AMMAN, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- The upcoming school year for 526,000 Palestinian refugee students will start on time in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said Thursday.

The announcement was made by Pierre Krahenbuhl, commissioner general of UNRWA, during an extraordinary session of the UNRWA Advisory Commission, in Jordan's capital Amman.

"It is crucial to protect the fundamental right to education for Palestinian refugee girls and boys and the community's unwavering attachment to learning and the development of skills," said Krahenbuhl.

Meanwhile, the commissioner general also highlighted the severe funding shortage for the UN refugee agency with only 238 million U.S. dollars mobilized since January.

The existing funds are only enough to run the UNRWA until the end of September, with a shortfall of 217 million dollars to last until the end of the year.

The meeting also discussed the security of needed resources, including through special events on the sides of the upcoming UN General Assembly in New York.