$27m needed to cover education of Syrians — Thneibat

AMMAN — The Education Ministry needs an additional $27 million this year to cover the cost of serving Syrian students, Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Mohammad Thneibat said on Wednesday.

During a meeting with representatives of international donor organisations supporting the education sector, Thneibat said this gap in financing does not include the costs of building the 5,000 new classrooms required to keep up with the rising number of students.

He said more than 143,000 Syrian  students are enrolled in public schools, voicing his ministry's commitment to offer education services to all children, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

But the ministry, Thneibat said, needs international support to do so. 

The meeting covered the repercussions of the Syrian refugee influx on the local education sector, with the minister calling on the international community and donors to shoulder their responsibilities in securing education for Syrian students.

He thanked international donor organisations supporting the education sector. 

Attendees at the meeting praised the Education Ministry’s efforts in hosting Syrian students and offering them education alongside Jordanians.