Around the world, 61 million of the world’s children don’t have access to primary school. When they reach secondary school, that reaches 202 million. Of these, 35% live in countries affected by conflict. 26 million of these children are between the ages of 15-17 (UNESCO 2016). Children in refugee camps face numerous barriers to education, and when they do receive it, classes can number up to 80 students to one teacher. 40% of these teachers have not completed any training, and are instead refugee volunteers (UNHCR 2016). Schools set up by NGOs may have teachers but no content to teach. This is where Sky School comes in.
Sky School is a high school for refugees. The idea of it is ____ old. It was founded by two alumni from UWCs, Polly Akhurst and Mia Eskelund Pedersen. Not long ago, starting on Monday 6 November 2017, the first prototype unit and the classes began in Kakuma camp, Kenya as well as locations in Amman (Jordan), Athens (Greece) and in Lebanon. It was six weeks long and seems to have been a massive success, a recurring piece of feedback being “make it longer”. The course was developed partially here at UWC and taught refugees skills to do with social entrepreneurship.
Here at UWC, Sky School is a Global Concern. We are a team of seven students and two teachers, working to raise awareness, build units and assist with any other projects needed.