07/10/12

The European Commission said Sunday it has granted 4.6 million euros ($6 million) to the UN children’s fund to educate children in Syrian refugee camps in Jordan.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, accompanied by UNICEF chief Anthony Lake, announced the grant during a visit to a school in the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan.

“We have to ensure that families who have had to flee their country can live in decent conditions and that their children do not lose their right to education and to a brighter future,” Barroso said, according to a commission statement.

The statement said the donation covers teacher training and salaries, school fees, textbooks, school equipment and refurbishment, support for children in need and other costs.

The school that opened last week can host up to 2,200 pupils and UNICEF seeks eventually to expand its capacity to accommodate up to 5,000.

-AFP