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Writer: Gökhan Dinç
As the Syrian crisis enters its second decade, Türkiye continues to host about 3.7 million of the 5 million refugees dispersed throughout the countries of the region. In Türkiye, where children constitute the group that is most affected by the crisis, 1.2 million Syrian children are among the educational age population (5-17 years) and 507,000 Syrian children are in the preschool age group (0-4 years). In other words, almost half (46%) of the total refugee population has somehow crossed paths with education services in Türkiye or will intersect in the next 4 years.
The education of Syrian children under temporary protection (STUP) is very important in order not to create a lost generation. If we divide the nearly 10 year-long period, since the first day of the crisis into two parts, we can claim that the first period was quite difficult. During this period, the creation of the integration curriculum, Turkish language education, temporary training centers and continuing education mainly in the camps were some of the highlights. Still, since schooling for Syrian refugee children was very low in the first half of the crisis, it can be said that children staying in temporary accommodation centers were slightly luckier in terms of access to educational services than those living in cities.
In the second five-year period from 2016 to the present, it can be said that Türkiye has written a legend in education services, both with the support of the European Union, UNICEF and other foreign aid funds, as well as the use of considerable public facilities. Although many units have been actively working in the Ministry of National Education in the management of the crisis in terms of education, it is possible to address the issue mainly within a 3-legged structure. These are;
In order to manage the crisis in terms of education, on the one hand, the demand-side pressure on the education infrastructure is reduced by building new schools, while on the other hand, the system is tried to be strengthened with comprehensive schooling and support projects for existing schools. The campaign for the schooling of Syrian children has started to bear fruit in the last 5 years. According to MoNE General Directorate of Lifelong Learning, the schooling rate of Syrian refugee children increased from 30% in 2015 to 64% in 2021. Moreover, during these years, the age population increased from 750 thousand to 1.2 million. It would be meaningful to consider the issue of schooling not only as education but also as reducing social risk. In this respect, Türkiye's intervention in the refugee crisis in terms of education is also a supporter of a comprehensive social policy.
The Syrian crisis and migration have also caused Türkiye to postpone its targets for the transition to full-time education, also known as 'single education', to another time. In fact, according to the needs analysis made by the Ministry of National Education General Directorate of Construction and Real Estate (IEGM), it has been revealed that if all Syrian children are schooled, approximately 31 thousand new formal education classrooms are needed in order to provide education services in a healthy way. According to the information on the website of the projects implemented by IEGM with the financial support of the European Union (gelecekicinegitim.meb.gov.tr), 240 formal education facilities (5,760 classrooms) and 170 kindergartens under construction are a huge investment, but this shows us that we have a much long way to go in addressing the need.
Looking across the border, it is seen that Türkiye continues its activities in education investments and repair of war-damaged school buildings, assignment of teachers and continuousness of education in regions where peace and stability are maintained in Northern Syria. In 2018, when our educational investments in Azaz region coincided with our field visit on April 23rd, we had the opportunity to watch the children's shows there. The common discourse of all of them was that the school was not only a place of education, but also a time machine that took them away from the world and conditions they were in for a while.
Temporary Accommodation Centers, which are transit points between Syria and Türkiye for refugees, are in a very good condition in terms of education opportunities and state protection. The fact that the children living in camps are obliged to go to school as per the camp policy and the schools built in the camps provide full service with many facilities, have ensured that the schooling rates in the temporary accommodation centers are at the level of 99%. Recently, Türkiye's policy regarding the evacuation of temporary accommodation centers can be read from the perspective of meeting possible new migration waves on the one hand and creating the necessary conditions for the integration of refugees into society on the other. However, this situation has brought along many sub-problems such as social acceptance difficulties and barriers to accessing education for refugees.
One of the most inclusive education projects in the world is being carried out in cooperation with Türkiye, the European Union and the international community in the education management of the refugee crisis. Leaving no one behind is crucial to touching the lives of the children who will build Syria's future after the crisis. Who knows, maybe the children who will make the world a better place, make a change and ensure lasting peace will flourish in these efforts.
