Supporting Vulnerable Girls and Boys to Access in Education in Lebanon (Dirasa)

Program Description

The UNICEF-funded program provides quality education for students across Lebanon through multiple, flexible pathways.

In Lebanon, extended political instability, an economic crisis, and an influx of refugees have placed tremendous stress on the basic education system. Access to formal education for children has been greatly hindered.

The pandemic, along with ongoing labor and wage disputes, has caused recurring school closures and substantial delays and gaps in student learning. Since 2019, the influx of Syrian refugees and more than 100,000 students moving from private to public schools due to a lack of financial resources has exacerbated the burden on an already overloaded system. Despite nationwide initiatives to resolve these challenges, the education system has struggled to keep pace, and student learning outcomes continue to remain below standards.

Through the UNICEF-funded School Bridging Program piloted in 2022-2023, World Learning created materials and strategic trainings to support and strengthen the education of 5,000 children who had previously been out of school but were newly enrolled across 19 schools. The program accomplished the following:

• Developed and distributed “Skills and Study” packages that helped primary students achieve grade-level language and math competency in a compressed timeframe.
• Trained 200 private and semi-private school teachers in adapted pedagogical techniques, including social-emotional learning and diagnostic and formative assessments, that teachers used to pinpoint and respond to students’ unique learning needs. Following initial trainings, teachers were provided ongoing classroom support through the program.
• Distributed classroom materials to the pilot schools, inclusive of math manipulatives, leveled books for classroom libraries, and resources for social-emotional learning.

Supporting Vulnerable Girls and Boys to Access in Education in Lebanon (Dirasa)

The Dirasa program is an extension of the School Bridging Program that aims to provide quality education opportunities in multiple, flexible ways to support students across Lebanon who previously have been out of school.

World Learning’s approach supports teachers’ ability to best engage students learning and close achievement gaps. We conduct teacher trainings on targeted classroom strategies, such as how to effectively administer diagnostic and formative assessments to identify ability levels and address learning loss. The program also delivers teaching resources, classroom materials, math manipulatives, library books, and tools to support social emotional learning.