Human Rights Watch said that Jordan address policies that restrict Syrian refugee children’s access to school, saying that one-third of school-aged Syrian children were not in formal education during the last school year.

Human Rights Watch said that Jordan address policies that restrict Syrian refugee children’s access to school, saying that one-third of school-aged Syrian children were not in formal education during the last school year.

In a report entitled: "‘We’re Afraid For Their Future’: Barriers to Education for Syrian Refugee Children in Jordan," HRW documented barriers to education.

"More than one-third of school-aged Syrian children registered with the United Nations refugee agency in Jordan – over 80,000 out of 226,000 children – were not in formal education during the last school year," the report said.

The New York-based watchdog described as "generous" efforts to enroll Syrian children in its public school system, which was struggling with capacity and quality issues even before refugees began to arrive from Syria.

However, it documented barriers to education, including asylum seeker registration requirements that many Syrians cannot meet; punishments for refugees working without permits that contribute to poverty, child labor, and school dropouts; and a bar on enrollment for children who have been out of school for three or more years.

“Jordan has taken difficult, noteworthy steps to get Syrian refugee children in school, but many who fled the horror of Syria’s war are still missing out on an education and the future it offers,” said Bill Van Esveld, senior children’s rights researcher at Human Rights Watch.

“Donors who are stepping up support urgently need to work with Jordan to remove policy barriers that are keeping children and youth out of school,” Van Esveld added.

Since 2011, Jordan has opened schools in refugee camps and instituted “double shifts” to create more spaces for Syrian children. A donor-funded plan would add spaces and new programs for up to 75,000 more children in the 2016-2017 school year, the 97-page report said.