Page 79 - Syrians in Türkiye - Special Report

GRAND NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF TÜRKİYE THE OMBUDSMAN INSTITUTION

2. Another important problem encountered in the field of education is the presence
of nearly 357,000 Syrian children who cannot be educated.

3. Although more than 350,000 Syrian children out of the total 618,948 (43%)
attend TTCs, which undertook an important task at the beginning, it is now
necessary to reorganize these centers with a different understanding.

4. The enrollment rate of Syrian children in both TTCs and public schools
decreases markedly in upper grades.

5. The authorities working in the field state that some Syrian families are not
inclined towards enrolling their children due to concerns about assimilation,
while others do not enroll their children because of their financial needs, and
some families resist sending their daughters to school after primary school.

6. Some Syrian children experience problems accessing schools due to financial
difficulties.
7. In our society, where education is very important, there is concern that the
quality of education will deteriorate with the inclusion of Syrian students,
expected to exceed 960,000, in the education system. The need to implement
education policies as part of an integrated strategy is becoming clearer every
day.

In order for all Syrian students to be enrolled in public schools, TTCs are slated to
be closed gradually during a transition period. Since the attendance rate is relatively
low at the secondary school level, efforts to develop vocational education and redirect
students towards open high schools continue. At the same time, the Ministry of
National Education is building 105 schools, which will be ready in 2019. Construction
of 30 of these schools has been completed, and construction of 7 schools supported by
UNICEF has also been completed.

A collaborative project between the Ministry of Family and Social Policy, the Ministry
of National Education, the Turkish Red Crescent, AFAD, the Directorate General of
European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), and UNICEF,
called the “conditional education assistance for refugee children” program, which seeks
to encourage families to send their children to school, to ensure continuity, and to give
assistance to needy Syrian students in the form of the “Conditional Cash Transfer”
began on June 8, 2017; funds are delivered to beneficiaries via the Kızılaykart (Turkish
Red Crescent card). The first payment of the “Conditional Education Assistance for
Foreigners” program, totaling 147,000,000 TL, was made on May 31, 2017; a total

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