“Once we tied balloons to our legs and did running activities in sports class. I loved that!” said Muhammad Ali, age 7, a star student in UNESCO’s informal education (IFE) project funded by the EU and implemented in partnership with MECI in Irbid. Muhammad’s teachers say he is eager to learn, and always ready to help his peers. However, Mohammad hasn’t had it easy. He lost his mother in Syria, and made the hard journey to Jordan with his father and two younger brothers, leaving school during the first grade.

None of this had deterred Mohammad, who says he wants to be a pilot when he grows up. His teachers say he is determined to work hard and improve himself. In particular, he loves PE and English lessons. He proudly talks about the 4 stars he earned in English class.

Mohammad’s father is proud of all 3 of his sons, who are part of the IFE program. “Inshallah God will help me to teach my sons. Thank you for giving my children this chance to learn and improve themselves,” he said.

The IFE project in Irbid will benefit 450 out of school children, providing them with learning opportunities and psychosocial support. The ultimate goal is to prepare out of school children to return to formal education. The informal education program is part of “Sustaining Quality Education and Promoting Skills Development Opportunities for Young Syrian Refugees in Jordan,” a 3 year project managed by UNESCO and funded by the European Union. The project aims to address the challenges posed by the continuing influx of Syrian refugees on the quality of education in Jordan.