Back to Contents In a advocacy paper titled ‘Palestine refugees in Lebanon: Struggling to survive, UNRWA wrote: “The students who had access to distance learning during the pandemic experienced learning losses due to the closure of schools and the under-developed communications infrastructure in Lebanon and inside the camps, which is not conducive to online learning. The lack of a stable internet connection, access to smart devices and academic support at home (from parents and relatives) have pushed some students to disengage from school. […] “UNRWA indicates that the cases of child labour, including begging, rubbish collection and working regularly on the street, have risen during the pandemic, in addition to increased cases of child marriage, child abuse and harassment and violence against girls and women.” (Source: UNRWA, “Palestine Refugees in Lebanon: Struggling to Survive” 18 January 2022, p. 11) UNRWA also noted in 2022 that: “At the educational level, UNRWA estimates that more than 1,275 Palestine refugee students left school during the school year 2020-2021 in Lebanon, of whom 55 per cent left school as a result of psychological distress. The students who had access to distance learning during the pandemic experienced learning losses due to the closure of schools and the under-developed communications infrastructure in Lebanon and inside the camps, which is not conducive to online learning. The lack of a stable internet connection, access to smart devices and academic support at home (from parents and relatives) have pushed some students to disengage from school. Even after the end of the lockdowns and the re-opening of schools, students are still facing many challenges in attending their classes and enjoying an adequate learning experience. The rise of transportation costs is disrupting the students’ commute to school and the electricity cuts affect their studying hours. There are also reports [...] highlighting rising distress and violence against adolescents and young within the household, community or at school. Stress and violence have been increasing, especially that the pandemic-related tensions have been exacerbated by the economic and financial hardships that households are currently facing. UNRWA indicates that the cases of child labour, including begging, rubbish collection and working regularly on the street, have risen during the pandemic, in addition to increased cases of child marriage, child abuse and harassment and violence against girls and women.” (Source: UNRWA, “Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon: Struggling to Survive”, January 2022, p. 11) UN News reported in October 2021 that: “At least 1.2 million children, including Syrian and Palestinian refugees, have had their education disrupted for more than a year, according to the UN Children’s Fund.”43 (Source: UN News, “$383 million humanitarian plan to address ‘living nightmare’ in Lebanon”, October 1, 2021) A UNRWA report from 2021 provided information on the impacts of anti-Covid-19 measures on school attendance of Palestine refugee children in Lebanon, noting among others that “In Lebanon, girls reported an increase in online harassment and blackmailing through social media.”: “3.2.4. Addressing school drop-out In 2020, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the cumulative drop-out rate showed Agency-wide improvement for elementary school and preparatory school students compared to 2019. This improvement may be linked to the decision for automatic grade level promotion, which may have motivated students to stay in school. However, this improvement was not shown for all students. Indeed, drop-out rates increased in Lebanon and Jordan for elementary school students for both boys and girls. For both male and female preparatory school students, the drop-out rate increased in Lebanon, and the drop-out rate increased Agency-wide for female preparatory school students. 43 We were unable to clarify if this excerpt was referring to (Palestinian Refugees from Syria (PRS) or Syrian refugees who are not Palestinians. 8. Access to education for children 83