£15 million UK grant to develop education, integrate Syrian students

AMMAN — The United Kingdom on Wednesday said it will grant Jordan £15 million (over JD17 million) to develop primary education and integrate Syrian refugees into the education system.

British Ambassador to Jordan Peter Millett said education is a key element of building a stronger Jordan for the future.  

“I am delighted that the UK will be supporting the improvement of primary school education as a major contribution to this vital part of Jordan’s future,” he told The Jordan Times.

Additional aid worth £10 million (around JD11.6 million) will be given to Jordan and Lebanon to secure drinking water for 60,000 Syrian refugees and shelter for over 18,500 people, according to a British embassy statement sent to The Jordan Times.

“The situation in Syria remains extremely volatile and I welcome this further affirmation of UK support for those nations who are generously hosting large numbers of refugees, including Jordan,” Millett added.

The grant to Jordan is part of a new £100 million (around JD116 million) UK grant in response to the Syrian crisis, which UK Secretary of State for International Development Justine Greening announced on Wednesday at the UN General Assembly in New York.

Speaking at the General Assembly, Greening said the world must further support Syrian refugees.

“In the last few days tens of thousands of Syrians have fled into Turkey to escape [Islamic State] extremists, a further reminder of just how volatile the situation in Syria remains. As needs continue to grow, the world’s generosity must keep pace.” 

“We must show the children and young people of the region that there is an alternative to the bloody narratives of IS and the regime… a future of hope not hatred,” the embassy statement quoted her as saying.

Greening highlighted the need to meet immediate and long-term needs of children and young people in the region.

The new cross-border aid to Syria includes 1.3 million food rations and drinking water for 350,000 people in hard-to-reach areas in the politically unstable country, in addition to protection and therapeutic services for young people traumatised by the conflict.

The new fund brings the UK’s total aid to the Syrian crisis to £700 million, which is Britain’s largest ever response to a humanitarian crisis, according to the statement.