Yaqeen resumes her education journey with her son
Digital learning provides learning opportunities for children in Al Hol
Al Hol camp, northeast Syria - Seventeen-year-old Yaqeen had to drop out of school in grade 6 after she was forced to marry at an early age and flee home for a safer refuge in northeast Syria.
Displaced more than once, Yaqeen ended up with her mother and her four-year-old son in the Al Hol camp with limited access to basic services. She was eager to return to learning, so after hearing from some friends in the camp about a UNICEF-supported learning centre, she enrolled there.
Yaqeen benefits from the ‘self-learning’ programme, supported by UNICEF, to help out-of-school children and children at risk of dropping out to continue their education. She is in grade 7 and through the digital learning modality - using a laptop, tablet or a mobile phone- she is able to access interactive lessons and learning materials.
“In digital learning, children play a vital role in the learning process. For example, the platform offers a virtual laboratory where children can test, select, or make experiments. It makes learning more interesting, and children can see their results and achievements immediately.”
While Yaqeen attends digital learning classes, her son, little Saifeddin, benefits from UNICEF-supported early childhood education classes at the same centre. Together with other pre-school-aged children, he learns basic skills that will prepare him for starting school.
“I enjoy using a laptop and the ‘International Computer Driving License’ lessons,” said Yaqeen. “I look forward to attending my classes in the digital classroom, and I hope to be able to continue my education to become a nurse in the future,” she added.
In 2023, UNICEF has reached some 2,000 students in Al-Hasakeh governorate, northeast Syria, through the digital learning modality. The activities were funded by EU Humanitarian Aid (ECHO), the Government of Italy, the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), and U.S. Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration.
