UNICEF: Around 100,000 Lebanese children risk missing new school year

BEIRUT, July 04 (YPA) –  About 100,000 Lebanese children risk missing the new school year unless war-damaged schools are repaired by September, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said in a statement Thursday.

The warning came after a nationwide survey by UNICEF and Lebanon’s Ministry of Education and Higher Education found widespread damage across the country’s education sector from the recent Middle East conflict.

The assessment found that 340 public, private and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) schools have been damaged, including 17 schools that have been completely destroyed.

The damage spans many of the governorates most affected by the conflict, including Nabatiyeh, South Lebanon, Bekaa, Baalbek-Hermel, Beirut and Mount Lebanon. While some schools sustained minor damage, many require extensive rehabilitation or complete reconstruction before they can safely welcome students and teachers back, according to UNICEF.

@E.Y.M