Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Tuesday that Syrian refugees have overwhelmed Lebanese public schools, asking the world for more support as estimates suggest that more than 400,000 children from neighboring Syria need schooling here — nearly twice the number of Lebanese children in school.

Brown, now a U.N. special education envoy, spoke during a visit to Lebanon, where he is trying to help the country of 4.5 million people raise money to deal with what he said were "great" pressures on its public services, including education.

Nearly 1.2 million Syrian refugees are registered in Lebanon, though the real number is believed to be much higher. Of that number, nearly 500,000 are children, according to the U.N. children’s agency.

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