UN lauds Ethiopia on World Refugee Day for inclusive education policies for refugee kids

The UN refugee agency UNHCR has commended Ethiopia for its efforts towards inclusive education policies for refugee children and the youth.

The Agency for Refugee and Returnee Affairs (ARRA), an Ethiopian governmental organization, and UNHCR together with humanitarian partners on Friday marked the World refugee Day, with a call for greater inclusion of refugees in education, reports Xinhua news agency.

Global displacement figures have hit a historic high of more than 82 million people, according to the report on UNHCR's Global Trends in Forced Displacement released Friday.

Girls and boys under the age of 18 account for 42 per cent of all forcibly displaced people.

As the third largest refugee hosting country on the African continent, Ethiopia hosts nearly 800,000 refugees of whom 52 per cent are school-aged children, and nearly half of them are still waiting for a chance to go to school.

In Ethiopia, 55 per cent of refugee children are in school, according to UNHCR.

 A mother separated from her 2 children during the conflict of Ethiopia's violence-hit Tigray region, cooks dinner.

UNHCR's Representative Ann Encontre has commended the efforts and inclusive policies of the Ethiopian government which have resulted in "remarkable progress in increasing the enrolment of refugee children and the youth over the last few years".

Schools have reopened following extended closure due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Meeting the necessary Covid-19 precautionary measures, however, remains a challenge as most schools are congested and have limited handwashing facilities and other amenities, said UNHCR in its statement.

Ethiopia's progressive refugee law grants refugees access to education and allows qualified refugees to obtain work permits.

World refugee Day is observed every year on June 20.

Indo-Asian News Service