The dropout rate could increase to 50 percent in coming months as conflicts intensify, Peter Salama, the agency`s regional chief, told The Associated Press.
"We are on the verge of losing a generation of children in this region," he said. "We must act now or we will certainly regret the consequences." He said UNICEF needs an additional $300 million this year to make a dent in the numbers and give more children access to education. The agency so far has received $140 million, or 40 percent of its 2015 appeal, for the education of displaced Syrians. Thursday`s report marks the first attempt to show the scope of the regional education crisis, Salama said.
UNICEF: 40 percent school dropouts in conflict areas
04 September 2015
Read: 999
An estimated 13.7 million school age children from Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Libya and Sudan are not in school, out of a total of 34 million, UNICEF said.
