growth.

WRS is also committed to bringing the human right to education to many of the world's 123 million girls currently living with no access to schools merely because of their gender, further contributing to SDG #5 on Gender Equality. "We aim to penetrate the greatest number of regions and deliver quality education to refugee and displaced children worldwide. We believe that each child on this planet deserves access to high quality formal education no matter what the circumstances are. We, at WRS, will not compromise on the quality of education offered to those who need it most," Mr. Jehad Ibrahim, Chief Strategy Officer of WRS stated.

The latest UNHCR numbers count 68.5 million people who are refugees or forcibly displaced; more than half of these being children, and 50% of whom receive no education. The UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) further estimates that more than 500 million children and adolescents in the world do not reach minimum proficiency levels in reading and math, bringing the global education gap to crisis scale. WRS seeks to meet an urgent need, in joint-collaboration with regional partners and providers.

Jeremy Dahdi, Executive Director International and Digital Credentials at City & Guilds said: "At City & Guilds, we focus on identifying the most in-demand skills and develop dynamic learning programmes that have a measurable impact on people, organisations and economies. We believe in a world where everyone has the skills and opportunities to succeed and where no one is denied access to education. We are delighted to support World Refugees School for refugee and displaced children worldwide and provide young people with the means to showcase their skills through digital credentials, connecting them to opportunities in the wider world."   

WRS currently provides continuous technical, administrative, logistical and financial support to 6 pilot schools in North Syria. The organization aims to expand the project to more than 40 schools across North Syria, with additional pilots launching globally in the year to come.

About World Refugees School 
WRS was founded in 2017 by a number of private sector organizations devoted to global refugee educational needs. Its main mission is to solve the education problem for the worlds refugee children, displaced children and children in fragile communities.

About the City & Guilds Group
The City & Guilds Group is a world leader in skills development with 140 years of unrivalled experience. Working in over 100 countries around the world, our purpose is to enable people, organisations and economies to develop their skills for growth.  The Group supports people into a job, on the job and into the next job by helping individuals, businesses and economies to thrive.

City & Guilds, which is part of the Group, develops qualifications, apprenticeships and assessments from entry level through to management. We also accredit skills training and help individuals to showcase their skills through digital credentialing using open badges.

SOURCE World Refugees School

Related Links

https://www.wrschool.org