Turkey's Education Policies towards Syrian Refugees: A Macro‐level Analysis

Abstract

This study discusses the transformation of Turkey's education policies towards Syrian refugees in three major stages. It argues that education policies in these different stages reflect the general perception of and political vision for Syrian refugees by the Turkish state, and that they are also instruments through which this political vision is materialized and declared. The remarkable evolution of Turkey's education policies towards Syrian refugees, from early policies that aimed at temporary accommodation to later policies that have aimed at full integration, needs to be understood in this framework of a changing vision in addition to the security concerns. Lastly, the article argues that, while the current strategy of complete integration of Syrians into formal education system is certainly positive, it also brings about a number of significant challenges related to the political and legal context in Turkey that will have to be handled in its realization.

How Are the Prospects for Refugees to Become Active Members of Society? – The Vision and Practices in Turkish Adult Education

“…At this point, however, it was quite late for a large number of Syrians, who, in the absence of such a comprehensive education policy addressing their particular conditions, had not had access to formal schooling in the Turkish national education system. It should be noted that the initial perception of temporariness was mutual, being both on the part of the Turkish government and the Syrians themselves, which made it further difficult for many Syrians to have, or demand, access to education in Turkey (Unutulmaz 2019). Moreover, at the time of writing, around 55% of the registered 3.6 million Syrians in Turkey are beyond the age 18 (Table 5.1).…”

“…Even though the legal status of Syrians, i.e. 'persons under temporary protection', and political discourse about them imply otherwise, the Turkish government and state institutions are also increasingly, albeit not explicitly, acknowledging this fact (Eroglu et al 2017;Unutulmaz 2019). Social integration of refugees is one of the hottest topics in the political agenda in Turkey, as it is in many different countries around the globe.…”

A Promising Opportunity for the Integration of Syrian Refugees in Turkey: New Targets in Accessing the Labor Market through Vocational Education and Training

“…In fact, this approach represents the first phase of refugee education policies in Turkey and is mostly based on the prediction that the war will end in a short time and Syrian refugees will return to their countries (Emin, 2016). However, this prediction became inaccurate as time passed, and revisions in refugee education policies have become inevitable (Unutulmaz, 2017(Unutulmaz, , 2019. The Turkish language courses are also included in TECs program in addition to Arabic language, and the curriculum is revised without a major change in its structure.…”

“…TECs have also become more widespread outside the refugee camps and in different provinces of Turkey. For example, while only 36 of the 425 TECs in 21 provinces located in camps in 2017, the vast majority of TECs provided educational services outside of the camps (Unutulmaz, 2019).…”

“…Based on this regulation, Syrian children were enabled to enroll in Turkish public schools in addition to TECs. After 2016, TECs were expected to be closed over a three-year period without new registration based on the purpose of full integration of Syrian refugees with the Turkish formal education system (Unutulmaz, 2019). After this stage, the enrollment of Syrian refugees in Turkish public schools at all levels has remarkably increased.…”