Four mullion refugee children do not attend school, an increase of half a million of out-of-school refugee children in just one year, the UN Refugee Agency said in a statement. 

“By the end of 2017, there were more than 25.4 million refugees around the world, 19.9 million of them under UNHCR’s mandate. More than half – 52 per cent – were children. Among them, 7.4 million were of school age,” the statement said.

“Education is a way to help children heal, but it is also key to rebuilding their countries,” said Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees. “Without education, the future of these children and their communities will be irrevocably damaged.”

According to him, school is the first place in months or even years where refugee children find any normality.

“Based on current patterns, unless urgent investment is undertaken, hundreds of thousands more children will join these disturbing statistics,” he added.

According to the report, 61 per cent of refugee children attend primary school, 23 per cent of refugee children attend secondary school, while only one per cent of refugee children have an opportunity for a higher education.