BEIRUT — Syrians escaping the civil war that has been raging in their country since March 2011 now account for almost one-third of Lebanon’s population. They represent a huge burden for Lebanon and are affecting various sectors, including the public education system.

In June 2011, the number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon stood at 2,000, but today, according to Lebanon's Ministry of Education and Higher Education, the number of Syrians registered with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has reached 1.181 million. Media reports cite an unofficial figure of 1.8 million. According to numbers Al-Monitor obtained from the ministry, 400,000 of the refugees are of school age, 3-15 years old, but only 150,000 of them, 37.5%, are studying in Lebanese public schools.

Syrian children not attending school are being deprived of an education because their parents have not sought to enroll them or due to their inability to keep pace with the educational program after extended absences. The Ministry of Education has therefore developed an extracurricular, four-month Accelerated Learning Program to enable students to catch up and stay in the educational system. The largest number of school-aged refugee children are in Baalbek-Hermel, the Bekaa Valley, Mount Lebanon and the north.

Under normal circumstances, the Lebanese state covers students’ public education fees and the cost of books. This, however, changed with the Syrian war and the ensuing influx of refugee because of the state’s limited capacity to cope. All children are entitled to free education in Lebanon, prohibiting discrimination between a Lebanese and a Syrian student. Lebanon, therefore, called for international assistance to deal with the increased number of students.