Half of all refugee children were already out of school before the coronavirus hit, and the UN cautioned Thursday the pandemic risked deepening a crisis robbing millions of future prospects.

A new report from the UNHCR refugee agency warned that many refugee children, especially girls, who had attended school before the novel coronavirus swept the world would not be able to return.

"After everything they have endured, we cannot rob them of their futures by denying them an education today," UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi said in a statement, calling for action to support refugees' right to an education.

The report, using data from 12 countries that host more than half of the world's refugee children, found that more than 1.8 million of them — or a full 48 per cent of all refugee children of school age — are out of school.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/all-migrants-moved-off-banksy-funded-rescue-vessel-stranded-in-mediterranean-324157">Also read:&nbsp;All migrants moved off Banksy-funded rescue vessel stranded in Mediterranean</a>

Attendance is particularly lacklustre in secondary school and higher.

Around 77 per cent of the refugee children were enrolled in primary school, but only 31 per cent attended secondary school and three per cent were in higher education, the report showed.

While the UNHCR said a shift in methodology made it difficult to compare with data from previous years, it noted the statistics, dire as they look, actually represent a small improvement.&nbsp;

A 2019 report indicated that only one percent of refugees worldwide were in higher education.

But the pandemic is now threatening to undo even the small advances made, it said.

'Chilling prediction'

The report found that while children in every country have been hit by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and measures put in place to rein in the virus, refugee children have been especially disadvantaged.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/more-migrant-arrivals-fuel-local-anger-in-italys-lampedusa-324133">Also read:&nbsp;More migrant arrivals fuel local anger in Italy's Lampedusa</a>

Refugee children are far more likely than others to face difficulty returning to their studies, with many refugee families no longer able to afford school fees, uniforms and books as income sources dry up.

They are also less likely to have access to the technologies needed for remote learning and could be required to work to help keep their struggling families afloat.

This is particularly true for refugee girls, who already had less access to education than boys.

By the time they reach secondary level, refugee girls are half as likely as their male peers to be enrolled in school, according to UNHCR, warning the coronavirus crisis risked making the gender disparities worse.

Using UNHCR data, the Malala Fund, which works towards removing barriers preventing girls from going to school, &nbsp;estimated that a full half of all refugee girls who were attending secondary school when the pandemic hit will not return when classrooms reopen this month.

And in countries where less than 10 percent of refugee girls were enrolled in secondary school, all of them were at risk of dropping out for good.

That, UNHCR underlined, is "a chilling prediction that would have an impact for generations to come."

Half of all refugee children were already out of school before the coronavirus hit, and the UN cautioned Thursday the pandemic risked deepening a crisis robbing millions of future prospects.

Half of all refugee children were already out of school before the coronavirus hit, and the UN cautioned Thursday the pandemic risked deepening a crisis robbing millions of future prospects. A new report from the UNHCR refugee agency warned that many refugee children, especially girls, who had attended school before the novel coronavirus swept the world would not be able to return. "After everything they have endured, we cannot rob them of their futures by denying them an education today," UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi said in a statement, calling for action to support refugees' right to an education. The report, using data from 12 countries that host more than half of the world's refugee children, found that more than 1.8 million of them — or a full 48 per cent of all refugee children of school age — are out of school. Also read: All migrants moved off Banksy-funded rescue vessel stranded in Mediterranean Attendance is particularly lacklustre in secondary school and higher. Around 77 per cent of the refugee children were enrolled in primary school, but only 31 per cent attended secondary school and three per cent were in higher education, the report showed. While the UNHCR said a shift in methodology made it difficult to compare with data from previous years, it noted the statistics, dire as they look, actually represent a small improvement. A 2019 report indicated that only one percent of refugees worldwide were in higher education. But the pandemic is now threatening to undo even the small advances made, it said. 'Chilling prediction' The report found that while children in every country have been hit by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and measures put in place to rein in the virus, refugee children have been especially disadvantaged. Also read: More migrant arrivals fuel local anger in Italy's Lampedusa Refugee children are far more likely than others to face difficulty returning to their studies, with many refugee families no longer able to afford school fees, uniforms and books as income sources dry up. They are also less likely to have access to the technologies needed for remote learning and could be required to work to help keep their struggling families afloat. This is particularly true for refugee girls, who already had less access to education than boys. By the time they reach secondary level, refugee girls are half as likely as their male peers to be enrolled in school, according to UNHCR, warning the coronavirus crisis risked making the gender disparities worse. Using UNHCR data, the Malala Fund, which works towards removing barriers preventing girls from going to school, estimated that a full half of all refugee girls who were attending secondary school when the pandemic hit will not return when classrooms reopen this month. And in countries where less than 10 percent of refugee girls were enrolled in secondary school, all of them were at risk of dropping out for good. That, UNHCR underlined, is "a chilling prediction that would have an impact for generations to come."

Pandemic threatens refugee children's limited schooling: UN

Pakistani national and Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai has expressed concern about the people of Jammu and Kashmir following the abrogation of Article 370 and said she has urged the United Nations to work towards peace&nbsp;and&nbsp;help Kashmiri children go back to school.

Malala is an activist for female education and the youngest Nobel Prize laureate who was shot at by a gunman on her way back home from school in the Swat district in 2012.

She was targetted for speaking out about the plight of girls in her region who were banned from going to school by the Taliban.

Watch: Malala Yousafzai's 'selective &amp; ignoble' outrage on Kashmir

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Her concern for Kashmiris appears hypocritical as she has been tight-lipped about atrocities against minorities in her own country, Pakistan's harsh blasphemy laws and forced conversions&nbsp;of Hindu girls.

She also never spoke against the human rights violations of Baloch people. People of Balochistan have raised the issue of their "annihilation" by the Pakistani forces at the forum of UNHRC also, but Malala did not extend any support to them.

Malala has been very selective in condemning human rights abuses. Fearing the backlash, she does not speak against barbarities people have been facing in her own country.

In her recent tweets on Kashmir issue, she reiterated Pakistan state narrative. Indian nationals firmly pointed out her hypocrisy, saying she is running Pakistan's agenda on Kashmir.

Pakistan has been responding hysterically since the time Indian government scrapped Article 370 which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir. Prime Minister Imran Khan and other ministers tried to portray a manipulated picture with false narratives, however, got no traction from global leaders. Even the Taliban has strongly criticised Pakistan for linking the Kashmir issue with the situation in Afghanistan.&nbsp;

Instead of fighting a social media war with India and making embarrassing statements, Malala, Pakistani leaders and need to accept the reality on Kashmir and solve their own issues. 
 
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL) 
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Pakistani national and Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai has expressed concern about the people of Jammu and Kashmir following the abrogation of Article 370 and said she has urged the United Nations to work towards peace and help Kashmiri children go back to school.

Pakistani national and Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai has expressed concern about the people of Jammu and Kashmir following the abrogation of Article 370 and said she has urged the United Nations to work towards peace and help Kashmiri children go back to school. Malala is an activist for female education and the youngest Nobel Prize laureate who was shot at by a gunman on her way back home from school in the Swat district in 2012. She was targetted for speaking out about the plight of girls in her region who were banned from going to school by the Taliban. Watch: Malala Yousafzai's 'selective & ignoble' outrage on Kashmir × Her concern for Kashmiris appears hypocritical as she has been tight-lipped about atrocities against minorities in her own country, Pakistan's harsh blasphemy laws and forced conversions of Hindu girls. She also never spoke against the human rights violations of Baloch people. People of Balochistan have raised the issue of their "annihilation" by the Pakistani forces at the forum of UNHRC also, but Malala did not extend any support to them. Malala has been very selective in condemning human rights abuses. Fearing the backlash, she does not speak against barbarities people have been facing in her own country. In her recent tweets on Kashmir issue, she reiterated Pakistan state narrative. Indian nationals firmly pointed out her hypocrisy, saying she is running Pakistan's agenda on Kashmir. Pakistan has been responding hysterically since the time Indian government scrapped Article 370 which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir. Prime Minister Imran Khan and other ministers tried to portray a manipulated picture with false narratives, however, got no traction from global leaders. Even the Taliban has strongly criticised Pakistan for linking the Kashmir issue with the situation in Afghanistan. Instead of fighting a social media war with India and making embarrassing statements, Malala, Pakistani leaders and need to accept the reality on Kashmir and solve their own issues. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai is selective in condemning human rights abuses

<a href="Don't believe in such categorisation of humans: Malala on Time Magazine ranking">Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai</a>&nbsp;says Pakistan has changed since she left the country nearly six years ago after being attacked by the Taliban and there is more peace but a&nbsp;lot of work is left to be done.

Malala travelled the world and visited refugee camps — first as an internally displaced person when she was a young child in Pakistan, and then as an international activist who could travel anywhere in the world, except to the home she loved.

She chose to use the memories of that time in her life to connect with 68.5 million refugees and displaced persons around the world. And now she has come out with a book to "see them, to help them, to share their stories".

In "We are Displaced: My Journey and Stories from Refugee Girls Around the World", 21-year-old Malala not only explores her own story of adjusting to a new life while longing for home, but also shares the personal stories of some of the girls she has met on her various journeys — girls who have lost their community, relatives and often the only world they've ever known.

Malala was just 15 years old when she was shot by the Taliban on October 9, 2012, for speaking up for girls' education and peace.

Badly wounded, she was moved within Pakistan and then a week later, flown to Birmingham in the UK while still in an induced coma.

On March 31, 2018, she came back to Pakistan — to her home in the Swat Valley — for the first time after the attack.

"Pakistan has changed since I left. Population growth has led to congestion in some areas. There are many more houses and people in Swat than there were in 2012. But there is also more peace," she writes in the book, published by Weidenfeld &amp; Nicolson/Hachette India.

She says she stood on the side of a hill and looked across at the mountains where the Taliban once headquartered their forces in her area. "Now there are only trees and green fields."

But Malala, who won the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize jointly with Kailash Satyarthi "for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education", feels there is much work to do in her country.

"Although I don't live there, it is still my country. It is never far from my thoughts or actions. My dream is to see all Pakistani children have access to 12 years of free, safe and quality education and working to build a great future for our country," she says.

In the book, Malala introduces some of the stories of displaced girls. After her father was murdered in the civil conflict in Columbia, Maria had to escape in the middle of the night with her four siblings and her mother who did not dare tell them she feared they would be next.

Zaynab was out of school for two years as she fled war in Yemen before finally landing in the US. Her sister, Sabreen, survived a harrowing journey from Egypt to Italy.

Marie Claire was nine when her family escaped the violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. They fled to Zambia but quickly discovered that the people there did not want them.

Malala is the co-founder of Malala Fund which is working for a world where all girls can learn and lead. Malala Fund advocates for resources and policy change needed to give all girls a secondary education invests in developing country educators and activists and amplifies the voices of girls fighting for change.&nbsp;

Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai says Pakistan has changed since she left the country nearly six years ago after being attacked by the Taliban and there is more peace but a lot of work is left to be done.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai says Pakistan has changed since she left the country nearly six years ago after being attacked by the Taliban and there is more peace but a lot of work is left to be done. Malala travelled the world and visited refugee camps — first as an internally displaced person when she was a young child in Pakistan, and then as an international activist who could travel anywhere in the world, except to the home she loved. She chose to use the memories of that time in her life to connect with 68.5 million refugees and displaced persons around the world. And now she has come out with a book to "see them, to help them, to share their stories". In "We are Displaced: My Journey and Stories from Refugee Girls Around the World", 21-year-old Malala not only explores her own story of adjusting to a new life while longing for home, but also shares the personal stories of some of the girls she has met on her various journeys — girls who have lost their community, relatives and often the only world they've ever known. Malala was just 15 years old when she was shot by the Taliban on October 9, 2012, for speaking up for girls' education and peace. Badly wounded, she was moved within Pakistan and then a week later, flown to Birmingham in the UK while still in an induced coma. On March 31, 2018, she came back to Pakistan — to her home in the Swat Valley — for the first time after the attack. "Pakistan has changed since I left. Population growth has led to congestion in some areas. There are many more houses and people in Swat than there were in 2012. But there is also more peace," she writes in the book, published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson/Hachette India. She says she stood on the side of a hill and looked across at the mountains where the Taliban once headquartered their forces in her area. "Now there are only trees and green fields." But Malala, who won the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize jointly with Kailash Satyarthi "for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education", feels there is much work to do in her country. "Although I don't live there, it is still my country. It is never far from my thoughts or actions. My dream is to see all Pakistani children have access to 12 years of free, safe and quality education and working to build a great future for our country," she says. In the book, Malala introduces some of the stories of displaced girls. After her father was murdered in the civil conflict in Columbia, Maria had to escape in the middle of the night with her four siblings and her mother who did not dare tell them she feared they would be next. Zaynab was out of school for two years as she fled war in Yemen before finally landing in the US. Her sister, Sabreen, survived a harrowing journey from Egypt to Italy. Marie Claire was nine when her family escaped the violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. They fled to Zambia but quickly discovered that the people there did not want them. Malala is the co-founder of Malala Fund which is working for a world where all girls can learn and lead. Malala Fund advocates for resources and policy change needed to give all girls a secondary education invests in developing country educators and activists and amplifies the voices of girls fighting for change.

Pakistan has changed but there's still much work to do: Malala Yousafzai

Multinational tech giant Apple is all set to join hands with the Malala Fund in a bid to empower girl education in India.&nbsp;

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The Malala Fund, led by Nobel Peace Prize recipient Malala Yousafzai aims to fight for girls&#39;&nbsp;right to free, quality education.&nbsp;

Apple&#39;s support is expected to extend secondary education opportunities to over 100,000 girls.

&quot;With Apple&rsquo;s support, Malala Fund expects to double the number of grants awarded by its Gulmakai Network and extend funding programs to India and Latin America with the initial goal of extending secondary education opportunities to more than 100,000 girls,&quot; noted the official release.&nbsp;

Malala&#39;s Fund &#39;Gulmakai Network&#39; undertakes programmes in countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Lebanon, Turkey and Nigeria.&nbsp;

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Impressive news today: Apple supports Malala Fund! 
 
&quot;Apple and Malala Fund today announced that Apple will... <a href="https://t.co/z1tlkh8zqS">https://t.co/z1tlkh8zqS</a>
&mdash; Nobel Peace Summit (@nobelforpeace) <a href="https://twitter.com/nobelforpeace/status/955360982238486528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&ldquo;Through both their innovations and philanthropy, Apple has helped educate and empower people around the world. I am grateful that Apple knows the value of investing in girls and is joining Malala Fund in the fight to ensure all girls can learn and lead without fear,&rdquo; Malala was quoted in Apple&#39;s release.

Tim Cook-led Apple will be the first partner of the fund which aims to provide 12 years of free education to girls.

Apple CEO Tim Cook will also be on the Fund leadership council.&nbsp;

The company will also assist Malala Fund with technological solutions, curriculum and policy research.&nbsp;

Malala Fund started in the year 2013 and has been working in collaboration with organisations, private bodies and governments all across the globe.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Apple CEO Tim Cook will also be on the Fund leadership council.

Multinational tech giant Apple is all set to join hands with the Malala Fund in a bid to empower girl education in India. × The Malala Fund, led by Nobel Peace Prize recipient Malala Yousafzai aims to fight for girls' right to free, quality education. Apple's support is expected to extend secondary education opportunities to over 100,000 girls. "With Apple’s support, Malala Fund expects to double the number of grants awarded by its Gulmakai Network and extend funding programs to India and Latin America with the initial goal of extending secondary education opportunities to more than 100,000 girls," noted the official release. Malala's Fund 'Gulmakai Network' undertakes programmes in countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Lebanon, Turkey and Nigeria. Impressive news today: Apple supports Malala Fund! "Apple and Malala Fund today announced that Apple will... https://t.co/z1tlkh8zqS — Nobel Peace Summit (@nobelforpeace) January 22, 2018 × “Through both their innovations and philanthropy, Apple has helped educate and empower people around the world. I am grateful that Apple knows the value of investing in girls and is joining Malala Fund in the fight to ensure all girls can learn and lead without fear,” Malala was quoted in Apple's release. Tim Cook-led Apple will be the first partner of the fund which aims to provide 12 years of free education to girls. Apple CEO Tim Cook will also be on the Fund leadership council. The company will also assist Malala Fund with technological solutions, curriculum and policy research. Malala Fund started in the year 2013 and has been working in collaboration with organisations, private bodies and governments all across the globe.

Apple to support Malala Fund to empower Indian girls

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Pandemic threatens refugee children's limited schooling: UN

Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai is selective in condemning human rights abuses

Pakistan has changed but there's still much work to do: Malala Yousafzai

Apple to support Malala Fund to empower Indian girls