While there were existing barriers to access basic education before the Covid19 pandemic, the lockdown and total closure of formal schools and non-formal learning centers were the tipping point of the education crisis in Lebanon. More than half of the Syrian school-aged children are still out of school to date, with only 10% accessing Non-formal Education (NFE).

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have played a fundamental role in finding new, innovative solutions to face the disruption of education services, by complementing the efforts of formal education institutions in facing the new challenges. One successful example of mainstreaming distance learning is represented by the project Back to the Future funded by the EU Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis (MADAD Fund).