“No one can stop us.”
It’s a busy day at the school in Debaga 2 camp just south of Erbil, in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, where students are taking their exams.
Malek, 12, fled conflict in her hometown of Haji Ali last year. She now lives in the camp with her mother and three younger siblings.
Like many displaced students in Debaga, Malek has not been to school since extremists took control of her town — and her school’s curriculum — in 2014. That changed when a new school opened in the camp in October 2016.
“This morning I had Arabic and English exams, and I was very nervous at first,” she says. “But when I started writing, I calmed down. I think I’ll pass.”
Debaga camp was opened in 2015, but in 2016 quickly exceeded its capacity as families fleeing conflict in the Mosul region flooded in. The camp’s original school in Debaga 1 was pressed into service as emergency shelter for women and children — leaving the camp without a school. And as even more displaced families arrived, a nearby football stadium took the camp’s overflow. When that capacity was exceeded, Debaga 2 was built.
Supported by a generous contribution from the People of Japan, three schools have been built in the three camps in Debaga, for children in grades one through six. Altogether more than 3,301 children are enrolled.
Muhammed Ali is the headmaster of Debaga 2 school, which has enrolled more than 700 students. “We’re doing extra courses for the students who’ve been out of school for two years,” he says. “We have classes in English, Arabic, religious studies, science and mathematics.”
On this day classrooms in the lower grades are full with excited children who’re wrapped up against the winter cold. They are happy and outgoing and eager to talk to visitors, showing off their art work and their English skills. “I can count to 10 in English,” 10-year-old Samir says.
“It’s so important for children to gain an education. If they’re not educated they cannot contribute to the country,” Mohammed says. “We want an educated and sophisticated generation. We’re going to provide that; and no-one can stop us.”
Chris Niles is a Communications Consultant with UNICEF Iraq.
Support from the People of Japan is also helping children who’ve returned to Fallujah get back to learning. Read more here: http://bit.ly/2jCBBCf
