Under Turkish law, “basic education” for children consists of 12 years, divided into 3 levels of 4 years each. All children in Turkish jurisdiction, including foreign nationals, have the right to access “basic education” services delivered by public schools. All children registered as temporary protection beneficiaries have the right to be registered at public schools for the purpose of basic education.
Public schools
Public schools in Türkiye are free of charge. They instruct in Turkish and teach a standardised Ministry of National Education curriculum, and are authorised to dispense certificates and diplomas to foreign national children with full validity.
In order to enrol in public schools, children and their parents need to have Temporary Protection Beneficiary Identification Cards and they are registered in the city where they reside. Children who are not yet registered can be temporarily enrolled as a “guest student” which means that they can attend classes but will not be provided any documentation or diploma in return, unless they subsequently complete their temporary protection registration and are officially admitted by the school.[1] However, there is a tendency not to enrol children in school as they think it will encourage parent not to register with authorities[2].
Where a foreign national child is enrolled at public schools, the Provincial Directorate of National Education is responsible for examining and assessing the former educational background of the student and determine to which grade-level the child should be registered. In case there is no documentation regarding the past educational background, the Provincial Directorate shall conduct necessary tests and interviews to assess the appropriate grade-level to which student shall be assigned.
The Ministry of National Education was due to build 129 new schools with EU funding under the Facility for Refugees in Türkiye, to increase the enrolment rate.[3] As of January 2022, the EU facility for refugees in Türkiye factsheet reported 89 new schools built.[4] Due to the earthquake, and increased construction and labour cost effected by economic crisis, during the first six months of 2023, limited progress was made in terms of constructing and upgrading education facilities. In 4 schools were completed, 8 schools were upgraded[5].
The education response in Türkiye is led and coordinated by the Ministry of National Education (MoNE). 1,073,121 (32.53%) Syrian are of school age. Out of this school-age population, 811,860 (75.65%) are enrolled in education. Among these students, 787,122 are registered in the e-school system, 9,564 in open schools, and 15,174 in the Vocational Education Center System (MESEM)[6]. Between 2014 and 2023, a total of 2,870,266 Syrian trainees participated in courses organized at public education centres.
In 2023 stakeholders confirmed that the schooling rate was still low among Syrians in especially metropolitian cities[7], and the challnges to access schooling has increased with the earthquake in the region. The percentage of out of school children increases from primary school to high school. A report states that 66.3% of enrolled Syrian children attend primary or middle school, and 29.8% attend high school or university[8]. Şanlıurfa is one of the provinces with the lowest schooling rate, for instance in Eyubiye where 30-40 thousand Syrians live, 90 percent of the children are out of school[9].
In 2023, the significantly reduced purchasing power and income of refugee families in Türkiye, due to the economic situation, have been the main causes of school dropouts among children. This exacerbates problems such as child labour and early marriage. Bullying in schools, fueled by anti-refugee discourse, remains a significant issue. This has led to families fearing to send their children to school and children being reluctant to attend. Additionally, fear of deportation affects access to education[10].Children whose IDs become inactive due to not living in the registered city, inability to verify their addresses, or other reasons causing a security code on their IDs can access education through provisional injunctions. Although there are occasional minor issues, lawyers generally obtain injunctions that allow these children to attend school. However, challenges in implementing these decisions persist, mainly due to limited capacity at schools and varying attitudes among school administrators[11]. The children of parents who work in seasonal agriculture sector face challenges to access education due to the frequent movement and address declaration requirement[12].
Children with disabilities can be included in special education or integrated classes in schools[13]. Sometimes it can take a very long time to obtain a health report that proves their condition. In addition, due to reasons such as families having difficulty following up on the report, capacity problems in the schools they are referred to, lack of awareness on the part of the family, and transportation problems to school, it can take up to a year for them to access education.
To ensure children’s access to the education system, another programme, Conditional Cash Transfer for Education (CCTE), was financed by ECHO and implemented through a close partnership between the Ministry of Family and Social Services, the Ministry of National Education, AFAD, Türk Kızılay and UNICEF. CCTE programme was handed over to the Government in 2022. The programme provides vulnerable refugee families with bimonthly cash payments to help them send and keep their children in school (see Social Welfare). Cash assistance is available only for persons who can submit the school registration documents to the social service units of the Ministry. A family can receive payment provided the child attends school regularly; a child should not miss school more than 4 days in one month.[14] According to Türk Kızılay, in cases were a child has not attended school for over 4 days, protection officers from 15 centres and 2 mobile protection centres around Adıyaman and Karadeniz region visit the family to identify the cause of absence; child labour, child marriage, peer bullying are the most common factors.[15] According to data released by UNICEF in April 2022, CCTE benefited 29,111 pre-school children and 335,561 primary school children. The CCTE is being disbursed to 477,983 beneficiaries and 244,644 householders as of March 2024. CCTE has mainly focused on primary school children. Families are compensated 90 TL (2.5 EUR) for boys and 100 TL (2.8 EUR) for girls attending kindergarten and primary scool per month and 130 TL (3.7 EUR) for boys and 150 TL (4.3 EUR) per girls attending high school per month.
In addition, the PIKTES (Project on Promoting Integration of Syrian Kids into the Turkish Education System) is a European Union funded project implemented by the Turkish Ministry of National Education. In its third phase, the main objective of PIKTES + Project is to contribute to refugee children’s access to education and social cohesion in Türkiye. In this context, supporting the efforts of the Ministry of National Education in order to increase enrollment, school attendance and transition to a higher level in the formal education system (from pre-school to the end of secondary education) for refugee children in 29 project provinces with a high refugee population density is among the specific objectives of the project. PIKTES Project, which started its third phase in January 2023, will continue until November 2025.[16]
In the context of CCTE, a pilot programme for social integration in education has been implemented in Istanbul and Şanlıurfa with the assistance of the Maya Association, providing training on how to end bullying and violence in schools.[17] Bilingual videos to raise awareness on (ciber) bullying for caregivers are available in their website[18].
The Early Childhood Education Project, aimed at improving conditions that support early childhood development for Syrian children aged 3-6 and disadvantaged children in the host community, is being carried out under the protocol “Promoting Early Childhood Education for Syrian and Turkish Children” signed between the General Directorate of Lifelong Learning, the General Directorate of Basic Education, and the German International Cooperation Agency (GIZ)[19]. The project equips pre-schools and public education centres with teaching materials and offers training courses for teachers, focusing on joint teaching for Syrian and Disadvantaged Turkish children. Additionally, it supports families, promotes parental involvement, developed a bilingual app, and is focused on reopening pre-schools and implementing compensatory measures for children affected by the earthquake. To facilitate access to education and social services for Syrian children, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed with UNICEF, resulting in recruitment of 1,112 personnel across 23 provinces under the Syrian Support Staff Program.
The impact of the earthquakes:
Access to education for refugee children in the earthquakes-affected zone presents a multifaceted challenge. Approximately 390,000 refugee and migrant children, among nearly 4 million children affected, grapple with disrupted learning opportunities across 11 provinces.[20] 576 schools were destroyed or damaged due to the earthquakes[21]. The extensive devastation and displacement caused by the earthquakes, the subsequent reordering of government agencies’ priorities, and the consequences for the regional economies—including the scarcity of contractors—all contributed to a major slowdown in the advancement of infrastructure projects[22]. However, the obstacles extend beyond the infrastructural problems; financial constraints, language barriers, transportation limitations, inactivated IDs, discrimination including peer bullying, and sanitation issues further impede access to quality education[23].
Research indicates that 15% of families surveyed in the provinces reported withdrawing children from school or sending them to work as a strategy to cope with reduced income levels[24]. Coping mechanisms, including reduced food intake and decreased healthcare spending, underscore the severity of the situation[25]. Moreover, girls and boys are increasingly vulnerable to exploitation, with instances of child labor, and child marriages on the rise. The absence of school access, especially at the secondary level, significantly contributes to the increased rate of children dropping out[26]. Financial obligations often prompt boys to leave school to contribute to their families, while safety concerns lead parents to limit their daughters’ access to schools. Furthermore, specialised education for refugee children with disabilities is extremely limited[27]
Schools, particularly secondary and high school level, are still lacking in many of the settlements or the capacity of the schools is not sufficient to accommodate all the children living in these areas[28]. Early child care is very limited[29], NGOs provides some psychosocial supports to children, for instance, ASAM provides some activities for the pre-schoolers in the temporary settlement areas. These schools in the temporary settlement areas are segregated for Turkish and refugee, as the accommodation centres are segregated, which might have a long-term impact regarding the social cohesion[30].
The geographical distance of the temporary shelters poses challenges for refugee families, who cannot afford transportation for their children to attend school and are apprehensive about their safety using public transport, consequently, the majority of school-age refugee children had no access to education[31], especially for those high school aged children[32]. With the scope of mobile education, some schools provide transportation facilities, while others do not have this option available, this situation leads refugees to refrain from sending their children to school due to financial constraints or security concerns[33]. Moreover, parents might feel afraid to go to school to talk with teachers, in case of any issues such as peer bullying due to the fear of deportation[34].
20 Child, Adolescent, and Family Support Centres have been established by ASAM with the support of UNICEF funds, providing services in the provinces of Adana, Adıyaman, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kahramanmaraş, Kilis, and Malatya[35]. Five Mobile Teams stationed in Adıyaman, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kahramanmaraş, and Malatya provide services for individuals with limited access to these centres in the region. The project aims to provide services to those affected by the earthquakes, individuals in Temporary Shelter Centres, and communities hosting displaced populations in the affected areas. Under the MoNE-UNICEF Cooperation Program 2023-2024 Work Plan, which includes the “Access to Early Childhood Education and Quality of Early Childhood Education” initiative, cooperation between the Ministry and UNICEF has led to the establishment of 35 children’s playrooms in public education centres in 11 earthquake-affected provinces.
Refugee children displaced to different provinces due to the earthquake should be able to access education by obtaining a travel permit, but some schools do not accept their registration. Inconsistence implementation between cities, and even schools is observed[36].
Higher education
Temporary protection beneficiaries also have the right to higher education in Türkiye. In order to apply and register with an institution of higher education, students are required to have completed either the 12 years of Turkish basic education or equivalent experience.
In Türkiye, admission to universities is subject to the requirement of taking a standardised university entrance examination and additional requirements by each university. Students who started their university studies in Syria but were not able to complete them, may request universities to recognise the credits (courses) that they have already completed. The decision whether to recognise courses passed in Syria is made by each university and may differ from one department to another.[37] Sometimes there can be problems in the recognition of previous education including qualifications.
In total in the 2023-2024 academic year, 60,750 Syrian students (32,183 male, 27,657 female) were enrolled in Turkish Higher Education Institutions.[38] A new regulation was introduced in 2022 whereby foreign students have to pay a contribution fee for public higher education, including Syrian students and blue cardholders.[39] However, some universities[40] are listed “Syrian citizens who are placed in universities according to the principles determined by the Council of Higher Education” are the among those who are exempt from tuition fees. Due to the financial barriers, accessing to private universities is an option for a few of Syrians. Students still needed to cover the costs of local transportation, books and living expenses. There are a number of organisations providing scholarships to Syrian students for higher education study in Türkiye. These organisations include: YTB, UNHCR through the DAFI scholarship programme, and NGOs (e.g. SPARK). Scholarships awarded through YTB and DAFI cover the costs of tuition and pay students a monthly allowance for accommodation and living expenses.[41] There is a scholarship programme launched by ICMPD with EU funding, BEURS, a project aiming to enhance higher education access and employment opportunities for Syrian students under temporary protection, students under international protection and students from the host community in Türkiye. It provides scholarship support, focuses on gender mainstreaming, disability inclusion, and partnerships between universities, municipalities, government institutions, and international organizations[42].
Temporary protection beneficiaries, regardless of their age, can also benefit from free of charge language education courses as well as vocational courses offered by Public Education Centres structured under each Provincial Directorate of National Education. Some NGOs and institutions also provide free language courses and vocational courses to temporary protection beneficiaries in some localities. For example, Anadolu University provides free online Turkish courses for beginners (A1) and elementary students (A2). They are open to anyone who wants to learn Turkish. The Yunus Emre Institute (YEI) offers online Turkish courses ranging from beginner (A1) to advanced (C1). Since its courses are adaptable, the YEI’s ‘Distance Turkish Instruction Portal’ allows students to learn Turkish at their own speed and from wherever they are.[43]
[1] Information provided by a stakeholder, May 2023.
[2] Information provided by stakeholders, March-April 2024.
[3] Delegation of the European Union to Türkiye, ‘Education for all in times of crisis II’, available here
[4] European Commission website, ‘EU Facility for Refugees in Türkiye’, January 2022, available here
[5] EU support to refugees in Türkiye Monitoring Report: December 2023, available here
[6] Hayat Boyu Öğrenme Genel Müdürlüğü 2023 Yili Birim Faaliyet Raporu, available here
[7] Information provided by stakeholders, March-April 2024.
[8] Heinrich Böll Stiftung, Göçmen Mahallelerinde Yaşam: Türkiye’de 2010 Sonrası Göçler ve Göçmenlerin Toplumsal Katılımı, November 2023, available here
[9] Information provided by a stakeholder, March 2024.
[10] 3 RP Country Report 2023-2026.
[11] Information provided by stakeholders, March-April 2024.
[12] Information provided by stakeholders, March-April 2024.
[13] Information provided by stakeholders, March-April 2024.
[14] Ministry of Family and Social Services, ‘Şartlı Eğitim (ŞEY) ve Şartlı Sağlık (ŞSY) Yardımı’, 2023, available in Turkish here
[15] Toplum Merkesi, ‘Toplum Merkezine Hoşgeldiniz’, last accessed 13 July 2023, available in Turkish here
[16] Piktes, ‘about us’, last accessed 13 July 2023, available here.
[17] UNICEF, April 2022, Suriyeli ve Diğer Mülteciler için Şartlı Eğitim Yardımı (ŞEY) Programı, available here
[18] Maya Vakfi, Education Programmes, available here
[19] GIZ, 2023, Promoting early childhood education for Syrian and Turkish children, available here
[20] UNICEF, 2024, UNICEF Türkiye Humanitarian Situation Report No. 19, 6 February – 31 December 2023
[21] T.C. Cumhurbaşkanlığı Strateji ve Bütçe Başkanlığı – SBB, Türkiye Earthquakes Recovery and Reconstruction Assessment
[22] EU support to refugees in Türkiye Monitoring Report: December 2023, available here
[23] Information provided by stakeholdera, March – April 2024.
[24] EU support to refugees in Türkiye Monitoring Report: December 2023, available here
[25] UNICEF, 2024, UNICEF Türkiye Humanitarian Situation Report No. 19, 6 February – 31 December 2023
[26] Information provided by stakeholders, March – April 2024.
[27] Kirkayak Kültür, February 2024, “We started from zero, we returned to zero again…”, available here
[28] Türk Tabipleri Birliği & Sağlik ve Sosyal Hizmet Emekçileri Sendikasi Şubat 2023 Depremleri 1. Yil Raporu, 2024, available here
[29] Information provided by stakeholders, March – April 2024.
[30] Ibid.
[31] Kirkayak Kültür, February 2024, “We started from zero, we returned to zero again…”, available here Information provided by stakeholders, March – April 2024 & Information shared by refugees in focus group discussions, April 2024.
[32] Information provided by stakeholders, March – April 2024.
[33] Information provided by stakeholders, March – April 2024.
[34] Information provided by refugees in focus group discussions, April 2024.
[35] ASAM, Çocuk, Ergen, Aile Destek Merkezleri Projesi, available here
[36] Information provided by stakeholders, March – April 2024.
[37] UNHCR, Education, available here
[38] Turkish government, official higher education statistics, available at: https://istatistik.yok.gov.tr/
[39] For example, Pamukkale University, ‘Students of Syrian nationality and Blue Card holders, who have just started our university in the 2021-2022 Academic Year, will pay tuition fees’, available in Turkish here
[40] For example, Anadolu University, available here
[41] UNHCR, Education, available here
[42] ICMPD, ‘BEUrs:’, last accessed 13 July 2023, available here
[43] UNHCR, ‘Education’, last accessed 13 July 2023, available here