Adnan and Batoul Al-Shall are two siblings that benefitted from the “Supporting the Completion of Basic Education for Syrian Refugees in Lebanon” project, funded by King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief), and implemented by the Lebanese Organization for Studies and Training (LOST) and UNESCO Beirut.
Adnan Mohammad Al-Shall is a ninth grader who previously studied at a reputable private school in Beqaa along with his seventh grade sister, Batoul. The Shall family, just like most families in Lebanon, got affected by the structural economic challenges as a result of the struggling local economy due to the Syrian refugee crisis. Adnan and Batoul’s parents could no longer afford the tuition fees at a private school, and so the decision was that the children continue their education at a public school. With public Intermediate schools’ perceived poor quality of education in Beqaa, and especially with Adnan being a Brevet candidate, the shift was huge and challenging. The parents learned from the school’s administration about the homework support program being provided at the public school, and accordingly they enrolled both Adnan and Batoul in the after-school tutoring classes.
The tutoring classes provided the students with help with assignments in all subjects throughout the whole cycle duration. After attending the support classes for weeks, both Adnan and Batoul retained their high academic performance they used to show back in the private school. The students’ mother said, “the decision was very risky at first. Our economic condition was bad and the curriculum at the public school was very difficult for my kids, and I had no time nor capability to tutor them myself. This homework support program saved my children’s school grades and educational levels, and I am very thankful”.
