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Education at Risk: The Dangerous Consequences of School Dropout of Syrian Girls

Only 25% of secondary-education-aged Syrian refugee girls in Jordan attend secondary education. While children with a secondary education are often more likely to be healthier and have a higher chance of finding a job to escape poverty, these young girls face severe barriers to staying in school. The dropout rate starts to increase significantly around the age of 12. Consequently, fewer than 7,000 of the 27,000 Syrian refugee children aged 16 to 18 are currently enrolled in school, which represents approximately 25%.

The most common barriers driving this low enrollment include poverty and a lack of affordable and safe transportation. Additionally, the poor quality of education available for Syrian girls and administrative barriers to enrollment heavily restrict their access. Families also face a lack of accommodations for children with disabilities, alongside a low perceived value of continuing education for Syrians given their limited professional opportunities in Jordan.

Dropping out of school can have major, lasting consequences for these children. When forced out of the education system, they face a heavily increased risk of child labor, child marriage, and sexual violence. Ultimately, these barriers trap them in poverty and leave them vulnerable to being recruited by extremist armed groups. (Human Rights Watch, 2020)